Friday, October 17, 2014 Safety Tip of the Week Don’t Spread Germs Hand washing is like a “do-it-yourself” vaccine. Five simple steps (think Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, Dry) can help you stay healthy and prevent the spread of germs to others. This simple action reduces respiratory illnesses in the general population by 21 percent. Photo/Video of the Week “Next week, the Office of Personnel Management will release the results of the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. I’m pleased to report 60 percent of employees who received the survey completed it. Such a high response rate tells me that you care about using this survey as another way to help our agency to continue to improve our work environment. I encourage all employees to carefully read the results when they come out. Based on the results we will identify key areas where we can work together to implement actions to address your concerns. I hope you will all celebrate the progress we’ve made and personally commit to helping us get better where improvement is needed.” — Chief Tidwell Email us your ideas for Photo/Video of the Week. Region 1 employees embrace Montana Forest Products Week Healthy forests and a healthy forest products industry are vital to the Forest Service mission. As part of Montana Forest Products Week, Oct. 17-24, Region 1 will work with partners to celebrate the people and businesses that help to sustainably manage forests and produce those products upon which we all depend. Forest Service employees will participate in numerous events that highlight the benefits our forests provide to Montana’s citizens, including a Forest for Humanity Blitz Build, mill tours, National Bioenergy Day and educational seminars. Region 1 premieres wilderness film Region 1 recently premiered “Brandy,” a film celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. The film documents the role local conservationist Stewart Brandborg played in developing grassroots support for wilderness. Brandborg, known as Brandy, is the last remaining founder of the 1964 Wilderness Act. In the film, Brandborg reflects on the times and the people who pursued this vision. He has lived in western Montana since the 1980s and continues to support successive gener- ations of wilderness advocates. Regional Forester Team hosts telephone town hall More than 400 Rocky Mountain Region employees had an opportunity to hear from and ask ques- tions of the Regional Forester Team on an employee-wide telephone town hall. The hour-long call included an introductory welcome from the Regional Forester, followed by questions from employ- ees, as well as four quick poll questions. Questions ranged from succession planning to national branding efforts. Popular Colorado Springs recreation area open The Pike National Forest’s Pikes Peak Ranger District is temporarily opening the Rampart Range Road, which closed after 2012’s Waldo Canyon Fire. The popular tourist road is now open between Garden of the Gods and Rampart Reservoir within the Waldo Canyon Burn Area. The area is only open during the day for safety reasons due to conditions that were changed by the wildfire. Sri Lankan officials visit Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest recently hosted officials from Sri Lanka as part of the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy International Leadership Program. Ten people representing the Sri Lankan government met with Forest Supervisor Dave Whittekiend to learn about collaboration between various levels of government and outdoor industries. The Utah Council Citizen Diplomacy promotes global respect and understanding between the people of Utah and other nations. Ukrainian leaders visit Bridger-Teton National Forest The Bridger-Teton National Forest hosted visitors from the Ukraine, including members of Parlia- ment, through the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Pro- gram. Ukraine is reforming its land governance policies with a goal of highlighting U.S. best practices in land management, especially in rural areas. The Ukrainian visitors met with five employees to learn about forest plans, forest land administration, agency structure and funding. Annual Escalante Canyons Art Festival celebrates Wilderness Act 50th The 11th Annual Escalante Canyons Art Festival honored the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Sponsors collaborated in planning several events, exhibits and workshops that took place during the 10-day celebration. Dixie National Forest also unveiled a short video made in cooper- ation with Dixie State University highlighting the four wilderness areas on the forest, which was shown in conjunction with “Green Fire.” For more information about Wilderness celebrations in southern Utah, visit the “50 for the 50th” website. Volunteers clean up Lovell Canyon Over 100 volunteers recently participated in the Lovell Canyon cleanup. Members of Pahrump Valley 4-Wheelers, Las Vegas Free Trappers, MGM Resorts, Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, Go Mt. Charleston and others participated. Republic Services donated a 30-yard dumpster, which was filled with almost 3,000 pounds of trash. The cleanup was organized by the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Southern Nevada Conservancy. San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designated On Oct. 10, President Obama designated 346,177 acres of existing federal lands as the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, the eighth national monument under Forest Service management. The new monument encompasses portions of the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests and is just 90 miles outside Los Angeles. Chief Tid- well and Under Secretary Bonnie attended the event. Team assesses King Fire behavior and effects The Fire Behavior Assessment Team, with support from Region 5 and Northern and Southern Research Station personnel, conducted fire behavior and effects measurements on the King wildfire in the Sierra Nevadas. Measurements are collected to assess fuel treatment effectiveness, support inci- dent fire behavior analysis, calibrate remotely-sensed fire severity measurements, develop firefighter safety guidelines and evaluate fire emissions predictions. To ensure safe operations, the team works within the incident command system. For more information, read the article in “Wildfire Today.” Managing wilderness across borders To celebrate of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, a 15-minute educational video for wilderness enthusiasts was developed to feature wilderness areas on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forests and highlight the extraordinary balance of international and interagency coordination in wilderness stewardship. This area lies along an 85-mile-long unsecured stretch of international border in north central Washington State between the U.S. and Canada. It contains nearly 1.7 million acres of wilderness managed by the Forest Service, National Park Ser- vice and the Province of British Columbia, Canada. Ozark-St. Francis employee receives award Rhea Whalen, a wildlife biologist on the Boston Ranger District, received the 2014 Outstanding Forestry Educator award from the Arkansas Forestry Association for her activities in school and community programs. Whalen was recognized for participating in numerous events across the Ozark region including the More Kids in the Woods program, Wounded Warriors and Children of Deployed Soldiers. Geologist certified in mine safety Andrew McCormick, Ouachita National Forest Geologist, received certification as a Qualified Minerals Safety Lead (QMSL). McCormick becomes the only such safety lead for Region 8 and 9. The certification authorizes him to conduct mine safety assessments and mineral surveys for aban- doned or inactive underground mines. A QMSL is required to be present whenever Forest Service personnel enter an abandoned or inactive underground mine, in accordance with the Forest Service Handbook. Students visit Osceola National Forest Approximately 100 fourth graders from Eastside Elementary School visited the Osceola National Forest to learn about conservation, the Forest Service and potential career paths. They also learned about fire prevention and ecology from Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. Kids learn about fire prevention To celebrate the culmination of Fire Prevention Week, Smokey Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and White Mountain National Forest employee Jim Sacchetti made a surprise visit to Ashland Elemen- tary School in Ashland, New Hampshire. Smokey and Sparky shared information about fire preven- tion and what to do if someone discovers a fire. The morning was capped off by singing “Happy Birthday” to Smokey in recognition of his 70th birthday. 11th annual sturgeon release Recently, nearly 100 8-inch-long Nmé (sturgeon) were released into the Manistee River on the Huron-Manistee National Forest. The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians operates a streamside rearing facility for lake sturgeon at the Rainbow Bend access site. The public was invited to tour the first-ever portable rearing facility for lake sturgeon and participate in the community celebration of the reintroduction of sturgeon to the watershed. National Wilderness Conference held Admiralty Island National Monument Ranger Chad VanOrmer will participate in the National Wil- derness conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the first national gathering of the wilderness community in 25 years, the confer- ence will be filled