NRCS Alaska News

April 24, 2008

Click Here to View Archive Editions

Change is All Around

Change is coming – and I’m not just talking about the onset of Spring here in Alaska. Those of us working in the conservation partnership are surrounded with new challenges, new opportunities, and quite a bit of the unknown.

Secondly, I think it’s widely acknowledged that the relationship between NRCS and conservation districts has changed. Across the country field office and district staff are feeling the pressure of attempting to adhere to our traditional partnership roles while each entity responds to their own missions and requirements. In Alaska, our relationship has the added complexity created by the earmark funds we manage. A good analogy might be that in the past, NRCS was a passenger on a district-driven bus; today we each have our own bus and must figure out when we should ride together, lead, follow, detour, or travel side by side.

Third, AACD voted in a new slate of officers. I would like to extend my thanks to the outgoing officers for the work they did in growing and nurturing the Association. I extend my hand in partnership to the incoming board and the new Executive Director. We have some complex issues and new opportunities to address together, not the least of which is outlining a new funding agreement that has each of us assuming different responsibilities from previous years.

The new officers at AACD are President Betty Vehrs (Wasilla SWCD), Vice President Ken Marsh (Upper Su SWCD), and Secretary-Treasurer Charlie Dorman (Kodiak SWCD). Ron Swanson is serving as the interim Executive Director until the position is filled permanently.

There’s no doubt that we are in a time of change. Change brings opportunities. Change is often uncomfortable. Change forces the unknown to be known. I will be working with NRCS staff to develop a response to the change we see coming, and need the input and guidance from our partners to make certain we are doing our best to help people help the land.

Rohner Receives DOI Recognition

Congratulations are in order for Aimee Rohner, NRCS State Design Engineer, who received an individual award from the Department of the Interior Cooperative Conservation Award for her work in the Hooper Bay ATV Subsistence Trail project. The project was nominated for the award by Lisa Hozapfel from the National Park Service. NRCS has provided both technical assistance and cost share assistance to the project.

An award ceremony took place Monday, April 21 in Washington, DC.

(Back to Top)

Knowledge Sharing at Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum in Dillingham

The first Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum (WAISC) was held earlier this month at the UAF Bristol Bay Campus in Dillingham. The theme was “Weathering Change – Monitoring Uncertainty,”  and representatives from universities, government agencies, and industry presented and discussed research and monitoring projects taking place in the Nushagak Mulchatna Watershed and Bristol Bay region.  Topics included energy, fisheries, water quality, mining, solid waste, ecology, and soils.

NRCS soil scientist, Stephanie Schmit, attended the conference and presented a poster on behalf of the Nushagak Mulchatna Watershed Soil Survey effort. The poster examined extent and nature of the cryoturbation in the Bristol Bay Lowlands major land resource area within the watershed boundaries. Cryoturbation is a diagnostic feature of frost churned soils. Both active and relict cryoturbation are mapped and discussed in the poster as well as near surface permafrost in the area. In keeping with the theme of the conference, the topic of cryoturbation was chosen because it incorporates soil organic carbon into deeper parts of the soil profile. The cooler temperatures there may cause the soil organic carbon to decompose more slowly. Through this slower release of CO2 to the atmosphere, cryoturbation could help mitigate some of this CO2 loss to the atmosphere in areas where the permafrost table is receding. 

Other soils related presentations at the conference included Dillingham soils and the potential for horticulture (Jodie Anderson, UAF), developing the Alaska Horticulture Certificate through the University of Alaska (Jodie Anderson, UAF), and preliminary investigations on the formation of the “tree island” pattern near Dillingham (Emily Sousa and Patricia Heiser, UAF).   WAISC was a fantastic opportunity for scientists working in this very unique and special region to interact and to share their research and monitoring projects. 

Overview of Gilmore Station

Gilmore Creek Satellite Ground Receiving Station outside of Fox , Alaska is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a ground receiving station for the polar orbiting satellites including the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), as well as Landsat5 and in the near future Spot satellite data.

Data received at Gilmore is transmitted to the University of Alaska Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA), the National Weather Service, the military weather service and NOAA's primary facility in Maryland for processing. UAF processes the data and makes it available to the Alaska Fire Service and other users through the GINA Website and an application known as the SwathViewer at http://sv.gina.alaska.edu.

Originally operated by NASA beginning in 1962, Gilmore Station was taken over by NOAA about 18 years ago. The facility supported over 33,000 mission contacts last year. The station operates the ground receiving dishes and directly controls the instrument bus on board the satellites and, no, they do not use Microsoft Windows as their operating 

system. The station is self-sufficient and can operate for a month without any electricity with their three backup generators. The dishes are all driven and pointed with electric motors.

Tours of the facility are available and encouraged. You must call ahead to arrange for a tour, the facility is gated and has a security guard at the gate. It’s well worth the time.

 (Back to Top)

SGI Course Worthwhile

Dennis Moore recently attended the Soil Geomorphic Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He enjoyed wearing short sleeve shirts while his warm weather classmates wore skull caps, mittens, and down jackets.

Soil Geomorphic Institute is the best soil survey technical course NRCS has to offer. Students learn to apply principles of soil geomorphology, stratigraphy, hydrology, and pedology to different geomorphic environments for soil survey data development, evaluation, and delivery. Students study interrelationships of ecological factors to soil geomorphology; identify soil patterns controlled by soil landscape hydrology and their relations to water quality and hydric soils; identify geomorphic surfaces distribution and age, their relationships to landforms, soil processes, soil patterns, and ecological influences; identify earth materials and straigrahic relationships as they relate to soil genesis. Students also create 2D and 3D landscape models to illustrate key processes occurring in any geomorphic environment using tacit knowledge and/or field gathered documentation.

The course consists of both classroom lectures and field trips. The classroom lectures are very intense, fast, demanding, with lots of classroom participation. Dennis learned that his note taking skills have severely truncated since his college years a few hundred centuries ago. The instructors do an excellent job tying the lecture material into the field trips. Students receive lots of hands on experience creating 2D and 3 D diagrams and models during both lectures and field trips.

The student demographics were diverse: there were lots of younger and middle aged NRCS employees who had an incredible amount of enthusiasm, esprit de corps, and commitment to the profession, and a fewer older grey haired old buzzards. The younger and middle aged NRCS employees make the future of NRCS soil survey program look totally awesome.

After hours consist of the usual fraternizing with fellow students, it also includes studying and doing lots homework. There is also a graded final examination and a post homework assignment. This course is graded; you must pass this class to get credit for it.

Questions and Answers on the Office of Workers Compensation Programs

With the field season fast approaching, I wanted to cover the procedures if you are injured while on the job.

What should you do if you get injured at work?

Every job-related injury should be reported as soon as possible to your supervisor or your supervisor's supervisor in the event of absence. Supervisors are required to contact Human Resources (HR) for completion of the CA-16, Authorization for Examination. Without this form, treatment may not be covered under Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) and the employee may be held liable for the medical expense and lost time. Employees should never deny themselves treatment because they are awaiting receipt of a form. If time is an issue, your supervisor can grant verbal authority for treatment but the supervisor must continue to work with us to obtain the CA-16. Emergency treatment may be obtained without prior authorization; again you'll need to advise your supervisor as soon as practical. OWCP is one area where a supervisor and employee must always weigh on the side of caution. If you feel an injury has occurred, seek authorization. OWCP is a program where it is easier to seek permission than receive forgiveness.

Where can I obtain care?

Employees are authorized to select the physician/facility to provide necessary treatment. This may be a private physician or, if available, a local federal medical officer/hospital. Do not seek initial diagnosis and treatment with a chiropractor. Chiropractors are not generally authorized by OWCP to give primary treatment. Once an OWCP claim has been received and processed through the Department of Labor, chiropractic care can be an acceptable form of secondary care if referred from the treatment specialist.

What written notice is required for treatment?

In addition to the CA-16, we will forward via fax the CA-1; Federal Employee's Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation or the CA-2; Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation. Employees have 30 days from the date of injury to complete the CA-1 or CA-2. The form requires your supervisor to provide additional information to us and it also requires action by the treatment physician/facility.

What does Human Resources do with these forms?

We review the CA-1 or CA-2 and the CA-16. Your information is sent to our contractor who works with the Department of Labor who reviews the action and coordinates with us for additional information. If the request is approved, they give us the authorization and they begin to make payment on the medical treatment.

What do I do with the bills or questions about payment?

Employees should refer all questions on payment to the Human Resources office at 761-7743. OWCP is very responsive and timely in the paying of all medical expenses relating to treatment. If you get a bill for treatment, mail it to us for action.  Do not accept harassment from any companies functioning as bill collectors for the medical treatment facilities; if they are attempting to collect payment for a bill associated with treatment, refer them to us immediately. Again, OWCP is very quick in making payments; often when collection companies complain about payment, it is most often due to a bookkeeping mistake on their end.

In closing, please feel free to contact me on any questions or concerns on OWCP.  This is an important program and employee benefit.

New System for Travel to Launch in Summer

USDA will be vacating the existing FedTraveler system for a new online application that should make travel easier for employees. The new system will automate and tie together several steps in the travel process including the travel request, fund allocation, and expense reconciliation. With the new system, the AD202 and AD616 will be obsolete; federal travel cards will receive automatic payments once travel has completed and any balance of funds due the employee will be forwarded through the payroll system.

To prepare for the transition, employees are asked to ensure their traveler profile is updated and their e-authentication is working properly. That data will be downloaded into the new travel system which is scheduled to go live July 3. Mani will be distributing the AD1143 next week to all employees to ensure everyone has access to new system.

NRCS Partner Field Signs Available

The PAS office has a supply of NRCS Partner Field Signs available. Please contact Dee Covalt or Teresa Cortes to request them for field office distribution.

Managing Earth Team Records

Now that NRCS no longer requires social security numbers for Earth Team volunteers, managing Earth Team hours will revert back to a paper record-keeping system.  Please keep timesheets for your volunteer hours, and the new Earth Team volunteer coordinator will collect those for reporting to headquarters.

Volunteer supervisors should also expunge all social security numbers from the volunteer application forms in their files.

NRCS Web Site Features Alaska Publications Page

A new page has been created for the NRCS Alaska Website to provide access to publications produced in Alaska. Field staff can also view banners and exhibits created for agency use. The publications page is at http://www.ak.nrcs.usda.gov/publications.html, or navigate to the Alaska NRCS website, and click on “Publications” on the left column. Anyone wanting to reserve exhibit materials for use this summer should contact Pam Taber.

Personnel Actions

Job Announcement

• Resource Conservationist (Palmer) – GS-0457012 – 4/23 – 5/23/08

Transfers

• Joe White, Resource Soil Scientist, to US Army Corps of Engineers (Anchorage)

Resignations

• Cassandra Stalzer, Public Affairs Specialist, to the Rasmuson Foundation, effective 4/25/08

Back to Alaska NRCS Intranet