The Great American River Cleanup
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THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PEOPLE LAND &WATERWATER June 1997 Volume 4, Number 6 Preserving the Goose, 20 The How Welfare To Work Great Can Work, 4 American MMS Marks 15th River Anniversary, 24 Cleanup Alaska Land Pacts, Majestic Niagara Falls, an icon of America’s natural heritage, serves as our symbol of the on-going 2 & 19 nationwide effort to clean up the nation’s rivers and breathe new life into riverfront towns and cities. A new Cabinet-level initiative, the American Heritage Rivers program (pages 10-11), can help communities to revitalize their waterways. Our coverage also looks at the broadest national study to date of the correlation between contaminants and hormone levels in fish, and what that could mean for river wildlife. The findings (page 12) underscore community concern for cleaner rivers. Other articles describe Interior efforts to clean up acid mine drainage in Appalachian watersheds (page 13); fight whirling disease in the West’s foremost trout streams (page 22); counter the spread of invasive weeds in riparian areas Earth Day (pages 9, 21); and help Honduras save its threatened Río Platáno Biosphere (pages 16-17). Every Day, 6 Utah attorney Pat Shea looks at issues like a THE INSIDE LINE scientist and emphasizes the economic consequences of decisions. He was nominated Lay director of the Bureau of Land Management, 28. Interior People 2-3 out by: Mark Ha Around the Department 4-5 Working With America 6-7 Bureau Bound Science and Stewardship 8-9 Kathy Karpan’s a coal miner’s daughter and a “no U.S. Geological Survey 12-14 nonsense administrator,” as well as a Wyoming Office of Surface Mining 15 ll • state leader, and former journalist. And she’s been named to lead the Office of Surface Mining, 15. Bureau of Indian Affairs 18-19 ISC Gr National Park Service 20-21 Fish and Wildlife Service 22-23 aph Minerals Management Service 24-25 ics The Death of Coral Bureau of Reclamation 26-27 The Life of Hawks Bureau of Land Management 28-29 & Pages 8-9 Office of Insular Affairs 30 Information Technology 31 Legislative Update 32 Need subscription changes or information? Letters to the Editor? E-mail to [email protected]. Fax to (202) 208-5133. Phone (202) 208-7291. Write to PLW, Main Interior, MS 6013, 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240. Historic Refuge People, Land & Water can be found on Legislation Interior’s homepage at Fish and Wildlife Service raptor specialist http://www.doi.gov/doi_plw.html Craig Koppie, right, talks with Argentinean Passes House, 32 Ambassador Raúl Granillo Ocampo about Swainson’s Hawks. Photo by Tami Heilemann, ISC nterior People: A Look at Department Employees I NOT ABLE QUOT ABLES “This is a win-win for the environment and a win-win for BLMer Honored for the Kenai Native Association shareholders. The association Helping Group Hurt by finally will get to develop its property with $4.4 million in seed money and the Federal Government will get clear title Oklahoma City Bombing to important land inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, especially the 800-acre Stephanka Track—the Theresa Herrera, New Mexico State Office crown jewel of the Kenai River Basin.” Laura Stich, a Bureau of Land Management Deborah Williams, special assistant to Secretary Babbitt for employee, was honored recently by the Federal Alaskan affairs, speaking of the signing of an agreement with the Executive Board for her commitment to an Kenai Natives Association, Inc.—an Alaskan Native urban organization that was almost devastated by the corporation—that will protect valuable Kenai River habitat while Oklahoma City bombing. also allowing the native association to develop its land that had been inside a national wildlife refuge. The explosion at the Alfred P. Murrah The agreement, which uses about $4.4 million in funds from the Building killed or Exxon Valdez oil spill settlement, puts into force a land exchange injured many members authorized by Congress in the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands of the Oklahoma Inter- Management Act of 1996 and resolves a long-standing land Agency Training management issue involving the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Council—a group that Story, page 19. acts as a clearing house Deborah Williams for training programs Assistant to the Secretary for Alaska for government employees. Reconvening the council’s meetings was extremely painful for those remaining. Coleman Named Superintendent Laura Stich However, the group resumed its work 18 months ago. of Washington’s Rock Creek Park Stich, who is a support services assistant with Adrienne A. Coleman, a 17-year career helped launch more than 200 partnership and BLM’s New Mexico-Oklahoma Tulsa District employee with the National Park Service, has interagency agreements designed to support park Office, was sent to the Council’s meetings to find been named superintendent of Rock Creek Park programs. She also administered more than $2 free or low-cost training for BLM employees. in Washington, D.C. She is only the second million in grants to non-profit organizations in Stich volunteered to be secretary of the newly woman to hold the job since 1965 when the support of National Park Service programs and reformed council. park became independent. resource protection activities. Laura felt so strongly about this commitment “Adrienne has strong management skills and During this period, Coleman coordinated the that she drove 250 miles round-trip each month works well with community groups,” said Terry Historically Black Colleges and Universities to keep the meetings running, taking the R. Carlstrom, the acting director of the Program to improve internship and employment minutes and publicizing free or low cost training National Capital Regional in making the opportunities nationwide for students of those offered by other government agencies. announcement. “She is very familiar with the institutions. She also coordinated transition issues confronting the park, and her personal activities for two years prior to the establishment “Laura has been an outstanding employee who knowledge of the community and fluency in of the Mary McLeod Bethune National Historic has been enthusiastic and willing to do what she Spanish will be extremely valuable in addressing Site, Washington, D.C., as a unit of the National can to help her co-workers and other agencies these challenges.” Park System. with needed training,” said Tulsa District Manager Jim Sims. “We’re proud of her Coleman, who became assistant superintendent From 1980 until 1983, Coleman conducted accomplishments,” Sims added. of the park in March 1996, has been acting research and analyses of operational components superintendent since the retirement of her of the 600-member United States Park Police, a Stich and another council member launched a predecessor, William Shields, in April of this unit of the National Park Service headquartered similar inter-agency training council in the Tulsa year. During her tenure as assistant in Washington, D.C. Her prior experience area to provide the same opportunities for superintendent, Coleman led the team that includes service with the National Capital agencies located in northeastern Oklahoma. developed a new General Management Plan for Housing Authority of Washington, D.C., as public Because of her commitment, several agencies the park. As superintendent, she assumes information officer and as an administrator in with larger budgets have offered training slots to management responsibility for the entire 2,800- public housing, community development, and the Oklahoma BLM employees at no cost. acre park, including visitor services, urban renewal programs. maintenance, resource management, safety, As many government agencies face declining concessions, and administration. Coleman studied sociology while attending budgets and lack of funds to offer training to Howard University from 1967-1969, and employees, Laura Stich has gone above and From 1983 until 1996, Coleman worked in the continued her studies at the University of beyond her job of bringing free and low-cost Management Consulting Division of the National Maryland to obtain a degree in business and training to the BLM Tulsa District employees as Park Service, National Capital Region, becoming management. She, her husband, and son reside well as other government agencies. division chief in 1990. In that position, she in Rockville, Maryland. MMS Center Honored Rock Creek Park Cathy McNish Rock Creek Park is one of the largest and Today’s Rock Creek Park, which became The Western Administrative Service Center of oldest urban parks in the country. Established independent of the military control board and the Minerals Management Service has received in 1890 under a military control board, it other national parks in 1965, has some 30 Excellence in Government Awards from the predates by nearly a half century the birth of picnic areas, several playgrounds, 25 hard- Denver Federal Executive Board. Excellence the National Park Service as an agency under and soft-surfaced tennis courts, a golf course, Medallions went to Todd Leneau, of the Service the Department. The system of “roadways and and many miles of nature trails, horse trails, Center’s Procurement Branch, and to the bridle paths...and footways for pedestrians” and bike paths. The park, including its nature Personnel Branch for excellent public service. envisioned by its founders in Congress quickly center, historic Pierce Mill and Carter-Baron Jan Fletcher, Service Center manager, was also became a reality and has been enjoyed ever Amphitheater, attracts nearly two million presented a Special Recognition Award for since by generations of Washingtonians. annually. extraordinary customer service. 2 Watersheds First of Its Father of Big Kind Book Bend Ranch Marian Hansson, left, the first Bob Armstrong has become American Indian Fellow at the only the third individual to win Smithsonian Institution, the prestigious Conservation compiled a milestone publication Lifetime Achievement Award from on the Smithsonian’s Kiowa the Nature Conservancy of Texas, collections.