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  • February

    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.
  • The Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Study, included in President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” initiative, is being conducted on an expedited schedule. The Jacksonville Harbor (Mile Point) Navigational Study achieved a signed Chief of Engineers’ Report and Project Design Agreement, critical steps in moving the project to Congressional authorization and appropriation.

    Ports are focus of national spotlight in 2012

    Ports were thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 after President Obama announced the “We Can’t Wait” Initiative, which placed several of Jacksonville District’s port projects and studies onto the fast track for implementation. As a part of the initiative, President Obama identified seven nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects to be expedited to help modernize and expand five major ports in the United States, including the port of Jacksonville and the port of Miami.
  • Vice President Joe Biden visited the Everglades in April, 2012 to discuss the administration’s ecosystem restoration priorities and efforts.

    Everglades restoration takes several leaps forward

    For Everglades restoration, the year started off with lots of excitement and momentum as the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) accelerated, with the ambitious goal of delivering – within two years – finalized plans for congressional authorization for a suite of restoration projects in the central Everglades.
  • Sand was placed at Fort Clinch State Park following the dredging of Kings Bay Entrance Channel at Fernandina Harbor.

    Dredging and beach programs experience active year

    Florida’s shorelines saw a flurry of activity during 2012. The state experienced several storm systems that caused erosion impacts to a host of federal beach projects. In addition, a few beaches saw new sand placed on their shores as a result of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging projects.

  • December

    Lt. Col. Thomas Greco presented St. Lucie Lock Leader Michael L. Carter (center) with the Steel de Fleury Medal Dec. 19 at the St. Lucie Lock in Stuart, Fla. Also present was South Florida Operations Office Chief, Steve Dunham (right).

    Corps lock leader receives Steel de Fleury Medal

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District employee Michael L. Carter received the prestigious military engineer award, the Steel de Fleury Medal, Dec. 19 for his significant contributions to the district over the course of his 32-year career with the Corps.
  • Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, right, visited the New Jersey Recovery Field Office, where he was briefed by Tim Brown, mission manager for the Housing Planning Response Team.

    Jacksonville District’s Housing Planning Response Team on the scene in New Jersey

    Within days of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, which reaped devastating effects across the northeastern seaboard, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District team was among the many national Corps responders to arrive on the scene to provide welcomed relief and assistance.
  • Alberto Gonzalez, Portugues Dam project manager, makes a point while speaking about the transition to a Roller Compacted Concrete Dam during a presentation at a conference in Zaragoza, Spain. Gonzalez was one of three Jacksonville District representatives who participated. Photo courtesy Alberto Gonzalez.

    Portugues Dam subject of international conference

    From Argentina to Vietnam, 350 representatives from 39 countries gathered in Zaragoza, Spain in late October to discuss dams, and included in the discussion was Jacksonville District’s Portugues Dam. The meeting was billed as the Sixth International Symposium on Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) Dams. Three representatives of Jacksonville District spoke at the event: Portugues Dam Project Manager Alberto Gonzalez, Portugues Dam Resident Engineer Pablo Vázquez-Ruiz and Portugues Dam Project Geologist John Conway.
  • Lilly Chavis and Rosalind Smith from Human Resources provided information on employment to many veterans who visited the Corps’ booth.

    Week of Valor event aims to connect

    U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown kicked off the city of Jacksonville’s Veterans Jobs Fair Nov. 9. More than 90 companies and universities participated in the event, which attracted nearly 1,000 job-seeking veterans.

  • October

    Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, took an airboat ride through Everglades National Park after visiting the Tamiami Trail Modifications project in Miami-Dade County Oct. 10, 2012

    Lt. Gen. Bostick visits the Everglades

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), visited the Everglades October 10, 2012 to see the restoration work being performed by the Jacksonville District and their partnering agencies. "USACE has one of the largest environmental restoration and sustainability roles in the federal government, and the Everglades restoration is our largest project of this kind," said Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "After viewing first-hand the enormous challenges facing Everglades restoration and meeting with our partners in this effort, I am absolutely convinced that working together, we can achieve restoration goals and improve this ecological treasure for future generations."

  • September

    A major milestone was reached on the Tamiami Trail Modifications project shortly after midnight July 13 as the first concrete pour on the bridge deck was completed.

    Major construction milestone achieved at Tamiami Trail

    A major milestone for the Tamiami Trail Modifications project was reached shortly after midnight July 13 as the first concrete pour on the bridge deck was completed.

  • January

    NOVA UAV program soars

    “The NOVA has been developed to provide a technological edge for us,” said Larry Taylor, NOVA UAV program manager. “Its specialty is detecting and monitoring change over time. We have used it for levee monitoring; we have detected anomalies in the levees that weren’t detected by ground observation.” In addition to the levee monitoring the NOVA has also been used for wildlife surveys, regulatory permit reconnaissance, invasive species contract assessments and invasive species acreage estimation.