ALASKA WELCOMES NEW STATE CONSERVATIONIST

35-Year Agency Veteran Takes Over USDA NRCS

June 1, 2005 (Palmer, AK) – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that Robert (Bob) Jones has been named state conservationist for Alaska. After a productive tenure with NRCS in the country’s Southeast region, Jones said he jumped at the opportunity to apply his leadership skills in a new environment – one that existed about 4,400 miles north of his former Auburn, Ala, home.

“I am very excited about coming to Alaska and I look forward to working with NRCS’ staff and conservation partners to move the agency’s work in Alaska forward,” said Jones.

Jones has a long history with NRCS and its predecessor, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), beginning as a soil conservationist in Mississippi. He has worked in Alabama for the past ten years, first as the deputy state conservationist and in 2000 assumed the role as that state’s state conservationist.  He has also held senior positions in Oklahoma and Mississippi.

In 2004 Jones was named Alabama Wildlife Federation Soil Conservationist of the Year. He has received the Oklahoma Governor’s Conservation Award, five Outstanding Performance Awards from SCS and NRCS, and the National Association of Conservation Districts Award for Conservation District Capacity Building.

Jones was born in Sheffield, Alabama. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Tennessee and completed graduate work in public administration from Mississippi State University.  He is a pilot, certified skydiver and scuba diver.

NRCS puts nearly 70 years of experience to work in assisting people to conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS works in partnership with local conservation districts serves almost every county in the nation, and the Caribbean and Pacific Basin. Participation in NRCS programs is voluntary.

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