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  • September

    PowerCorps, led by coach Mike Ornella, Sr. (far left) defeated Going Coastal, led by coach Marty Durkin (fourth from right, kneeling) in an all-Corps championship tournament of the Federal Fun League. PowerCorps had a perfect season, capped by their eighth championship in 10 years.

    PowerCorps caps perfect season with eighth championship

    The Federal Fun League wrapped up their 41st softball season Wednesday, July 31 with their annual championship tournament at Willowbranch Park. The 2013 league included teams from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Jax Federal Credit Union, Naval Facilities Engineering (NAVFAC); U.S. Attorney’s Office/U.S. Probation Office, two teams from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and three teams from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District – Better-By-Design, Going Coastal and PowerCorps.
  • Operation Warfighter (OWF) is a Department of Defense program that places active duty service members in internships with federal agencies during their recovery.

    Operation Warfighter Program benefits local Soldier, Jacksonville District

    A 15-month deployment, especially a first deployment, does not typically involve tours in three

  • August

    Tegu hatchlings have a green coloration on their head, which usually fades within a few months. On average, a mature female tegu will lay around 35 eggs a year. In Florida, tegus hatch in the early summer.

    South American lizards slither into south Florida

    Hailing from South America, the tegu, an exotic lizard, has made its way into the Sunshine State and is now considered to be established in the south Florida region.
  • Roseate Spoonbills and the endangered West Indian manatee are among the species that call the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge home. If approved to fly the restricted airspace over the refuge, unmanned aircraft systems may provide potential, unobtrusive opportunities for research, environmental and wildlife data collection.

    Unmanned Aircraft Systems working group examines capabilities, future opportunities

    A group of leaders from the University of Central Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Florida, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Space Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) gathered June 24 to discuss the possibility of using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) around the Cape Canaveral area.
  • Civil engineer Jessamyn Fluitt, Engineering Division, assists students with the water tower construction at the one-day STEM event at the University of North Florida.

    District supports local STEM initiative

    In an effort to pique the interest of middle school students toward science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, Jacksonville District partnered with Mentoring Families and Kids, Inc., (MFK) at the Second Annual STEM Camp, held at the University of North Florida, June 28.
  • Portugués Dam (looking upstream) now fills the river valley as it nears completion near Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of the year, with operational testing taking place for most of 2014.

    Portugués Dam nears completion

    Despite the threat from Tropical Storm Chantal, more than 30 residents from Ponce, Puerto Rico and surrounding areas attended a meeting July 9 to learn more about Jacksonville District’s Portugués Dam, which is nearing completion after several years of design and construction.
  • A view of operations at Port Everglades, where Jacksonville District is conducting a study to address the potential widening of the entrance channel and deepening of the navigation channel from its current 42 feet to a depth of 48 feet.

    Port studies reach critical milestones

    Two major milestones have been met, with the release of the draft tentatively selected plan for the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Study and the Port Everglades Feasibility Study.
  • “We’ve got to create more jobs today, doing what you’re doing right here at JAXPORT, and that’s building this country’s future,” said President Barack Obama in his July 25 address to a capacity crowd at JAXPORT.

    Obama stresses importance of ports during visit to Jacksonville

    Addressing a standing-room-only audience at JAXPORT July 25, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of maintaining the nation’s ports and aging infrastructure. Hundreds gathered to hear Obama’s plan for moving the economy forward, starting with passing legislation to authorize two local port projects that would put people back to work in Jacksonville. “In a couple of years, new supertankers are going to start coming through the Panama Canal,” said Obama. “We want those supertankers to come here, to Jacksonville.”

  • July

    Lionfish were first reported off Florida’s Atlantic Coast in 1985, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website. Lionfish can reach up to 22 inches in length and have a venomous spine that can cause painful wounds.

    Lionfish continue to populate, pose threats to coral reefs

    Their dorsal spines and zebra-like bodies may draw one in for a closer look. Commonly used in aquariums for show, the invasive lionfish has made its way from the South Pacific and Indian Oceans to the east coast. In the past decade, they’ve been rapidly expanding from Florida to North Carolina, as well as the Caribbean.
  • Mike Ornella, Interagency and International Services branch chief, addresses celebration attendees. Ornella says the small IIS program operates on a limited budget but contributes a considerable percentage to the district’s full time equivalent.

    District celebrates 19 years of Interagency and International Services support

    Staff gathered Thursday, June 6, to celebrate the 19th birthday of Jacksonville District’s Interagency and International Services (IIS) program. Joining the celebration were two former employees who were instrumental to the program’s creation.
  • Senior leaders from Jacksonville District listen as Emergency Management Branch Chief Aaron Stormant fires questions to the group during a Continuity of Operations (COOP) exercise conducted June 4. The exercise tested the COOP plan through a discussion on how critical operations would be conducted if the district’s headquarters building were inaccessible due to disaster.

    Jacksonville District prepares for potential emergency

    The exercise tested the COOP plan, which identifies critical actions that must continue in the event the district’s headquarters building was no longer inhabitable because of fire, flood or some other event.
  • The members of EMC Magnitude Design, Inc. at Booker Creek, the site of their award-winning water environment improvement design. Pictured left to right is Miki Skinner, Caitlin Hoch and Brett French. Team members not pictured are Erin Morrison and Josh Becker.

    Regulatory’s Caitlin Hoch and team headed to national competition

    Tampa Regulatory Office’s newest environmental engineer Caitlin Hoch has already added a pretty impressive credential to her resume. The recent University of South Florida graduate and her student design team, EMC Magnitude Design, Inc. took first place in a recent competition sponsored by the Florida Water Environment Association, beating 10 other teams from seven state universities. They will advance to represent the state in the national competition at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference this fall.

  • June

    A survey of laurel wilt damage to swampbays in an Everglades tree island.

    Laurel wilt – a possible threat to Everglades restoration

    First discovered in 2005 in Duval County, laurel wilt disease has since spread south and is covering a vast section of Tamiami Trail, potentially threatening the Everglades. The disease, caused by a fungus transmitted by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, kills avocado and other trees in the laurel family
  • Archaeologists Grady Caulk (left) and Wendy Weaver (right) conduct archaeological investigations at the 8.5 Square Mile project.

    Archaeologists help preserve the past, link to the future

    Archaeological evidence shows that the area that we now know as Florida has been occupied by man since around 12,000 B.C. Known as Paleo-indians, these inhabitants lived off of available plants and animals, including mega-fauna such as the mastodon or the 12-foot-tall giant ground sloth that once roamed Florida. Over time, Florida slowly evolved into what we see today, with climate and sea levels becoming more stabilized.
  • Outreach program specialist and former middle school teacher Erica Skolte spoke to eighth grade students at Polo Park Middle School about what the Everglades were like prior to being altered by man.

    The student connection: Corps employees reach out to local schools

    For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, this time of year provides an opportunity to educate future engineers and scientists on the breadth of the district’s work and the contributions it makes to the quality of life in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All Corps team members are representatives for the Corps in their own communities. Every interaction provides a potential opportunity to share information about the district’s programs and projects.
  • A view of Palm Beach Harbor, the site of the Lake Worth Inlet Feasibility Study, which evaluates the potential widening and deepening of the channel.

    Lake Worth Inlet moves forward with release of draft report to public

    In May, the Lake Worth Inlet project team reached a major milestone with the release of the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) to the public. A public meeting to introduce the plan to the community was attended by nearly 70 interested residents and stakeholders in Palm Beach.
  • Panther biologists have tracked Florida panthers crossing north in a section of the Caloosahatchee River that narrows to about 92 feet across and has relatively gradual banks. It is just a few miles west of the Ortona Lock and Dam.

    Corps recognized for role in making Florida panther corridor a reality

    Panther scientists estimate that there are only 100 to 140 Florida panthers remaining in the wild, and the last remaining breeding population of Florida panthers is in south Florida, south of the Caloosahatchee River.
  • Steve Dunham, chief of the South Florida Operations Office in Clewiston (in white shirt) and park ranger Richard Bailey speak with army instructor Sergeant First Class Brian Lamberton as JROTC volunteers plant Royal Palms along the entrance to the Port Mayaca Lock & Dam.

    Volunteers take pride in accomplishments at Take Pride in America Day

    Like anything worthwhile, Jacksonville District’s observance of Take Pride in America Day took a lot of planning, preparation and hard work. For the Corps employees and volunteers who participated in the May 4 event, the results were well worth the effort again this year. It was a win-win for everyone involved.
  • Adam Morrison (left), Jacksonville District Equal Employment Opportunity Office, visited lock leader Pam Peralta (right) and lock operator Robert Holmes (center) at Moore Haven Lock and Dam on the Okeechobee Waterway.

    Female lock leader honored with Steel de Fleury

    Forty years ago, career choices for women were generally not as diverse as they are today. Pam Peralta never let that stand in her way. Her choices leaned toward the non-traditional and resulted in several historic firsts.
  • An aerial view of the Culvert 11 site shows the ongoing work to replace more than 30 water control structures around Lake Okeechobee, providing continued stability for Herbert Hoover Dike.

    HHD named Project of the Year

    The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Palm Beach Branch has given its Outstanding Project of the Year Award to Jacksonville District, for its work in designing and constructing the improvements to reduce the risk of failure at the dike. The award is presented annually by the organization to recognize the best example of an innovative or outstanding design/construction project in Palm Beach County.