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Archive: April, 2013
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  • April

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District participated in Environmental Day, an annual event held at Elizabeth, New Jersey aimed at educating local students about the environment. Students took advantage of an opportunity to learn about the field of science, technology, engineering and math.

    Army Corps Celebrates Environmental Day

    Students from local area schools spent the day interacting with the Army Corps and its partnering agencies and organizations at Environmental Day held in Elizabeth, N.J. The event generated awareness and provided information about the value of the environment, long term sustainability of the planet, and its current environmental status.
  • Dr. Mlakar

    Senior scientist joins elite group

    “For his ability to effectively communicate technical issues to the public, fellow engineers and Members of Congress, his demonstrated leadership in forensic civil engineering; and for his significant contributions to structural assessments following catastrophic events." This citation was read April 22 when the American Association of Engineering Societies presented the Norm Augustine Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communications to Dr. Paul Mlakar.
  • The dredge 'New York' performs dredging for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Port Jersey Channel, New Jersey. The Corps' New York District has been deepening the shipping channels in the New York /New Jersey Harbor to 50 feet to accommodate larger, deeper-draft ships. This will improve navigational safety and allow the port to accommodate the next generations of larger cargo vessels.

    New York, New Jersey Harbor deepening project provides environmental, economic benefits

    During the past nine years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey have been deepening 38 miles of federal navigation channels in the New York Harbor to a depth of 50 feet. Recently, the New York District awarded the final major construction contract, which will complete the deepening of the Arthur Kill Channel to 50 feet leading to the New York Container Terminal, Staten Island, New York, marking another milestone towards completing the overall 50 foot project.
  • ARLINGTON, Va. – Randy Barton, an Arlington National Cemetery engineering technician, lights a torch from the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame April 29, 2013. The torch was used to transfer the flame to a temporary burner while the permanent flame undergoes repair and upgrade work to install new burners, a new igniter as well as new gas and air lines. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Contractors begin work on JFK Eternal Flame burner

    ARLINGTON, Va. – Contractors began work here yesterday on the burner of the President John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, which has been lit since 1967. Technicians from Meltech Corp., Inc.; based in Landover, Md.; built an 8-foot temporary fence and installed a temporary flame at one of the most visited sites in Arlington National Cemetery.

  • Army Corps Joins Students, Partners and Celebrate Environmental Day

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District participated in Environmental Day, an annual event held at Elizabeth, New Jersey aimed at educating local students about the environment. On a perfect weather day for an outdoor classroom environment, the event was held April 24th adjacent to the Elizabeth Marina dock on the shore of the Arthur Kill Channel.
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    Army Corps helps support the Army Family through school construction

    In 1821 the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York established the first school on a military installation to serve the children of service members. Almost two centuries later, the West Point community and Department of Defense continue to be committed to providing these children an education to take them into the 21st century, even in the current tough fiscal times.
  • Wilmington District marine biologist Chuck Wilson inspects seeding coastal aquatic marsh vegetation at a former dredged material site near Morehead City, North Carolina. The Wilmington District and other government agencies transformed the site in 1996 from a dredge disposal area to a coastal aquatic marsh that has survived hurricanes, tropical storms and erosion. The site has become habitat for oysters and other shellfish, seabirds and various species of fish. (USACE photo by Hank Heusinkveld)

    Going Green: Sustainable coastal North Carolina tidal marsh still thriving after 16 years

    In 1996 Wilmington District biologists and engineers, with help from other North Carolina resource agencies, designed and constructed a former dredged material disposal island to offset impacts from construction of the Army Reserve Center in Morehead City, and turned it into a thriving coastal tidal marsh. Sixteen years later the marsh is a sustainable ecosystem that has exceeded the Corps' goals and expectations.
  • The first of three wind turbines is installed at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, using an Energy Saving Performance Contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville.

    Going Green: Wind turbine installed on Fort Buchanan

    The first of three 275-kilowatt wind turbines to be erected on Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, started producing energy April 19. The turbines are part of a 10-project energy and water reduction effort that, in addition to installing wind power generation, includes solar photovoltaic systems, and water conservation measures.

  • Going Green: Corps builds largest induction solar wall in the country

    HARRISBURG, PA -- As the sun beats down on one of the biggest buildings in the country, solar thermal collectors go to work providing enough heat for a 1.7 million square foot warehouse.
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    Army Corps helps support the Army Family through school construction

    In 1821 the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York established the first school on a
  • In support of the Army Corps of Engineers' STEM initiative, four Buffalo District team members put on a "Flash Training" event for teachers of Mullen Elementary School, Tonawanda, NY, April 18, 2013 The four science activities demonstrated were: Flower Pressing, Wetlands Demonstration, Making Silly Putty and What is a Glacier.

    STEM-related flash training provided to teachers

    There's an old Chinese proverb, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This was the idea behind the Buffalo District's "Flash Training" for the teachers of Mullen Elementary School, Tonawanda, NY, on Thursday April 18, 2013.
  • Photograph of the exterior during renovation.

    Army Corps helps support the Army Family through school construction

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, is renovating the historic West Point Middle School.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed 55,263 square feet of solar wall on the Defense Logistics Agency's Eastern Distribution Center in New Cumberland, Pa.

    Corps builds largest induction solar wall in the country

    HARRISBURG, PA — As the sun beats down on one of biggest buildings in the country, solar thermal

  • Going Green: Corps builds largest induction solar wall in the country

    The Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Eastern Distribution Center in New Cumberland, Pa., provides critical supplies for the military stationed overseas. DLA needed an alternative, cost-saving way to provide heat for this massive warehouse.
  • SUFFOLK, Va. -- Pumps from the Army Corps of Engineers’ hopper dredge Currituck, based out of Wilmington, N.C., filters sand from Bennett's Creek to increase the depth from 2- to 6-feet. The shallow draft dredging of the federal navigation channel here began April 20, 2013. Approximately 4,000 cubic yards of sand - equivalent to 450 dump trucks of sand – will be placed at the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area in Portsmouth, Va.

    Corps begins $144K Bennett’s Creek dredging

    SUFFOLK, Va. -- The Army Corps of Engineers’ dredge Currituck arrived here Saturday to dredge the federal navigation channel in Bennett’s Creek. Significant shoaling, caused by natural transport and deposit of sediment, made dredging necessary. The natural shoaling was exacerbated by Hurricane Sandy.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District Regulatory Program Senior Project Manager Paul Leffler documents a violation at a single family residence in Indiana.

    Going Green: Army Corps of Engineers urges to call before you fill

    With construction season here, it is crucial to highlight the fact that streams and wetlands are essential to flood reduction and water-quality improvement, and you must call before you fill," said Paul Leffler, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District Regulatory Program senior project manager.
  • The Raccoon, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District debris-removal vessel based in Sausalito, Calif., is using for the first time a new biofuel called B99. B99 is based on soybeans.

    Going Green: District powers debris-removal vessel with biofuel

    SAN FRANCISCO -- Soybeans are helping power a debris-removal vessel operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District. Mechanics at the district's baseyard in Sausalito, Calif., overhauled the M/V Raccoon in 2011, to allow its engine to run for the first time on a non-petroleum fuel made entirely from soybeans called B99. The results are already being well received on deck.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors place substrate in Harris Creek in May 2012. Harris Creek, which borders the east side of Tilghman Island near the mouth of the Choptank River in Maryland, received 22 acres of substrate last year, with an additional 34 acres being placed this spring.

    Going Green: Army Corps unveils new master plan for oyster recovery

    Since the turn of the 20th century, oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay have declined dramatically, largely due to disease, overharvesting, loss of habitat, and degraded water quality. With the State of Maryland placing increased emphasis on restoring the Chesapeake Bay, oyster restoration remains paramount in improving the Bay's vitality.

  • Going Green: Army Corps unveils new master plan for oyster recovery

    Since the turn of the 20th century, oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay have declined dramatically, largely due to disease, overharvesting, loss of habitat, and degraded water quality. With the State of Maryland placing increased emphasis on restoring the Chesapeake Bay, oyster restoration remains paramount in improving the Bay's vitality.
  • Mike McKenna (left), a project engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Drum Field Office with one of the sled hockey team players.

    Army Corps civilian builds up Wounded Warriors with sled hockey program

    Last year, Mark McKenna, a project engineer with the Fort Drum Field Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District was working out at the gym at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y. "I was working out in the gym and a Soldier in a wheelchair came in and then turned around and left the gym."
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    Army Corps civilian builds up Wounded Warriors with sled hockey program

    Last year, Mark McKenna, a project engineer with the Fort Drum Field Office of the U.S. Army Corps
  • Dave Smith, research ecologist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Miss., surgically implants an acoustic tag into a 1-year-old steelhead trout March 25, 2013, at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Anderson, Calif. Smith is using the fish-tag data obtained for use in a computer model that helps evaluate habitat restoration work under the Sacramento River Bank Protection Project, a joint flood risk reduction effort between the district and the state's California Central Valley Flood Protection Board to repair river bank erosion along the Sacramento River and its tributaries.

    Fish behavior guides riverbank repairs

    The banks of the Sacramento River experience constant erosion and that's a big reason why Sacramento has some of the highest flood risk in the nation. It's also the reason the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District conducts an annual survey of the Sacramento River and its tributaries to determine where the worst erosion is taking place and which erosion sites should be repaired first.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District hosted the 28th Korean Ministry of National Defense Exchange Program March 25-April 12. Throughout the course, the Korean engineers visited various branches of the district including Construction Division, Engineering Division, Korea Program Relocation Office, Contracting Division, Safety and Occupational Health Office, and Humphreys Area Office.

    Far East District hosts the 28th Ministry of National Defense Exchange Program

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District hosted the 28th Korean Ministry of National Defense Exchange Program March 25-April 12. The program started in 1985 to train military and civilian engineers from the defense ministry on design, project management, contracting, and construction processes of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • This species of butterfly, found only in the Willamette Valley, was believed to be extinct from 1937 until it was rediscovered in 1989. The species was listed as endangered in 2000. The known population of Fender`s blue butterflies has increased dramatically since their rediscovery. Corps biologists credit a combination of factors for the recovery, including restoration of prairie habitat by planting the butterfly`s larval host, the federally protected Kincaid`s lupine; control of invasive species; discovery of new populations; and improved monitoring methods.

    Going Green: Corps prescribed fire program helps double butterfly population

    EUGENE, Ore. -- The population of endangered Fender's blue butterflies has doubled at Fern Ridge Reservoir since last year, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey. The Corps' 2012 estimate of 3,769 Fender's blue butterflies at 11 sites near the reservoir west of Eugene, Ore., is the species' largest known population and continues a trend of positive population growth since it was first detected on Corps lands in 1998.

  • Facelift for Bedford Veterans Administration hospital

    The New England District and its contractor recently completed a much needed facelift to Building #2 at the Veterans Administration hospital, also known as The Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, in Bedford, Mass.
  • Thomas Mun, who is an electrical engineer at the Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, logs on to the eCybermission website. Mun was a volunteer virtual judge for the 2012/2013 eCybermission program competition. The U.S. Army-sponsored program is designed to share the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education with America's youth--tomorrow's leaders. Mun evaluated 65 student projects, helping students understand real-life application of STEM fields.

    USACE professionals voluteer for eCYBERMISSION

    FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii- More than a dozen USACE professionals from the Pacific Ocean Division responded to a call for volunteers to be virtual judges February to March for the 2012/2013 eCYBERMISSION competition.

  • USACE concrete plant ensures quality, speed

    Did you know the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a state-of-the-art concrete batch plant in Charleroi, Pa., which is within the Pittsburgh District's oversight? Well, they do. The Corps places most of its concrete under water at locks, dams and river related structures; therefore, the concrete has to be designed to last.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers botanists discovered a new site for the rare Pruitt’s Amanita mushroom at Fern Ridge Reservoir west of Eugene, Ore., Nov. 20, 2012.

    Going Green: Rare mushrooms discovered after prescribed burn

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers botanists discovered a new site for the rare Pruitt's Amanita mushroom at Fern Ridge Reservoir west of Eugene, Ore., recently. Soils and botany student intern Leanna Van Slambrook spotted some white mushrooms popping out of the charred, soggy ground on the southwest side of the reservoir after a prescribed burn and remembered that a rare Amanita had been found after a burn a few years back.

  • President's Fiscal 2014 Budget for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works released

    Washington- The President’s Budget for fiscal 2014 (FY14) includes $4.826 billion in gross discretionary funding for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is offset in part by a proposal to cancel $100 million in unobligated carryover of funding appropriated prior to fiscal year 2013.

  • Kids on the Land: A hands on STEM experience

    DALLAS - Teachers are always looking for ways to capture their students' interest and to make the learning process fun and exciting. The "Kids on the Land" (KoL) program has found a way to do just that. They've moved the classroom to the great outdoors and have implemented a hands-on learning experience to teach student's science, math and land management practices.