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  • March

    As part of the Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge Opening Ceremony on March 19, 2013, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar cut a ribbon on the bridge deck prior to taking the inaugural drive across the fully-constructed bridge, which will be opened up to traffic in the upcoming weeks.

    Completion of critical project milestone celebrated for Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge

    Federal, state and local officials stood atop 5,280 linear feet of restoration progress as they came together to celebrate the completion of the Tamiami Trail one-mile bridge March 19 in Miami, Fla.
  • Everglades Day at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge brings many families and children like Sara Green to the Corps booth, where they spin the “Wayne Drop” wheel and learn about the Everglades and water safety.

    Reaching out in South Florida

    Reaching out to the communities we serve, to engage them by providing information as well as seeking their input on our projects and processes, is a basic tenet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. From formal meetings about the Central Everglades Planning Project to participating in community-based events, the Jacksonville District team is continuously engaged in a multitude of public interactions in south Florida.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District’s Antilles Office, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    The relationship between the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

    The first of this series of four stories about the history of Jacksonville District’s Antilles Office described the location of the archipelago of islands that includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This installment will look at how Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are related to the United States.
  • After inspecting the channel at Cowbone Marsh, Regulatory Division issued a cease and desist order, requiring the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to stop sidecasting dredged material into the channel.

    Cowbone Marsh to be protected through Regulatory Division action

    Located within central Glades County, Fla., eight miles upstream of the mouth of Fisheating Creek at the western shore of Lake Okeechobee, lies Cowbone Marsh, an approximately 5,500-acre freshwater marsh system. Fisheating Creek, the only remaining free-flowing waterway feeding into the lake, flows through Cowbone Marsh. Most of the surrounding land is either publicly owned or under conservation easements that restrict development, making it one of the most valuable aquatic and wildlife resource areas in the country.
  • Col. Alan Dodd (right), district commander, presented a plaque to Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown to thank him for his participation in the Black History Month closing ceremony Feb. 27. Brown is the first African American mayor of Jacksonville, and has made military affairs a priority for his administration.

    Jacksonville Mayor celebrates Black History Month with Corps Employees

    Jacksonville District wrapped up its 2013 Black History Month events with a visit from Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown Feb. 27. “Black history means accountability, responsibility and opportunity. It means that we have the ability to work together to fully empower people and believe that they too could live the American dream by getting a good education, by focusing on what they can do to be successful,” said Brown.
  • Carlos Clarke (left) and Robert Meekie, Contracting Division, celebrate their victory as 2013 Brain Brawl champions. Photo by Christina Swanson.

    Close competition in the 2013 Black History Brain Brawl

    Jacksonville District divisions are about to go head to head in the 2013 Black History Brain Brawl. The defending champions, Regulatory Division, walk in and set a large trophy on the table in front of them.
  • Savannah Shelton (left) and Rebecca Wright of Yulee High School’s all-girl team, The Plastics, check over their bridge after placing third in the Take Home Project part of the Engineering Career Day competition.

    Engineering Career Day engages students and promotes STEM careers

    STEM is a national and regional effort to better prepare the workforce of tomorrow by encouraging today’s students to engage in studies, events and careers involving science, technology, engineering and math. The Engineering Career Day event invites student teams to compete in building and entering a take home project, completing a surprise project assigned the day of the event and a trivia challenge. Team 2 from Bishop Kenny, Thunder Buddies, was the overall winner of the competition.

  • February

    Jessica Spencer (left) of the Invasive Species Management Branch describes two new plants that have recently invaded Jacksonville, Fla. –Old World climbing fern and Saltcedar – at the 2013 Timucuan Science and History Symposium Jan. 25.

    Spencer discusses invasive plants at local science symposium

    In an effort to educate land managers and the public about two plants that are just beginning to invade the Jacksonville area, biologist Jessica Spencer gave a presentation at the 2013 Timucuan Science and History Symposium Jan. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • The Antilles is an archipelago or chain of islands, including several islands that are part of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

    Where in the world are the Antilles and Puerto Rico?

    Jacksonville District’s area of responsibility includes the Antilles and Puerto Rico, but some have only a vague idea of the location of the Antilles, its relationship with the United States, and what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does there. This first installment in a series provides a bird’s eye view of the Antilles.
  • 2013 Engineering Career Day takes place Feb. 22 beginning at 8:30 a.m.at the Jacksonville District headquarters, 701 San Marco Blvd. Keynote speaker will be Eric Bush, chief of the Planning and Policy Division. This year’s theme is “Future Connections.” Students will focus on projects that incorporate several different engineering disciplines.

    Motivating, recruiting students was driving force behind Engineering Career Day

    A desire to motivate students to pursue engineering degrees and jobs ten years ago by a handful of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District engineers and other young professionals resulted in what has become an annual high school competition on Engineering Career Day. These enterprising engineers from several different disciplines within the Corps came up with a plan to make students aware of a possible future in the fields of science, engineering, math and technology via a take home construction competition.
  • Burmese pythons have been known to consume a wide variety of wildlife, including alligators, wood storks and Key Largo woodrats.

    Burmese pythons threaten native species and restoration efforts

    A hunt for Burmese pythons in south Florida is not a hoax; this non-native invasive species is threatening Everglades ecosystem restoration efforts and native wildlife. The one-month ‘Python Challenge’ organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allows anyone older than 18 to hunt the snakes on state land. Burmese pythons are exceptionally difficult to locate, due to their camouflaging capabilities. The ISM branch has initiated efforts to detect the pythons by using dogs and thermal energy remote sensing by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
  • Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (right) administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama during the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. First Lady Michelle Obama holds a Bible that belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Lincoln Bible, which was used at President Obama’s 2009 inaugural ceremony. Daughters Malia and Sasha stand with their parents.

    African American/Black History Month

    In observance of African American/Black History Month, which takes place Feb. 1-28, 2013, Jacksonville District’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office has planned several events with the theme, “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington.” Mayor Alvin Brown of the city of Jacksonville is the keynote speaker for a program scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 10 to 11 a.m.

  • Quick response by Regulatory Division keeps St. Thomas running

    Early in December 2012, Regulatory Division’s Antilles Office staff received word that the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands was on the brink of losing electrical power, absent a permit to make necessary modifications to a dock at Krum Bay which would facilitate the delivery of fuel.
  • Viktoria Bogina, E.I.T., a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, was one of the USACE nominees for this year's New Faces of Engineering program.

    New Faces of Engineering: Viktoria Bogina

    Viktoria Bogina, E.I.T., a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, was one of the USACE nominees for this year's New Faces of Engineering program. “I’m really excited for this recognition, and I couldn’t be more thrilled!” said Bogina. Each year, the National Engineers Week Foundation – a coalition of engineering societies, major corporations and government agencies – asks its members to nominate colleagues 30 years old and younger who have shown outstanding abilities and leadership. The program promotes the accomplishments of young engineers, highlights the impact of their engineering contributions on society and inspires students to consider engineering careers.

  • January

    During his recent visit to Jacksonville District project sites in south Florida, Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, paid a visit to the Central Everglades Planning Project team during a Project Delivery Team meeting they were holding in West Palm Beach, Fla., Jan. 24.

    Corps Deputy Commanding General visits south Florida project sites

    Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visited Jacksonville District project sites in south Florida Jan. 23 and 24, including the Tamiami Trail Modifications project and the Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation project.
  • Timothy R. Brown, a senior project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, responsible for leading interdisciplinary project delivery teams in the execution of large scale civil works projects, is the recipient of this year’s Special Recognition award for the 2013 BEYA STEM Conference.

    Jacksonville Engineer Tim Brown wins big at national engineering conference

    Timothy R. Brown, a senior project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, responsible for leading interdisciplinary project delivery teams in the execution of large scale civil works projects, is the recipient of this year’s Special Recognition award for the 2013 BEYA STEM Conference.
  • Jacksonville District Commander Col. Alan Dodd, spoke alongside federal and state partners, at a dedication ceremony for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project in Homestead, Fla., hosted by the South Florida Water Management District Jan. 11, 2013.

    Federal, state partners celebrate completion of key component in Everglades restoration

    Federal and state partners celebrated the completion of a key component in improving freshwater deliveries to the southern end of the Everglades ecosystem Jan. 11 in Homestead, Fla., at the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project Dedication Ceremony.
  • Six species of pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are found in Florida’s wetlands, with the greatest concentration found from Franklin County to Escambia County. The unique plant is carnivorous, attracting and trapping insects that decompose in the plant’s liquid, creating a nitrogen-rich “fertilizer.” England and Japan both have gardens that feature North American pitcher plants, and they are a major attraction. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, pitcher plant habitat in Florida is “at risk, primarily from lack of fire management and from drainage by ditching.” All wild pitcher plants are protected by state and federal laws.

    Busy year for nation’s largest regulatory permitting program

    Jacksonville District’s regulatory permitting program, the largest in the Corps, exceeded all national performance standards in Fiscal Year 2012. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that 94 percent of general permit decisions were completed within 60 days of receipt of a complete application and 82 percent of individual permit decisions were completed within 120 days of receipt of a complete application.
  • Water flows through the gates of the St. Lucie Lock in late September, as Jacksonville District started discharges from Lake Okeechobee to stem the rapid rise in lake levels after Tropical Storm Isaac. The releases began Sept. 19 and continued until early November.

    Milestones reached at Herbert Hoover Dike as dedication to water management balance continues

    The past year saw both low water and high water at Lake Okeechobee, as well as completion of one project and the start of others on Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD). The best news occurred in October, when the last section of cutoff wall in the dike between Port Mayaca and Belle Glade was accepted by Jacksonville District construction representatives. The action meant 21.4 miles of cutoff wall that had been under construction since 2007 was in place, reducing the risk of failure for the southeast portion of the dike.
  • A warmer than normal winter and heavy early season rains contributed to the highest levels of water hyacinth on the St. Johns River and Lake Okeechobee since 1986.

    Invasive Species biologists combat explosion of aquatic plant growth

    The year 2012 brought many challenges for the Invasive Species Management (ISM) Branch to tackle. Multiple factors led to the highest levels of water hyacinth on Lake Okeechobee since 1986. Water hyacinth invades lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and other types of wetland habitats. According to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System website, water hyacinth can reproduce and quickly form dense floating mats of vegetation, sometimes doubling in size over a two week period. These dense mats reduce light and deplete oxygen levels for submerged plants and aquatic invertebrates.