Forest Service Employees Receive “Rise To The Future” Awards Southwest OR – Two Forest Service employees along with a retiree have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to protect and restore fisheries and watershed resources on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Pete Jones, Alan Vandiver and Chris Park were recognized for their endeavors last month by each receiving a US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Rise to the Future award at the Regional Fish and Watershed Program Managers’ meeting in Hood River, OR. Pete Jones, USFS Pacific Northwest On-Site Mining Reclamation Coordinator, was recognized regionally for the “Special Accomplishment in Aquatic Restoration” category for his vision and leadership as the Blue Ledge Mine Reclamation Site Project Coordinator. This site had been the source of toxic acid mine discharge for over 100 years, destroying the aquatic life for a four-mile section of Joe Creek, a tributary of the Applegate River. The $15 million restoration project removed over 66,500 cubic yards of waste material from the steep slopes of the site to a sealed repository 1.5 miles away. After the mine waste was removed, clean topsoil was placed on the site and 10,000 native shrubs and trees were planted, drainage channel banks were lined, slope stabilization mesh installed, and native grass seed applied to over 20 acres of the disturbed site. Since the completion of the project, Joe Creek has made a rapid recovery and now supports a population of native rainbow trout and other aquatic wildlife that had been absent for the past century. Quite literally, Pete moved a mountain to restore a stream’s water quality and fisheries. Alan Vandiver, Gold Beach District Ranger (retired in December 2012), was the recipient of the Line Officer award for going above the call of duty to restore, protect and enhance aquatic habitats on the District. Streams on the Gold Beach Ranger District are home to some of the best runs of salmon and steelhead in the state, with the Rogue, Illinois, Chetco and North Fork Smith Rivers designated as national Wild and Scenic Rivers, all of which have fisheries as one of the outstandingly remarkable values leading to that designation. Leading by example, Alan encouraged all of his district employees to visit the streams and forest to see what is going on, to determine what needs to be fixed and what is working well. Alan personally reviewed all projects that could have an effect on fisheries and habitat. He was key in developing an integrated approach and partnerships to a variety of projects ranging from sediment abatement, fuels reduction, culvert replacement, recreation site restoration and large in-stream wood placement that provided multiple resource benefits beyond just fisheries resources. Through Alan’s leadership, the District entered into agreements with the Lower Rogue and South Coast watershed councils, enabling all parties to leverage funding to implement watershed restoration projects on both federal and private land. Accepting the award on behalf of employees and partners, Alan stated, “Any good land manager understands that partnerships are an important foundation for effective resource stewardship. In my career, I had never worked with such a stellar group of employees who were so determined to seek out and implement partnerships to benefit the resources on the District – amazing people!” Chris Park, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest hydrologist, received the Pacific Northwest Region’s 2013 Professional Excellence in Hydrology award for his exceptional leadership of the Forest’s watershed program. His career-long contributions towards collaborative watershed assessment, monitoring and restoration in Southern Oregon leave an enduring legacy. In particular, Chris greatly improved efforts to monitor and model stream shade, implemented complex stream and watershed restoration projects, and helped develop a new cadre of restoration practitioners. “Rise to the Future,” a highly successful USDA Forest Service initiative, was designed to enhance the fisheries and watersheds on national forests. The “Rise to the Future” awards acknowledge exceptional work in the aquatic arena, such as fish, watershed, soils and management leadership, aquatic research, aquatic restoration, fishery/recreational accomplishments and collaborative/integrated aquatic stewardship.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:25:21 +0000
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