Sourdough News Fall Edition 2020
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Forest Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Fall 2020 Oct - Dec SourDough News Fall 2020 Regional Forester’s Awards ........................................1 Meet the Ranger ..........................................................2 SourDough News Forest Management Employee of the Year ..............2 From a mountaintop in the Tongass National Stories capturing the spirit of your Alaska public lands Forest - GLORIA! ......................................................3 as told by Forest Service staff and partners who work Conducting Field Research During a Pandemic ....4 and live in the Alaska Region. Forest Service Helps Harvest Water in Jordan ........6 The Southern Trek of the Iditarod National Historic Trail ...............................................................8 It’s a little fishy in Alaskan Forests ............................9 Use of Alaska’s National Forest Cabins Ebbs and Flows during COVID-19 ...................................10 Alaska is on the map…the wildfire risk assessment map, that is! .............................................12 Going Batty on the Chugach National Forest for Halloween ..............................................................13 Tlingit & Haida and USDA Forest Service Sign Agreement for Indigenous Guardians Program .....14 Virtual Archeology Provides Educational, Personal Experience for Youth in Kake, Alaska .....15 A trail along the Russian Employee Photo Spotlight .........................................15 River. Chugach National Forest. Photo by Tlingit Potatoes help sustain science, culture, and Stephanie Wright. community?.................................................................16 Across the miles: Managing one of Alaska’s migratory bird species ...............................................17 Southeast Alaska Birding Trail .................................18 Alaskan employees reap benefits from innovative focus groups ................................................................20 Innovative focus groups connect line employees to leadership ................................................................21 Did you know there is a Forest Service Retirees Organization? ..............................................................22 Where are they now? ..................................................23 Learning Libraries ......................................................23 SourDough News is written by employees of the Alaska Region. Please contact: Carol Teitzel Managing editor Regional Public Affairs Office Jacqueline Chandler, (907) 586-8803 (406) 498-8372, or [email protected] [email protected] or visit the Article Submission site at Contributing writers https://bit.ly/2MkPS2U Regional Public Affairs staff, Gina Esposito, Amy Li, Tristan Fluharty, Alexandra Freibott, Mona Spargo, Melissa The editorial staff reserves Gabrielson, Rachelle Huddleston-Lorton, Sandra Holsten the right to edit all articles for journalistic standards and space consideration. Cover page: Looking down to the Kenai River from the Design/Illustration Kenai River Trail, Cooper Landing, Alaska, Chugach Carol Teitzel, Shutterstock National Forest. Photo by Marion Glaser. ’ing into the 2020 Regional Forester’s Awards The 2020 Regional Forester Awards “Zoomed” into December Comments such as: with overwhelming success. Not to be deterred by COVID-19, “This format allowed everyone to be recognized in person. this year’s awards were held via Zoom with 183 employees, What a fantastic idea!” their family members, and Forest Service partners participating online. “I wanted to tell you what a great job you all did with the RF Award presentation today. I laughed, I cried and I felt a real The annual awards recognize individuals or groups who have pride for all the people I work with and the work they do. demonstrated major achievements in restoring, sustaining, and Amazing job.” enhancing the national forests in Alaska; or, in contributing to the well-being of their fellow employees, customers, and local The quality and professional manner in which Alaska communities. employees carry out their daily responsibilities; how much they accomplish through effective teamwork; and the extent of their The two-hour Zoom presentation, successfully managed in the efforts to work collaboratively with invaluable partners is what background by Tiesha Street with the Forest Service Enterprise makes us Who We Are. Technology Service Line team, ended with many comments from staff and partners very happy with the digital platform used. Congratulations to this year’s recipients! Employee of The Year Partnership Sustainable Recreation Andrew Morse, LE&I, Cordova Ranger Alaskan Youth Stewards William Brennan, Glacier Ranger District, Chugach National Forest Steering Committee District, Chugach National Forest Excellence in Business Operations Laurel Stark, Nikki Olsen, Victoria Sustainable Recreation Region 10 Acquisition Houser, Marlene Duvall, Kevin Chugach National Forest, Seward Ranger Management Team Hood, Denise Wolvin, Bob Girt, Bob District Trails Crew Christensen, Patrick Shannon Scott Langston, Denise Murphy, Mari Michael Fitzpatrick, Claire Shipton, Meiners, John Wright, Jonathan Gellings, Partnership Daniel Krueger, Jake Dies, Elenore Stacy Doutt, Laurie Moore, Sara Ryan, Upper Suntaheen Creek Fish Pass Hollingsworth, Neil Pederson, Colton Della Koelling Decommissioning Group Farley Excellence in Customer Service Robert Miller, Marlene Duvall, Michael Wilderness Champion Norman Foster, Supervisor’s Office, O’Dell, Jared Grams, Justin Spurrier, Kevin Hood, Admiralty National Chugach National Forest Ian Johnson, Phillip Sharclane, Derek Monument, Tongass National Forest Barton, Jeremy Johnson, Ricardo Excellence in Customer Service Contreras Regional Forester’s Special CCSA Young Growth Inventory Recognition Project Team Safety and Health Alaska Roadless Rulemaking Team Facility Operational Status Team Sheila Spores, Ben Case, Christal Chad VanOrmer, Melinda Hernandez Higdon, Tim Wold, Craig Buehler, Jess Nicole McMurren, Tim Charnon, Sharon Burke, Robin Dale, Laurie Cooper, Davila, Sean Schroeder, Robert “Mike” Seim, Kori Marchowsky, Leonard “Brad” Jacqueline Chandler, Paul Robbins Jr, Sheets, Aaron Petty Job, Griffith Berg, Damien Zona, Luca Jacqueline Foss, Frank Sherman, Nicole Adelfio, Basia Trout, Alicia Sterns Grewe, Dru Fenster Hector Gandara Memorial Laurent B. Deviche, Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National Forest SourDough News Fall Edition 2020 1 Meet the Ranger Tristan Fluharty, Juneau District Ranger District Ranger Tristan Fluharty grew up in Kooskia, Idaho, a small town at the confluence of the South Fork, and Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. During summer breaks he held several different jobs, including mowing lawns, working at a fish hatchery, gopher “management”, bucking hay bales, and working in a sawmill. He lettered in four sports in high school and spent much of his free time hunting and fishing. After high school, he attended Boise State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. To help pay for college, he applied for a job on the Clearwater National Forest and was offered a position on the Powell Ranger District fire crew. After college, he worked for a Certified Public Accountant in the winter and spring, but always returned to fighting fire in the summer and fall. Tristan Fluharty After four years of going back and forth, he applied for a permanent firefighter position and never looked back. Fluharty’s duty stations during his career included Boise, ID; Yuma, AZ; Heber City, UT (where he met his wife); Kemmerer, WY; Chadron, NE; Ketchikan, AK; and now the Juneau District Ranger. If there is one thing that he has learned in his travels it is that things are never as good as they seem, or as bad as you hear, and being able to work with people is the best way to get something done. Juneau Ranger District office is located in Juneau, Alaska. She came to the Cynthia Sever Tongass in the early Forest Management Employee of the Year (R10) 1990s, working as Cynthia Sever, is the Timber Planning Program Manager on the an Interdisciplinary Tongass National Forest. She was recently recognized by her Development Team peer Forest Management employees for providing outstanding leader/forester on leadership in Forest Management. Among many reasons, the Petersburg Ranger Sever was cited for her long career in Forest Management District until moving to the on the Tongass, particularly in planning. She is an active Supervisor’s Office. Sever proponent for the timber sale program on the Tongass and has served as the lead for timber sale NEPA planning for many has used her knowledge and skills to promote strong National years. In that time, she’s mentored many new employees and Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) skills on the forest over imparted considerable corporate knowledge about NEPA many years. In the last year, Sever went above and beyond her and the complexities associated with the history of timber normal work duties to take on work with the Roadless team as management on the Tongass. She got her Bachelor of Science well as continuing her role as an instructor with the nationwide degree in Forestry from the University of Maine. Sever has NEPA team, even during the pandemic. worked for the Forest Service more than 41 years. 2 SourDough News at http://www.fs.usda.gov/r10 Apply Knowledge Globally From a Mountaintop in the Tongass National Forest – GLORIA! Say the word GLORIA, and some of us start humming the 1964 environments are like