Washington News
National News
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Fall 2008
Issue
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Message from Roylene
Some react to change with fear and dread, while others see
opportunity. I hope the change of me coming to Washington as State
Conservationist will be a great opportunity for the state – and for
myself. In meeting with people (employees, partners and customers) I
have gained an excitement about having the honor to represent NRCS.
I can see the commitment to conservation in the state. I believe we
will be a great fit because I have that same commitment.
My vision is not to make wholesale changes, but maybe fine tune some
things – like developing processes that are more defined. For
example, I’d like to see us develop a process to bring more NRCS
funding to the state. And I’d like us to foster open communication
while including staff input in our operations.
To address open communications, the State Leadership Team is
developing an “Activity Report” that will give regular updates to
partners and staff on issues related to budget, farm bill programs,
soils, PMC, and engineering priorities.
I want to support our staff in creating an environment that allows
them to grow and develop to the level they need. I also want to
encourage those employees who have the desire to be leaders at the
state or national level to develop their skills in order to realize
their goals.
Meeting with partners, I see many ways we can work together to
compliment each others’ efforts. I can also see potential funding
opportunities that can be leveraged to benefit the natural resources
and the citizens of Washington.
On a personal level, it is great to be closer to family. After 13
years absent from the west it is so good to be home! It’s good to be
in Washington. Roylene
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See what's happen' with employees around the
state.
The following personnel changes for this quarter have been supplied by
our state Human Resources department.
Jaida Levine, Purchasing Agent, Spokane State Office, effective 7/20/08.
Suzanne DeMaine, Office Automation Clerk, Spokane State Office, effective
8/3/08.
Robert Jarrett, Administrative Support Assistant, Olympia Area Office, effective
8/31/08.
Kelly Scott, Civil Engineer, Regional Design Team, Spokane State Office,
transferred from NRCS in Wyoming, effective 8/31/08.
James Farley, Civil Engineer Technician, Olympia Field Office, effective
9/28/08.
Kaiza Kuiken, Soil Conservation Technician, Okanogan Field Office, effective
9/28/08.
Rebecca Morris, Resource Conservationist, Brush Prairie Field Office,
transferred from NRCS in Oregon, effective 9/28/08.
Konrad Bomberger, Rangeland Management Specialist, Goldendale Field Office,
transferred from Forest Service in Oregon, effective 10/12/08.
Christopher Wright, Soil Conservation Technician, Montesano Field Office,
effective 10/12/08.
Amy Hendershot, Soil Conservationist, Wenatchee Field Office, effective
10/12/08.
Kelly Counts, Soil Conservation Technician, Lake Stevens Field Office, effective
11/10/08.
Kristin Horn, Rangeland Management Specialist, Colville Field Office, effective
11/23/08.
Corey Bonsen – For sustained assistance and cooperation in NRCS outreach and
marketing communications efforts
Oscar Tobias – For outstanding contribution for Hispanic outreach for the EQIP
program
Richard Caverly – For diligent work on entering AgLearn classes and student
information and for completing far more than was expected
Cheryle Miller – For employee suggestion resulting in the issuance of GM
WA360-01 regarding the use of emergency information cards
June Johnson – For overall leadership in coordinating with field offices
and ITS staff assigned to the roll out of CST, SDV, ArcGIS and DNR Garmin
James Knettel – For outstanding assistance to NRCS employees by installing CST,
ArcGIS, SDV and DNR Garmin
Eric Choker – For extra effort in assisting the Spokane Soil Survey MLRA project
leader with special soils investigations
Bela Espinoza – For extra effort in taking care of front office duties in the
absence of the state conservationist’s secretary and other administrative
assistant
Leigh Nelson – For assistance with Washington State Watershed Boundary Dataset
Kevin Davis – For outstanding assistance for WRP in the South Central Team
David Jones – For effective planning to meet deadlines of the 2008 CSP sign-up
Rich Riehle – For leading the team effort on the 2008 CSP sign-up
Georgie Leinweber – For effective planning to meet deadlines of the 2008 CSP
sign-up
Dave Weber – For leadership in applying task orders to accomplish the CRP
workload in 2008
Steve Sprecher – For effective management of the WRP workload and sign-up in
2008
David Welk – For effectively managing a large EQIP and field office workload in
2008
Emily Pickron – For effectively carrying out the interview and planning process
for the 2008 CSP
Shelly Lassiter – For outstanding assistance with the Upper Crab Creek CSP field
status review project
Gary Mitchell – For outstanding assistance with the Upper Crab Creek CSP field
status review project
Jason Flowers – For a superior job in collecting wood site data in support of
the Spokane County soil survey update
Gilda Gilbert – To recognize service as a Federal Account Executive; serving
Washington State for seven years
Bela Espinoza – For assistance with the recent DNR forest landowner survey and
for the numerous times she has provided assistance to the public affairs staff;
especially with special mail-outs
Eileen Jackson – For the time and effort to get a new contact for the ACES
program completed in a very short timeframe
Sandy Degner-Crusch – For the time and effort to get a new contact for the ACES
program completed in a very short timeframe
Amy Smith – For the time and effort to get a new contact for the ACES program
completed in a very short timeframe
Karen Hanson – For exceptional national leadership, interpersonal skills and
project oversight that provided the mechanism and funding which led directly to
the certification of Washington’s WBD
Kimberly Hanson – For exceptional knowledge, interpersonal skills and project
oversight during the editing and review led directly to the certification of
Washington’s Watershed Boundary Dataset
Dan Wickwire – For exceptional leadership, interpersonal skills and project
oversight that provided the mechanism which lead directly to the certification
of Washington’s Watershed Boundary Dataset
Rick Jordan – For exceptional leadership, interpersonal skills and project
oversight during the editing and review that led directly to the certification
of Washington’s Watershed Boundary Dataset
Ron Nichols – For your tremendous assistance in the development of the CRAC
all-employee survey and making it available on the web so employees could
respond to the survey quickly and anonymously
Shannon Strittmatter, Agricultural Engineer, Mount Vernon Field Office, has
completed her Student Career Education Trainee program and was converted and
promoted to a permanent position effective 06/22/08.
Heidi Smidansky, Soil Conservationist, Mount Vernon Field Office, promoted
effective 09/14/08.
Jared Hamman, Soil Conservation Technician, Mount Vernon Field Office, promoted
effective 09/28/08.
Gary Kuhn, Plant Material Specialist, reassigned to the Forester position in
Spokane State Office effective 8/3/08.
Ed Brincken, Soil Scientist, reassigned to Chehalis Field Office effective
9/28/08.
Paul Gleason, Soil Conservationist, reassigned from Ephrata Field Office to
Chehalis Field Office effective 9/28/08.
Richard Bachert, Resource Conservationist, Brush Prairie Field Office,
transferred to Oregon OCIO effective 7/6/08.
Naysa Poshusta, Biological Science Aid, Pullman Plant Material Office, resigned
effective 7/19/08.
Jacob Tribelhorn, Biological Science Aid, Pullman Plant Material Office,
resigned effective 8/2/08.
Hanna Connett, Biological Science Aid, Pullman Plant Material Office, resigned
effective 8/5/08.
Conor Richards, Biological Science Aid, Pullman Plant Material Office, resigned
effective 8/16/08.
Gus Hughbanks, State Conservationist, reassigned to the Director, Budget
Planning and Analysis Division in Washington DC, effective 9/14/08.
Kelly Sprute, Public Affairs Specialist, Olympia Area Office, promotion/transfer
to Forest Service, effective 10/12/08.
Laren Nalder, Soil Conservationist, Pasco Field Office, promotion/transfer to
NRCS – Idaho, effective 10/12/08.
Dannelle Aleshire, Soil Conservationist, Ellensburg Field Office, transfer to
NRCS – Oregon, effective 10/12/08.
Kyle Stephens, Soil Scientist, Spokane Soil Survey Office, promotion/transfer to
NRCS – Oregon, effective 10/12/08.
Civil Rights Committee Report
Submitted by Chandra Neils, Chair
October was exciting and challenging.
Bela Espinoza, Special Emphasis Program Manager for Veterans and Persons with
Disabilities, organized awareness activities for both groups. She gave a
presentation on the Americans with Disabilities Act and 508 compliance at a
brown bag lunch event at the State Office. In the month of October, Bela focused
on persons with disabilities.
November found Bela working to raise awareness of the Veterans we work with. You
were strongly encouraged to plan fun activities to recognize and honor those who
have served. Bela is happy to share her presentations and ideas with you so
that you can provide training in your own offices and teams. She requested
people to share their experience in the armed forces with her and others.
Throughout the year the various Civil Rights Advisory Committee (CRAC) members
will be organizing events and creating training that you can take advantage of.
You are always free to contact any CRAC member for help in organizing an event
or ideas on providing training. The following is a list of members provided for
your convenience.
Chandra Neils, East Area Representative (Chair)
Rick Beck, Central Area Representative (Vice Chair)
Pete Bautista, Asian American/Pacific Islander SEPM
Sergio Paredes, Hispanic SEPM
Kelley Paup-Lefferts, American Indian/Alaska Native SEPM
Eileen Jackson, State Office Representative
Amanda Ettestad, Federal Womens SEPM
Bela Espinoza, Veteran & Persons with Disabilities SEPM
Clea Rome, West Area Representative
The Black SEPM position is vacant at this time.
Highlights of conservation activities in
Washington
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The APIO/AIANEA held a joint conference August 11–15, 2008 in Spokane,
Washington. This conference offered employees the chance to
network with others to learn more about NRCS programs being implemented
across the nation.
Read more... |
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In August 2005, the School Fire consumed over 51,000 acres, followed by
the Columbia Complex Fire, in 2006 which burned over 109,000 acres.
Many homes, outbuildings, miles of fencing, livestock and thousands of
acres of productive range and farmland were lost. Miraculously, no one
was killed.
Read more... |
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A Hop Skip and a SCEP in the Okanogan Highlands
Submitted By Paul Cooke, NRCS SCEP student and
Randy Kelley, District
Conservationist, Okanogan
As a first year Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) student, the
experiences gained while working the past three months with the North
Central (NC)Team out of the Okanogan Field Office have not only helped
refine the direction I may want to take as a soil conservationist, but will also
be with me the rest of my life.
Read more... |
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After 10 years the Spokane County Soil Survey is
beginning to wind down. Soil mapping in the county has been completed but
we still have data collection needs. This summer was spent collecting the
tree site data that will accompany the soils information when the survey is
released.
Read more... |
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By locating some control points around the construction site the
excavation equipment will be able to construct the embankment pond to
the designed specifications from the model. This will save time
and money by not having to go out and stake the site by hand before
construction and the contractor saves money by decreasing fuel and labor
costs by having fewer passes with the equipment.
Read more... |
Other items of interest along the way
PDF documents requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
The 2008 American Indian Heritage Month Poster Contest - "Touch the Earth"
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Winning poster for the 2008 Native American Heritage Month
contest. |
The Natural Resources Conservation Service chose a painting
by Kathy Sturch, from Durant, Oklahoma, and a member of the Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma, for the NRCS 2008 American Indian Heritage Month poster. The
painting, “Touch the Earth,” recalls the passion the Choctaw people have for
creation and their kinship with the earth.
“The Choctaw people passionately love the earth. The ancient ones walked
barefoot, sat and lay on the ground because it was good to touch the earth. The
old Choctaw believed the Great Spirit created the earth and all the creatures
that drink from her bounties and listen to her whispers. The Choctaw’s passion
and kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky and water continues today. The
earth nourishes and provides for man. Man must care for the earth and do it no
harm. If the earth dies, man dies,” Sturch said about the story behind the
artwork.
Sixteen thousand copies of the poster were distributed to all NRCS offices
nationwide. Distribution of the poster is part of the month-long event, held
each November to educate the public about the heritage, history, art and
traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Printable version of poster
(PDF; 490KB)
As part of November’s American Indian Heritage Month, NRCS sponsors a national
Native American Heritage Month Poster contest to help celebrate and honor
American Indian Heritage. Since 1991 when the contest began, the posters have
earned the reputation with federal and State agencies, outside organizations,
and Tribes as the Department’s poster. See
past poster winners.
We hope you have enjoyed the employee submitted articles highlighted in this issue of Conservation Footprints.
Please
submit your comments, suggestions and/or new articles for an up-coming issue
of this newsletter.
Read past Conservation
Footprints or Current Development publications. < Back to...
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