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  • December

    Brianne Kirschner, who earned a degree as a relaxation therapist, taught her husband Matthew to crochet to help him relax.

    Lock leader continues to serve, helps other veterans

    A retired Marine is not the kind of guy you would expect to pick up a crochet hook to create hundreds of “beanies,” many of them pink. But Kirschner, together with his wife Brianne, created the “Beanies for Vets” program He has cranked out hundreds of beanies, all to benefit veterans and several charities. He is currently working on a crocheted American flag.
  • Jacksonville District commander Col. Alan Dodd and South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Blake Guillory cut a ribbon to celebrate the completion of the first major construction contract for the Picayune Strand Restoration Project.

    Completion of major Everglades restoration construction contract celebrated at Picayune Strand

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District celebrated the completion of a major construction effort for the Picayune Strand Restoration project Oct. 24 alongside federal, state and local representatives and Everglades restoration supporters.

  • November

    Hispanic Heritage Month festivities bring employees and students together

    After a month-long observance of Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), Jacksonville District held a closing ceremony at its downtown office, Oct. 7. The event attended by district staff, hosted students from Englewood High School with a competition, “Are you Smarter than a High Schooler?”

  • District employees participate in Hispanic Heritage Month cook-off

    The Second Annual Hispanic Heritage Cook-off contest was held Oct. 2, in the district’s downtown office.

  • Progress continues at Antilles Middle School

    Since construction began on the Antilles Elementary School at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico in 2012, the project is 50 percent complete. The school consists of five buildings, A, B, C, D, and E which are in varying stages of completion. There are three academic wings, an administrative wing and a gymnasium/ cafeteria wing.
  • Pablo Vazquez-Ruiz receives the Construction Management Excellence award from district commander, Col. Alan Dodd. The award recognizes district personnel who exhibit excellence in construction management and contract administration activities.

    District employee receives national award

    The Construction Management Excellence (CME) award was presented to Pablo Vazques-Ruiz, Jacksonville District’s south Puerto Rico resident engineer, during a special ceremony Sept. 7 at the Corps’ Antilles office in San Juan , Puerto Rico.
  • Jason Engle chats with Big Monster Entertainment film crew prior to an hour-long interview on the Flagler Beach pier.

    ‘Rising Tides’ documentary explores coastal erosion

    Engle provided a look into historical data and potential impacts of rising sea levels and storm events on Florida, and how Jacksonville District incorporates its findings into coastal processes to reduce risks.
  • Brig. Gen. C. David Turner, commanding general of the USACE South Atlantic Division, takes a tour of the Everglades via airboat during his recent visit to south Florida.

    South Atlantic Division commanding general visits Jacksonville District projects

    Brig. Gen. C. David Turner, South Atlantic Division commander, devoted nearly a week learning about the district’s projects and meeting with partnering agency officials and district staff during his visit to Florida Sept. 15-19, 2014.

  • October

    According to the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Services, Sea Oxeye Daisy is native to salt water wetlands in south Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and is commonly associated with mangroves. It fills swales and ditches on barrier islands and will endure brackish conditions and diverse soils.

    Wetlands aren’t always wet!

    Contrary to popular belief, wetlands are not always wet. And there may be a difference between what the Army Corps of Engineers and state and other regulatory agencies consider a wetland.
  • Donnie Kinard (second from left), chief of the Regulatory Division and Tori White (third from left), deputy chief, chat with attendees during a break at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Open House July 11.

    Regulatory takes its show on the road

    For the first time in four years, Regulatory Division traveled Jacksonville District’s territory, from the Florida Panhandle to the Antilles, to offer a full day of information to stakeholders, partners, consultants and the public.
  • A duckling wearing his new bling.

    Harbor channel maintenance benefits navigation and island treasures

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District awarded a $13.4 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Oak Brook, Ill., to perform maintenance dredging of the Tampa Harbor Egmont and Mullet Key channel cuts. The project will beneficially place dredged sand and install geotextile tubes on Egmont Key to help stabilize the beach and protect historic structures.
  • Sindulfo Castillo (right), chief of the Antilles Regulatory Section, watches as members of a standing-room-only crowd await their turn to speak at Regulatory Division's Sept. 25 public meeting to discuss the Coral World Ocean park permit application.

    Impassioned community packs Regulatory public meeting

    More than 250 people – some carrying signs and posters; some wearing shirts expressing their opinions; all of them fervently in favor of or opposed to the project – packed the Charles Turnbull Regional Library well beyond its capacity.

  • September

    POW share their experiences so others learn

    So, why were the Hanoi Hilton prisoners so resilient during and following their imprisonment? A variety of studies concluded that their faith, in each other, in the nation and in their beliefs gave them optimism in the face of death and immeasurable pain.
  • Staff with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) release the rescued manatee back into the St. Lucie Canal on August 13 after it was nursed to health.

    Port Mayaca lock operators play key role in rescue and rehabilitation of injured manatee

    March 15 started like so many other days for Jon Fields, a veteran lock operator at the Port Mayaca Lock & Dam on the east side of Lake Okeechobee in south Florida. As he was performing his pre-operation checks to begin the day, he noticed a manatee along the shore of the lake.
  • During small group breakout sessions on the second day of the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area Summit, members discuss and plan action items and strategies for the management of invasive plants and animals in the coming year.

    Everglades invasive species management summit provides a call to action

    Jacksonville District team members along with a diverse group of 143 members attended the 2014 Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ECISMA) Summit, July 23- 24 in Davie, Fla. to learn about recent efforts and plan for the upcoming year.
  • A monument stands in downtown Punta Gorda paying homage to the resilience of the town in the face of Hurricane Charley. “The Spirit of Punta Gorda” consists of two palm trees made of metal—one is bent to show the power of hurricane winds; the other is standing tall to show the strength of the people to survive the storm. A sundial is also built into the structure, fixed on 4:29 p.m.—the moment when the downtown clock stopped as the storm struck.

    A look back at the 2004 hurricane season

    The 2004 hurricane season was unlike any other season in the past century. Since hurricane records started being kept in the 1850s, it was the only time that four storms hit the state of Florida. It was also the first time since 1886, when Texas was hit, that four hurricanes had made landfall in the same state in one year.
  • With Tampa in the distance, dike construction continues at 3-D to increase its capacity to 15-million cubic yards for use in disposing Tampa Harbor Project dredged materials.

    Corps 3-D island provides haven for birds

    Every year, hundreds of birds flock to two manmade islands at the edge of Tampa Harbor’s federal navigation channel in Hillsborough Bay. The birds have found the islands, which are posted and protected from trespassers, to provide ideal conditions to safely court, nest and raise their young.
  • With proper management and planning, human progress can co-exist with the nurturing of precious wildlife.

    This job is, literally, for the birds!

    The Caspian Tern is the world’s largest tern, and although distributed worldwide, Florida has only five documented nesting locations, one of which is DMPF- 3D! The excellent cooperation from all workers in strictly following the many management tools has given us glorious success.
  • Construction was completed on the first contract for the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area project July 31. Once completed, the project will serve a vital role in storing and treating local basin run-off.

    Corps completes construction on first contract for Indian River Lagoon-South project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, completed construction on its first contract for a substantial Everglades restoration project in Martin County, Fla., July 31. The project, known as the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) project, is the first component of the multi-billion dollar Indian River Lagoon-South project that will serve a vital role in storing and treating local basin run-off.

  • August

    Employees of Army Corps of Engineers contractor Gator Dredging of Clearwater, Florida, discovered a prisoner of war bracelet, belonging to Maj. Glenn H. Wilson, during dredging operations at Stevenson Creek and returned the bracelet to the late officer’s family.

    From a POW wristband, a journey surfaces with many twists

    It was an unusual treasure the Stevenson Creek dredging contractor found – a Vietnam-era prisoner of war (POW) wristband. Employees of Gator Dredging of Clearwater, Florida discovered the bracelet when their hydraulic barge’s hose sucked it from the creek during dredging operations.