Volume 2 Issue 5 December 2007
The Wyoming Way
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, P.O. Box 33124, Casper, WY 82602 (307) 233-6750
State Con’s
Corner
new year with great anticipation of the conservation that will be on the ground because of your hard work and commitment to our mission. With that in mind, we need to start helping farmers and ranchers understand the need to have their conservation plan in place, which becomes their roadmap to better natural resources management. In the past few months we have had several new employees join our Wyoming NRCS family so I thought it would be a good idea to introduce some of them in this and future issues. Welcome to all our new employees to the great state of Wyoming! Also, the Special Emphasis Program Managers are included this month. Get to know your Civil Rights Committee, visit with them and find out what is going on. Let them know your concerns and issues. Attend the open part of the quarterly meeting when it is in your vicinity. Better yet, become involved with the committee. The rewards are countless: networking with employees in other states, gaining insight and having input on Wyoming’s direction, and being a part of something much larger than you or your field office are just a few. But now it is time to enjoy the
holiday season. If you have leave to use — use it. Spend time with your family and friends and enjoy this special time of year. Happy Holidays to all!
We are about to wrap up another great year for conservation in Wyoming. I sincerely thank you for carrying on the mission of the agency in spite of the changes that have taken place this year that may have affected your work environment. In 2007 we had new opportunities and greater expectations for conservation in Wyoming and a chance to reach toward, and achieve, our goals. This coming year we will focus on implementing conservation practices relating to Farm Bill contracts. In 2008 we will emphasize the importance of conservation planning to our Cowboy State ranchers and farmers and the role that our district conservationists’ play in the conservation planning process. Additionally, we will focus on conservation results, customer service, the importance of partnerships, training, and quality assurance. I look forward to the
Inside This Special “People Issue”
2 5 6 7 Special Emphasis Program Managers Soil Scientists HR News New Employees
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The Wyoming Way
Introducing the Special Emphasis Program Managers
he term “Special Emphasis Program” refers to those programs which focus special attention on certain specific groups as a result of a particular law, regulation, or Executive Order. Only four programs are mandated : 1) Federal Women’s Program, 2) Hispanic Emphasis Program, 3) Disability Emphasis Program, and 4) Veterans Emphasis Program. Non-legislated or non-mandated programs initiated by NRCS are the Asian American/Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, and Blacks. Chief Arlen Lancaster said recently, “Diversity is an essential element in helping the agency to continually meet our mission.” One job of the Special Emphasis Program Manager (SEPM) is to recruit employees with the leadership skills and technical expertise the agency needs. The job of the SEPM is more critical now than ever as a large number of NRCS employees will be eligible to retire during the next several years. All emphasis programs focus on the employment needs and concerns of the specific group. SEPM’s also encourage the participation of minorities in all NRCS-sponsored programs and activities and provide training to employees. Other duties and more information on the different programs can be found in the General Manual 230, Part 403. Special Emphasis Program Managers serve a three-year term. It is three years that can be remarkably worthwhile. Following are the current SEPM’s making a difference for Wyoming.
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Allison McKenzie
Federal Women’s Program Manager
Cheyenne, as a student trainee and then was hired fulltime as a range conservationist in Pinedale in May of 1996. From Pinedale, I moved to Buffalo as the range conservationist and then moved to Kaycee as the district conservationist. I have been the district conservationist in Kaycee since May of 2002. My career is very important to me and I have had lots of mentors along the way. I just recently got married and have a stepson that lives with us so things have changed in my personal life as well. Hobbies would include following my 13-year-old stepson in sports activities and 4-H. He has a registered herd of Columbia sheep that we have been showing on the National Level which has been very rewarding.
I grew up in Newcastle, WY. I attended college at Northwest College in Powell, WY, and graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management in 1996. I have been with SCS/NRCS for 13 years, starting as a student trainee in May 1992 in the Newcastle field office. After that I worked in Powell, Laramie, and
The Wyoming Way
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Phil Gonzales
Hispanic Emphasis Program Manager
Ben Bonella
Veterans/Disabilities Program Manager
Teresa Koper
Asian/Pacific Islander Program Manager
I am the district conservationist for the Lake DeSmet Conservation District and Wyoming’s NRCS Sage Grouse habitat coordinator. My wonderful wife and children have supported me in my career. I have a B.S. from New Mexico State University in Rangeland Science and am a Certified Professional Rangeland Management Specialist through the Society for Range Management. I have 30-plus years of the school of hard knocks and am a proud owner of a “been there, done that” t-shirt. I have served previously as the Hispanic Program Manager and on the Civil Rights Committee and am committed to the civil rights program in Wyoming.
I graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2006 with a Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management degree. I originally came from the Riverton area and grew up with a farming/ranching background. I am now working in the Cheyenne field office and will be transferring to the Greybull field office in January. I have a lovely wife and two wonderful children at home. I hope to do a really good job as the Veterans/Disabilities Special Emphasis Program Manager and I would encourage any of you to participate in the civil rights committee.
I am a soil scientist in Rock Springs. I grew up in Rifle, CO. I went to Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, and earned a B.S. in Ecology and graduate school at Utah State University in Logan for my M.S. in Biology and M.S. in Soil Science. I am an outdoor enthusiast and especially love skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, and photography, with special interests in renewable energy and sustainability. I enjoy traveling and have lived in Australia and Mexico, and traveled in South America, Europe, and Canada.
[People] may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture. —Felix Adler
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The Wyoming Way
Sharon Williams
Black Emphasis Program Manager
Chad Ostenson
American Indian/Alaskan Native Program Manager
News You Shouldn’t Lose
I was a Navy brat and the firstborn of four children which made me even brattier. I moved a lot as a kid and developed the “sink or swim” mindset. I love to swim so that seemed easy enough, and now I can’t sink even if I wanted to. I literally float upright like a cork (and that has nothing to do with attitude)! As an adult, I said I’d never move again and stayed in Nebraska for 28 years working the majority of that time as a public affairs assistant and a computer specialist. Then in 1999 I met Paul Obert and in 2001 we moved to Nevada. In 2003 we moved to Wyoming. I’m glad I agreed to move because we both love it here and plan to retire in “hunter heaven.” Besides swimming, I enjoy bike riding, reading, scrapbooking stories for our 7-yr-old granddaughter, and of course, hunting for the “big one.” If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the people on earth. Over 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day; nearly half the world’s population live on less than $2 a day. A poor person in a rich country is three times better off than a rich person in a poor country. If you woke up well and healthy, you would be luckier than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced a war, the loneliness of imprisonment, agony of torture or famine, you are happier than 500 million people in this world. If you are able to go to church, mosque, temple, or synagogue without fear of harassment, arrest , torture or death, you are happier than millions of people in this world.
I grew up in Buffalo, SD. At the beginning of my junior year of high school, my family, including mom, dad and two younger brothers moved to Custer, SD, where my parents were both educators. I graduated from Custer High School and went on to attend South Dakota State University. While attending SDSU, I received athletic scholarships in both football and rodeo. I completed four years of eligibility with each sport as well as acquiring a bachelor's degree in education. My seasonal summer employment as a wildland firefighter during my college years became permanent employment with the U.S. Forest Service in 1995. In 2001, I began my career with the NRCS as a technician. My wife, Marti, and I have lived in Newcastle for 12 years. We have two children. Our son, Cade, is seven and daughter, Jaylen, is three. Most of my free time is spent with my family. Marti and I continue to rodeo, so much of that family time includes riding horses, traveling, and competing in rodeos.
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Welcome soil scientists to Wyoming
From left to right: Cameron Clark, Janét Moore, Jason Martin, all from the Saratoga Soil Survey Office (SSO); Greg Snell, Powell SSO; Laura Weingartner, Pinedale SSO; and instructors Steve Jelden and Shawn Nield, both from the Casper State Office.
The National Soils Information System (NASIS) database and Digital Map Editing were on the agenda of a week-long training held in December for five soil scientists new to Wyoming. Soil scientists enter soil properties, such as textures, horizons, pH, and salinity into NASIS. ArcGIS is used to delineate soil map units. Line placement is determined by field investigations and GIS analysis and then digitized. Once the survey area has been mapped and the NASIS and spatial data has been quality checked, the digitized lines are issued as part of the publicly available soil survey. Welcome to these soil scientists and thank you for your important work!
Cameron Clark
Saratoga SSO
This summer, nearly 20 years after first becoming interested in mapping soils, I had the opportunity to join the soil survey in Carbon County. While I have enjoyed the wide variety of experiences along my roundabout path from college to NRCS, I am excited to be here. I first became interested in soils in the 80’s while finishing my bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences at Montana State University. When I graduated in 1988, I worked at the Soil Conservation Service state office in Bozeman for 2 ½ years as a cartographic technician, doing finishing work on soils maps. I hoped to get on a soil crew but
my lack of experience and the tight job market at the time delayed that goal. After completing a tropical agriculture internship in Florida, I went to the University of Arkansas and received a master’s degree in Agronomy. From there, I entered the world of Cooperative Extension and worked for 12 years in Arkansas, New York and most recently, Montana. I have a wide variety of interests, which include making maps, traveling, watching football, gardening and studying foreign languages. My wife and I have four children who keep us busy most of the time.
Jason Martin
Saratoga SSO
I am an outdoor enthusiast from the University of Maryland who loves to travel, especially in Latin America. I hope one day to be able to apply my soil knowledge to development issues in the Andean countries, particularly Colombia or Ecuador. I hope to also go to Spain, Korea, Malawi, and Australia. Some of my more specific interests and hobbies include backpacking, caving, viticulture, and amateur photography.
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Saratoga SSO
I grew up in the beautiful Pudget Sound lowlands of western Washington State. My interest in soil was sparked as I worked a small organic vegetable farm, on a fertile peat bog, with my mother there. I spent several years backpacking around the country as a young adult, selling jewelry I'd made and what not. I became a rather young mother of a delightful boy named Forest, now 9, and worked in nursing homes and head injury wards as a nursing assistant for several years. My interest in the environment and natural resources remained strong. I was able to work as a fisheries technician for the Forest Service for two seasons, one in the Uinta National Forest of Utah and the other in Bridger-Teton National Forest. Finally, at 24, I began college in a serious way at Utah State University and just graduated with a B.S. last year. I worked in some soil analysis labs and on a few organic farms along the way. I have always felt the importance of agriculture, environmentally and socially, and I studied soil science so that I could work in the sustainable agriculture movement in some capacity. The NRCS has done a lot for soil conservation and habitat preservation. I am very happy to be a part of the Carbon County soil mapping team.
The Wyoming Way Greg Snell
Powell SSO
In my 30 years with NRCS, I have been a project leader and resource soil scientist in Montana, a GIS specialist in Illinois, and a field soil scientist in Colorado. I have been in Wyoming eight months on this assignment as Major Land Resource Area Project Leader for the Bighorn Basin. I earned a B.S. in Forest Biology in '73 and an M.S. in Forest and Wood Sciences, with an emphasis in Plant Ecology and Soils in '79, both from Colorado State. I worked my first summer for the Forest Service in the Black Hills in 1971. My wife and I have four children and seven grandchildren. We just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. Thank goodness we like to travel as our kids live in three different states. I also enjoy gardening and square dancing.
HR NEWS
Promotions Tim Becket, DC, GS-11, Wheatland, eff. 11/11 Laura Galloway, SC, GS-9, Worland, eff. 11/11 Reassignment David Hovland, ASTC (QA&E), GS-13, Casper SO Career Interns Rory Becker, Archaeologist, GS-11, Casper SO, eff. 11/26 Jon Hawthorne, SS, GS-7, Powell SSO, eff. 1/6 Meghan Euliano, SS, GS-7, Powell SSO, eff. 1/6 Transfers Brendan Brazee, State Range Consvst, ID, eff. 11/23 Tracy Christopherson, SS, GS-9 Buffalo SSO to AK, eff. 12/9 Craig Prink, SS, GS-12, Lyman SSO to AZ, eff. 1/6 Mike Moore, SS, GS-9, Riverton SSO to CO, eff. 12/9 New Hires Todd Schuldies, SCT, GS-9, Wheatland, eff. 8/5 Tyrel West, Civil Eng, GS-6, Sundance, eff. 9/2 Resignations Jay Meyer, Archaeologist, GS-12, Casper SO, eff. 1/6 Retirements Darrell Schroeder, SSS, GS-13, Casper SO, eff. 1/3 Doug Gasseling, Agronomist, GS-12, Casper SO, eff. 1/3 Expiration of Appointment Cindy Lamblin, Off Asst, Cheyenne, eff. 11/10 Karen Huber, Mgmt Asst, Buffalo, eff. 11/30
Laura Weingartner
Pinedale SSO
Originally from Denver, I did my undergrad work at the University of Missouri and graduate work at Kansas State in soils. I have family in Wyoming so am happy to be here in this beautiful area. My career with NRCS began in Kentucky in June of 2004. Having moved to Pinedale in April, I purchased my first home which keeps me busy. I try to do creative things with my time and consider myself a casual artist. I have sold my drawings, candles and knitting pieces. I’ve gotten into snowmobiling lately and it’s great fun.
The Wyoming Way
In future issues of The Wyoming Way, we hope to include other new employees and also highlight those who aren’t so new. Below are two employees who recently moved to Casper. Welcome!
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Casey Sheley
Conservation Planning Resource Specialist, Casper State Office
Education: Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University Family: Wife—Katy, Daughter #1—Madelyn (7), Daughter #2—Isabelle (2), English Setter—Babe (12) Born and raised in Iowa on a Purebred Brangus cattle farm. Started career as a conservation district employee restoring wetlands in western Iowa. I then became an NRCS soil conservationist in eastern Iowa. I was a soil con in Cortez, Colorado, and a district conservationist in Walsenburg, Colorado, and in Wasilla, Alaska. I moved to Casper in August as a member of the State Resource Staff. Enjoy travel, hunting, SCUBA diving, and spending time with the girls in my life. Glad to be in Wyoming and look forward to getting to know people and helping out.
Mary Schrader
District Conservationist, Casper Field Office
I moved from Southwest Nebraska (Benkelman) to Casper in late July. My husband, Jim, and I have one son, Eric, who is a sophomore at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado. I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources with an option in Rangeland Management. I started with the Soil Conservation Service in the Imperial FO as a range conservationist in 1988 and transferred to the Benkelman FO in 1992 as a resource conservationist. I have been active in the Nebraska Section Society for Range Management since 1988. I enjoy counted cross-stitch, reading, watching sports on TV and racing go-karts. We are hoping to find a track here where we can ride our karts.
I am slowly learning my way around Natrona County. The work here is very diverse and challenging. I enjoy working with the landowners and other agencies involved in conservation work. My family and I enjoy living in Casper. The area we moved from was very small with very little shopping or entertainment activities within 100 miles. We are enjoying all the activities available in this area. I am looking forward to snowmobiling on Casper Mountain this winter.
Natural Resources Conservation Service … Helping People Help the Land
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."