Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture WATERSHED - FISH - WILDLIFE - AIR - RARE PLANTS ::: WFW MONTHLY WFW STAFF NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2008 CONTENTS News Coming Events Technical Information & Publications Training & Tools Sharing Success Vacancies/ Employment Opportunities News: GENERAL/CROSS AREAS New Year Celebration Happy New Year! Tuesday, September 30th, Anne Zimmermann hosted a New Year's Eve Luncheon for the WFW staff in the Yates Building to celebrate the end of the fiscal year. The staff shared some of their favorite dishes each had an opportunity to share some of our successes and experiences of the past year. The celebration allowed us to reminisce and actually take some time to celebrate those things that we've accomplished. Some humorous but heartfelt awards were presented by Steve and Anne to worthy staff members. We had the honor of Joel Holtrop, Gloria Manning, and Chuck Meyers, sharing in the luncheon and they each expressed some words of appreciation for the staff's accomplishments, and our role in resolving many of the issues the agency faced at the National level. So, take some time today to learn from some of the issues you faced in the past, and celebrate the year's successes. Then take a deep breathe and welcome the New Year with a positive attitude and an open mind. Submitted By: Netta Grant, USFS/WO/WFW The Chief Speaks through the Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest Chief Kimbell is featured in the Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest as she speaks of Forest Service priorities. The following is a link to the digest. (http://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs/docs//riparian-digest//riparian-digest.pdf) Please share with your NFS and partnership networks in the field. This is a cross-program effort of the Rocky Mountain Research Station. Submitted By: Deborah Finch, USFS/RMRS Fellow Co-worker Receives Overwhelming Support Many of you know Don Virgovic, the National NatureWatch Program leader, stationed in Region 6. Debbie Virgovic is Don's spouse. Debbie recently had an accident and suffered a serious back injury. She works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service and was recently approved as a leave recipient under the leave donor program. Debbie needed leave to keep her in pay status while she recovers from back surgery and complications from the surgery. She needed of 560 hours of donated leave. We intended to have here all the information for donating. But before we went to "press" Deb's current leave need was met. Kathy Dickerson, NRCS Leave Share coordinator, expressed deep appreciation for all those generously sharing their annual leave. She also commented that every year she sees people lose annual leave. If you are going to lose annual leave this year, consider donating it to other people on the leave donation list. Or...take a vacation. You probably need it; your colleagues probably think so too but are too polite to mention it. Thanks to everyone donating. Submitted By: Shelly Witt, USFS/WO/WFW SOIL Restoration Policy Issued On Friday, September 19th, a milestone was reached when the Chief approved issuing the restoration policy ID (FSM 2020 Ecological Restoration and Resilience). It's now posted on the Directives website and also the Ecological Restoration fsweb site and www site. This is the link to the directive: http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/directives/fsm/2000/id_2020-2008-1.doc This is the link to the internal website: http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/restoration/ A cover memo with the ID and Communications Plan is forth coming from the Chief to RSAs, WO Deputy Chiefs, and WO Directors. After a few months of test driving, the team will gear up to get a proposed final together, publish it in the FR, get public comment, and finalize it. Submitted By: Randy L. Davis, USFS/WO/WFW 2007 National Field Soil Scientist Awardees Debbie Dumroese, Tom Rice, Ann Abbott from the Rocky Mountain Research Station located at Moscow, ID received the National Field Soil Scientist award in recognition of their considerable leadership and field efforts in scientifically standardizing soil quality monitoring procedures, i.e., the National Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol, Field Guide to Soil Disturbance and monitoring database. This is the core cadre of the multi-year effort that has encompassed seven regions, the Rocky Mountain and the Southern Research Stations, San Dimas Technology and Development Center, the University of Idaho, the Michigan Technological University, the University of Nevada, British Columbia Ministry of Forest, NRCS, and Weyerhaeuser Corporation. They held field training sessions in three regions to test the applicability of their methodology. They also conducted numerous briefings with senior leadership to insure the protocol was on course to address land management concerns. The award will be resented at the Rise to the Future awards ceremony in Washington, DC this October. Submitted By: Randy L. Davis, USFS/WO/WFW TES MOU Signed with Bat Conservation International Deputy Chief Joel Holtrop and Dr. Merlin Tuttle, President/Founder Bat Conservation International, Inc. recently signed a new Service-Wide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU.) This MOU recognizes the two organizations' longstanding partnership and mutual interest in the conservation and management of bats, their habitat and associated ecosystems, and the common desire to expand cooperative work. Link for Service-Wide MOU (http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/resources/pubs/mou_moa/fs_mou_bci-fs_2008.pdf) Bat Conservation International's (BCI) mission is to protect and restore bats and their habitats worldwide by helping people understand and value bats as essential components of ecosystems. BCI advocates protecting critical bat habitats, advancing scientific knowledge about bats and their conservation needs, and facilitating management approaches that help both bats and people. Link for BCI: http://www.batcon.org/home/default.asp Link to FW webpage for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/wildlife/bats.html Submitted By: David Pivorunas, USFS/WO/WFW Coming Events - Conferences & Meetings: WILDLIFE White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy October 1 - 3, 2008 Reno, Nevada Conference News Release Wildlife Partners information on WHC Conference Natural Areas Conference 2008 October 14 - 17, 2008 Nashville, TN More Information WATERSHED World Water Monitoring Day is Upon Us World Water Monitoring Day(tm) (WWMD) is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. The Water Environment Federation and International Water Association coordinate this annual event celebrated on September 18th, with participation occurring on one day between September 18 and October 18. The WWMD website registers individual sites and accepts data entry from the field. The organization also produces a final report to share the results. The Washington DC area kicked off this year's activities with an event at Hain's Point last Thursday, and there are many other events scheduled around the country in the next month. The event here was lots of fun, as we interacted with 22 partner agencies and about 100 students and teachers - making the connection between healthy forests and good water quality. I hope you'll participate in a local event if you have the time and opportunity to sample a river, lake or stream. You can find an event by checking locations registered at the WWMD webpage above, or register your own site if you'd like to start one in your area. The website sells test kits if you don't already have water sampling gear. If we can share any of our ideas for event activities, please give me or Vicki Arthur a call or email. Submitted By: Sherry Hazelhurst, USFS/WO/WFW Technical Information & Publications: AIR RESOURCES New Article: Transport of Nutrient Nitrogen to Hells Canyon NRA and Wilderness Evidence of Enhanced Atmospheric Ammoniacal Nitrogen in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Implications for Natural and Cultural Resources Journal of Air & Waste Management Association 58:1223-1234; 2008 Ammonium nitrate from airborne fine particulates and ammonia gas volatilizing from the Snake River are being deposited to vegetation at levels that have caused adverse effects elsewhere. There is additional concern regarding the long-term corrosive effect of ammonia on historic rock paintings on the valley floor of Hells Canyon. The work was a collaborative effort between natural resource and research staff at the US Forest Service PNW regional & national air programs, Pacific Southwest-Riverside Research Station, and Wallowa Whitman NF. Congratulations to Linda, Scott and Andrzej for getting this important article published in the Journal of Air & Waste Management. From the NFS side, Scott also is doing duty as our national Regional Haze Coordinator and Linda is one of our stars out in Region 6. And as usual, it looks like Andrzej is churning out good information. Journal Online Access DigiTop Access Article: HCNRA.pdf Submitted By: Ann Acheson, USFS/WO/WFW WILDLIFE New Article: Effects of Off-Highway Vehicle Use on the American Marten Journal of Wildlife Management 72(7):1558-1571; 2008 This paper is the result of the excellent work by Bill Zielinksi and his staff, with coordination and support from R5 (Recreation and Wildlife) and major funding from the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division & Commission (as one of 4 wildlife 'focused studies'). The other three wildlife-focused studies (goshawk, northern spotted owl, & vertebrate assemblages) are in the data analysis mode. We expect final reports for the goshawk and vertebrate assemblage studies before the end of the calendar year. The publication came out in the September issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management. USDA employees can access through DigiTop. Request a proxy to access DigiTop from home or on travel. Journal Online Access Article: Zielinski et al_JWM_2008.pdf Submitted By: Diana Craig, USFS/R5/WFW Training & Tools: TRAINING - Check out AgLearn on the Forest Service system Self Register in AgLearn for any WFW Continuing Education workshop! Need help with AgLearn? Contact Shelly Witt - switt01@fs.fed.us Sharing Success: OTHER STAFF OR PARTNERS Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest Team receives Public Awareness and Education Award Deborah Finch and the RMRD team were nominated and selected to receive the 2008 - Public Awareness and Education Award (Group), for developing the "Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest," an on-line outreach tool to market research from the Rocky Mountain Research Station and collaborators. The team will receive the award from the New Mexico Riparian Council and will be presented the award at the "Restoring New Mexico's Watersheds Forum" on October 1, 2008 in Albuquerque, NM. Letter Announcing Award pdf Watershed Forum Program pdf Submitted By: Deborah Finch, USFS/RMRS REGION 9 Forest Opens First Wheelchair Accessible Portion of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont posted Friday, September 9, 2008 by Kristi Ponozzo The Green Mountain National Forest, Green Mountain Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy opened the first universal accessible portion of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. The Green Mountain National Forest, Green Mountain Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy opened the first universal accessible portion of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont Sept. 13. The celebration was held at the foot of Thundering Falls at the Appalachian Trail crossing of River Road in Killington, Vermont. "This is an excellent addition to the diverse opportunities we offer on the Forest, it provides something for people of all abilities," said Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell. "The Thundering Falls relocation is a great improvement in many ways. It gets rid of the dusty roadwalk on Thundering Brook Road, adds great views of the Ottauquechee Valley and the falls, protects the resource, and takes advantage of flat terrain to make a stretch of the AT accessible to people who use wheelchairs. It took a long time and a lot of work, but the result is worth it," said GMC Executive Director Ben Rose. The new path descends from Thundering Brook Road through northern hardwood forest to the base of Thundering Falls and then passes through the open Ottauquechee River floodplain across 900 feet of boardwalk built by the Green Mountain Club. The Green Mountain Club Long Trail Patrol, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the National Park Service and Green Mountain National Forest have worked on this project since the mid 1980s when they acquired a property easement across the Ottauquechee flood plain. Major funding was secured by the ATC and the Green Mountain Club and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps began work in 2005. Timeline: 2004: GMC and ATC finalized flagline of relocation with US Forest Service following completion of Environmental Assessment. 2005: Vermont Youth Conservation Corps crews built the hiking trail downhill from Thundering Brook Road to the bench above the floodplain where the universal accessible spur trail to the falls begins. 2006: VYCC crews built the accessible spur trail and switchback from the floodplain to the bench; GMC project crew and volunteer crew built bridge across the Ottauquechee River and began building the nearly 900-foot long boardwalk in accordance with plans developed by USFS engineer John Kamb with interpretation and direction by GMC's Matt Wels. GMC crews worked into November. 2007: VYCC crews built the hiking trail relocation from River Road north to the Appalachian Trail and helped with surfacing the accessible path between the boardwalk and Thundering Falls; GMC project crew, Long Trail Patrol and volunteer crew completed the boardwalk between the river and the switchback and moved the gravel for surfacing the pathway; the AT relocation was opened to hikers in September. 2008: GMC project crew and volunteer crew built the ramp from River Road to the bridge, finished the railings, and viewing platform. 100 Years 100 Stories from the Chippewa National Forest posted Friday, September 9, 2008 by Melissa Rickers Chippewa submits its 100th success story as it celebrates 100 years. The year 2008 has been a celebration of 100 years of service for the Chippewa National Forest. After establishment as the first national forest located east of the Mississippi River in 1908, one hundred years later we have the opportunity to look back on how we came to be here as well as where we're headed. We've told the Chippewa story this year at a wide range of events and through the Success Story reporting system, and we're pleased to end the centennial year with our 100th Success Story. This year, the Success Story Reporting System (SSRS) has been a dynamic public affairs tool that has helped the Chippewa National Forest let people know about all the great things we do. Since 2002, when the system began and the Chippewa marked 100 years since it was a Forest Reserve, we have shared events that changed our lives such as the "GIS Teams Support to the World Trade Center Efforts" and "Hurricane Katrina Support". We looked to the future in "It's All Green on the Chippewa" and linked them together as we wrote about "The Centennial Quilt" and "Partners Make Camp Rabideau National Historic Landmark Shine". We have shared many program accomplishments with the "Firefighters for Yellow Rails", "Chippewa Wetland Restoration Partnership" and "Chippewa National Forest Receives Hands on the Land Grant". The SSRS has given us the opportunity to share fun accomplishments of our employees in the "Local Indian Council Honors Chippewa Employee" story and proud moments such as "Chippewa Partnership Received 2007 Wings Across America". In any given year, the Chippewa National Forest receives about 1.2 million visitors across our roughly million acre land base. Lands within the boundary are a quilt work of different ownerships, sometimes changing after each 40 acres. We chose to represent the attributes of our national forest in an employee-created centennial quilt that was exhibited at this year's MN State Fair during the State's 150th birthday. Approximately 1.5 million people visit the MN State Fair each year, nearly equal to a year's worth of Chippewa National Forest visitors. There were approximately 5,000 entries on display at the fair's Creative Activities competition, and the CNF Centennial Quilt was awarded Second Prize in the "Group Made Quilt" category. We also took Grand Championship honors at the Beltrami County Fair. Our centennial year also included hosting a visit by former President Theodore Roosevelt, a highly visible moment interacting with the Tribal Council of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Senator Coleman, the Chippewa Centennial Triathalon organized by a Chippewa retiree and Regional Honor Award winner, and new adventures initiated by new employees such as hosting the North American Fishing TV Show. We're pleased to have shared so many positive stories about celebrating our past, special events, and current projects. Our emphasis now shifts to stories of our next 100 years: embracing our diversity, finding our role in climate change and energy issues, making our work relevant to urban and younger people, and sustaining a great national forest. Everyday brings us a new story to tell. We hope you will continue to read all about it! Submitted By: Nick Schmal, USFS/R9/WFW http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/index.php - NOW ON WWW! Read more success stories at our USFS Success Story Reporting System, such as * Being Neighborly * Chippewa's Ruby Lake Camp get a Makeover! * Fisheries Technicians Design Waterways to Protect Fish * Partners work with Wayne National Forest to improve wildlife habitat Have a USFS Success? Share it through the USFS Success Story Reporting System. Vacancies/Employment Opportunities: Federal job announcements can be found at: http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/agency_search.asp Outreach: R3/Southwestern TES Program Leader; USFS The Southwestern Region has posted an announcement for the Regional TES Program Leader vacancy. This vacancy announcement can be found at USAJOBS, announcement number ADS08-R3-7443G (P-CL), and is open at this time. The Outreach Notice is posted on the FS Lotus Notes Outreach Notice database. Contact: Don DeLorenzo, Director ddelorenzo"at"fs.fed.us Don DeLorenzo, Director, Wildlife, Fish, and Rare Plant Program, U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region, 333 Broadway S.E., Albuquerque, NM, 87102. Interest can also be expressed by calling Don DeLorenzo at (505) 842-3260, or forms can be faxed to (505) 842-3152. Outreach: Fish Biologist - R5/Lake Tahoe Basin, California Permanent full-time GS-482-9 Fish Biologist position on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, South Lake Tahoe, Ca this fall.The outreach closes October 11, 2008. Contact: Holly Eddinger, Supervisory Forest Biologist (530) 543-2633 Outreach: Wildlife Biologist - National Forests in Florida, Tallahassee, Florida Permanent full-time GS-486-12 Great opportunity for working with TES species, integration of fire and forest management, work with diverse usergroups, and make an impact on ecosystem restoration. Tremendous potential to build a program working with partners including National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, Tall Timbers, Audubon, etc. Lots of opportunities for NatureWatch. Great staff officer and strong leadership team. To receive a copy of the vacancy announcement when released, send a message to cpetrick"at"fs.fed.us. WFW Newsletter Contact Information: Disclaimer - Non Discrimination Statement WFW Newsletter is a monthly newsletter without a clever name and is provided by the National Forest System Watershed-Fish-Wildlife-Air-Rare Plants staff (including Soils and Meteorology) of the USDA Forest Service. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted to Netta Grant at agrant@fs.fed.us or your favorite Program Leader no later than the 20th of each month. We reserve the right to edit contributions for clarity and brevity. Emphasis is on brevity. Links to detailed URLs or documents are great - include them in your information contribution. If photos are included in your submission, please provide alternative text with each photo. Alternative text should not repeat captions but describe the scene shown in the photo. If brevity and clarity are a struggle for you, we recommend the "Plain & Simple! Document Writing" workshop instructed by Dr. Jud Monroe. Vacancy Positions listed are for outreach purposes only and are not full announcements. Interested individuals should contact the units referenced or consult the USAJOBS website. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."