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  • December

    Corps water safety volunteers Michael and Terri Young and park ranger Brian Scott Older used the Corps interpretive multi-use trailer to teach members of the community about water safety and other Corps missions at Kiwanis Kids Day in LaBelle.

    Corps attends south Florida outreach event

    Corps park ranger Brian Scott Older and water safety volunteers Michael and Terri Young, exhibited at Kiwanis Kids Day in Labelle, Florida educating attendees about the Corps’ mission and water safety. LaBelle is located along the Caloosahatchee River, which is part of the Okeechobee Waterway on the west side of Lake Okeechobee in south Florida.
  • University of North Florida (UNF) President John A. Delaney (left) and Col. Alan M. Dodd (right), Commander, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 25, 2014, in order to advance educational opportunities between the Corps and UNF in STEM subject areas – math, science, engineering and technology – for developing student scientists and engineers.

    Jacksonville District commander signs memorandum of understanding with local university

    On Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014, the Jacksonville District signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of North Florida (UNF), designed to be a framework outlining cooperative educational collaborations between UNF and the district in STEM subject areas for purposes of developing student scientists and engineers.
  • The tug boat Leitner pushed a barge mounted crane into position so a crew could break up and remove a half-acre tussock or floating island, restoring navigation along the Rim Canal Route 2 of the Okeechobee Waterway and the south side of Lake Okeechobee.

    Tussock removal

    A half-acre tussock was blown by the wind, and completely blocked the navigation channel of Rim Canal Route 2 of the Okeechobee Waterway, on the south side of Lake Okeechobee. The Okeechobee Waterway is a navigable waterway that cuts across the state, from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The tug boat Leitner, with Capt. Graham Thompson at the helm, pushed a barge-mounted crane with a crew of three into position. The team successfully broke up and removed the tussock, restoring navigation on the Okeechobee Waterway.
  • Project manager Jason Harrah presents during an industry day held in November to engage and inform contractor representatives regarding the requirements and challenges of the Mile Point project.

    Mile Point Industry Day information educates contractors

    Due to the complexity and challenges of the Mile Point Reconfiguration project, project manager Jason Harrah knew it was important to engage and inform the industry about the project early on. An industry day was held in Jacksonville in November, to provide an opportunity for contractor representatives to learn about the details and requirements for the project.

  • Safety Office team helps employees maintain workplace health

    Expert industrial hygienists and safety technicians from the Safety Office know how to help keep Jacksonville District employees safe and healthy. They are ready, willing and able to educate Corps employees and share their knowledge with anyone who requests assistance.
  • 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.