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New Director – NewExPro profile Direction?

In September, 2006, Dr. was appointed the Director of the Geological Survey. Will oil prices approaching 100 dollars per barrel and his strong back- ground in mean a new direction for the Survey?

Thomas N. Smith, Associate Editor Editors Note: In the summer of 1988, I first met and worked with Mark on a field project in northwestern Canada. I was a petroleum geologist for the State of and Mark was a PhD candidate at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. He was taking leave from his job at ARCO and later joined the State as a petroleum geologist. Over the years we worked together; we were snowed on, chased by bears, and even found a little time to fish. I was always impressed with the expertise and energy he put into every project. I have no doubt he will do the same for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Mark Myers is the 14th director in

the USGS’s 129-year history. Pioneering ©USGS directors like , John Powell Dr. Mark Myers being sworn in as the 14th director of the United States Geological Survey. and Charles Walcott helped set a course for the then new scientific agency. Other monitors, analyzes and provides scientific have within each discipline, and the ability directors followed, usually appointed from understanding about natural resource to bring the right mix of scientific expertise academic backgrounds or from within the conditions, issues and problems. The to bear in solving pressing problems.” agency. Mark comes from a background as diversity of their expertise enables large- Mark is quick to point out “Providing a working petroleum geologist with ARCO scale, multidisciplinary investigations, impartial scientific information is and the State of Alaska. His last position providing impartial scientific information fundamental and our peer review process was as Director of the Alaska Division to resource managers, planners, and other ensures we can deliver objective, unbiased of Oil and Gas that also included State customers. information.” Geologist. “My first year here has been very busy, Indeed, for years, peer review has been well, actually hectic, learning every day,” a cornerstone in ensuring that scientific The Agency says Dr. Myers. “I am very proud to be conclusions are independent and objective. The USGS employs nearly 9,000 part of such an excellent organization. The Also, helping to keep its science pure and scientists, technicians and support staff high quality of people we have working out of politics, the USGS has no regulatory in more than 400 locations throughout here and the high standards they have or management mandate. “We are here the U.S. and in two foreign countries. They maintained over the years makes this a to provide the science and information are a part of the Nation’s largest water, rewarding work environment. We are set so that planners and land managers can earth, and biological science and civilian apart from other agencies by the breadth make sound decisions,” says Dr. Myers. mapping agency. The Survey collects, of skills, knowledge and capabilities we “This is more important than ever as the

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Federal Government must oversee millions of acres and ecosystems ranging from North Slope tundra to tropical reefs.” Changes Ahead With the U.S. and the rest of the world facing major challenges in energy supply and environmental issues, the USGS recently published “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges-U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017”. Mark has embraced the study as “a roadmap for Mark gets a feel for the USGS’s future”. The published report some of the USGS’s outlines 6 scientific directions using field operations in the ecosystem-based approaches to meet state of Georgia. ©USGS pressing national and global needs. While this publication does mark a change in the way the USGS approaches To this end Mark has helped to form Building a Resume its studies, it had nothing to do with several committees and councils, create Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, $100 oil or Mark’s petroleum geologist fact sheets, and focus more attention Mark developed an early respect for background. on the USGS role and contribution to the environment and geology. “I would “My goals for the survey embrace full understanding global climate change both play and climb over rock outcrops along integration of all disciplines and develop in Congress and the Administration. This is the Mississippi near my home there. I a long term strategy. We must be able to a true testament to Dr. Myers’ tenacity of found them most fascinating,” says Mark. answer the complex questions we face getting things done. “Walks through the woods on my way today and prepare for those of tomorrow. “The current focus on climate change is to school gave me a love for the out-of- We are stepping beyond our traditional not at the expense of science conducted in doors and yearn to learn about natural role of providing expertise in mapping, other fields of study,” he points out. I asked environments.” geology, water and biology,” says Dr. him about specifics and he was quick As a freshman at the University of Myers. to mention the Arctic Assessment (Geo Wisconsin at Madison, Mark took the bait Mark is pleased with the way their new ExPro v.4 no.4, pp. 16-22) due out next year. hook, line and sinker. “I took a summer “road map” is serving them in climate The USGS assessment of resources, both field class to the Yukon and Alaska and variability and change. “We must take conventional and unconventional, around was sold. I loved it up there and knew advantage of the resounding public interest the world is still a major theme. Now it I had to go back.” He went on to earn in this global challenge by focusing our is partnered with biologists and other a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in efforts where we make needed scientific scientists addressing consequences of our geology at Wisconsin and took his first job

contributions,” he says. use of fossil fuels. with ARCO in where he met his t

It was a pleasure to work with Mark while we were petroleum geologists for the state of Alaska. In the field, he would go that extra mile to get outcrop information. In the office, he had the experience to ask the com- panies operating on the state’s oil and gas leases the right questions. Fishing or going flying with Mark in his Cessna 182 added to our adventures in Alaska. His wife, Alice,

always wondered in what we saw in “trying Photo: Tom Smith to outwit a fish”.

GEO ExPro December 2007 63 Director for the Division of Oil and Gas have an education mission. At our open and head (State Geologist) of the Alaska house, we introduce kids to some of the Geological Survey. He was able to work science we do with hands-on displays. with the Legislature to expand the Go to our web sites, and you will find Division into a larger organization capable a host of educational programs from of more research and better management kindergarten to the university level,” says of Alaska’s valuable mineral lands. Mark. “Check out our earthquake web “As Director with the State, I grew to like site. It has information that can be used public service,” says Dr. Myers. “The best from the grade school level to the PhD ExPro profile asset an organization has is the people seismologist. Last week (October 31) we working there. I did everything I could to had a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the keep the Division personnel motivated San Francisco Bay area, and our “Did you and advancing.” feel it?” link got over 60,000 hits!” He also learned there is a great deal of responsibility as head of such an ©USGS organization. “You earn the public trust Director Myers with Secretary of Interior Kemp- thone. through hard work, making good resource decisions, and understanding the issues. wife, Alice. Still, Alaska beckoned. Do your homework,” says Mark. Mark was only in Louisiana for a couple In October, 2005, Mark resigned as years before ARCO transferred him to Director when “I felt I could no longer be Alaska. There, he became an expert on effective at the position. You must maintain North Slope sedimentary and petroleum your integrity to keep the public trust.” geology serving as survey chief for field Mark and other state officials, including programs while with ARCO. He took leave Commissioner of Natural Resources, Tom from ARCO to work on his PhD at the Irwin, felt the administration’s handling of University of Alaska at Fairbanks, receiving a proposed contract with oil companies to his degree in 1994. He joined the State of build a natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s Alaska as a petroleum geologist in 1990 North Slope was not in the State’s best and served as a sedimentologist for 13 interest.

additional field programs. His petroleum Mark has now moved beyond such ©USGS geology expertise and oil company politics and has totally embraced the experience made him an indispensable mission of the Survey. As a test to his asset in managing the State’s oil and gas qualifications, the nomination for USGS It is through these and other cooperative leases. director was supported by then Alaska’s programs with universities, the private From 1977 until retiring in 2003 as Governor Murkowski. Dr. Myers’ leadership sector and the international community a Lt. Colonel, Mark served as an officer and strong convictions leave little doubt that Mark hopes to keep the Survey in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. As a pilot he will work for the best interest of the growing and moving ahead. “Right now we and intelligence officer, he learned the USGS. have an aging workforce like many other importance of satellite imagery and scientific agencies. Our people tend to stay honed his management skills. Getting the Word Out a long time and remain very motivated. It After another short stint with ARCO, November 3 is the yearly open house is through many cooperative plans that Mark was back with the State as the at the USGS. “Along with our science, we we can attract new talent. By addressing societal issues such as climate change, understanding ecosystems, energy and minerals for our future, hazard and risk assessment, the role of the environment in human health, and a U.S. water census offers opportunities to keep the USGS science programs growing.” The second Director of the USGS, , said of his 1869 expedition of the Colorado River “We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore”. Nearly 140 years have passed, the Colorado is no longer an unknown and Dr. Mark Myers hopes to see a little more clearly into the future. “We must anticipate science needs and

©USGS be ready to respond”.

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