NRCS Alaska News

February 8, 2008

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In This Issue

All-Employee Meeting Held in Palmer

There has been quite a bit of change since the last NRCS all-employees meeting – new staff, old staff with new positions, new accomplishments and new challenges. The meeting this week in Palmer not only gave everyone a chance to meet and catch up with coworkers, but also to learn from others with different perspectives as we all prepare for the transitions on the horizon.

The meeting began with a welcome from State Conservationist Bob Jones who gave an overview of the agency’s accomplishments last year and introduced a strategic planning process to be unrolled this year to help align NRCS with future opportunities.

Outside presenters and training included an introduction to financial planning for federal employees, CPR certification, stress management, and update from the IT department, and update on COLA.  Denali Commission Federal Co-Chair George Cannelos delivered his presentation, titled Rampart Revelations, that looked at some current issues faced by Rural Alaska.

Staff also enjoyed learning from their coworkers through presentations and workshops, socializing and networking, and sharing our “Winter Survival Strategies” during lunch.

Look for a survey in the next few days where you can voice your opinion on the meeting. An online site has also been developed where employees can view the photos from the meeting.

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Get More Information About the Denali Commission

If the employee meeting has left you interested in learning more about the activities of the Denali Commission, you can subscribe to their monthly enewsletter. You can also view the current edition online.

Envirothon for Wasilla High School

Dennis Moore partner up with Brianne Athearn from the Wasilla Soil Conservation District to introduce Cheryl Williams’ science class students to the indoor soils portion of Envirothon. The workshop focused on how to navigate through soils survey reports using soils maps, ascertaining soils information from unit descriptions, and interpretation tables. The presentation concluded by reviewing the soil texture triangle and exercises using the texture triangle. An outdoor workshop is scheduled for late March or early April when the students will get hands on training for field soil texturing, using color books, clinometers, measuring soil horizon depths, landform recognition, and outdoor field activities.

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