SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST NEWSLETTER 1 Fall 2014 San Juan National Forest Newsletter Students and Agencies Benefit from Internships DURANGO - Six Fort Lewis College Chris Ridener, an environmental students took part this summer in the studies sophomore, learned about inaugural Four Corners Federal Lands recreation on the San Juan NF Col- Internship Program. umbine RD. Sara Newman, an envi- Although similar internships have ronmental studies senior, worked in been available, a recent memoran- the Columbine range program. dum of understanding between fed- Ryan Barton, an environmental eral agencies and local nonprofits studies graduate, interned in visitor offers new opportunities. services at the Dolores Public Lands Southwest Conservation Corps ad- Office. His goal is to work with Na- ministered the program through tive American tribes in natural-re- AmeriCorps, which allows the interns source management. to be considered for future federal Candice Jenkins, an environmen- positions. tal studies senior, helped the Pagosa Mountain Studies Institute se- RD conduct wildlife and vegetation lected the interns and coordinated Chris Ridener surveys, among other projects. their orientation, training and mid- Hopes are that interns from San term and final presentations. Employee mentors oversaw the Juan College will participate next The San Juan NF hosted four in- professional development of each year and that the Four Corners Fed- terns, and Aztec Ruins National intern. The 10-week program in- eral Lands internships will also be Monument hosted two. cluded a stipend. available with the BLM. - Ann Bond “The goal is to better prepare the next generation of agency person- nel,” said Ron Duvall, San Juan NF Administrative Officer. “The inaugural program was a smashing success,” said Cliff Spen- cer, Superintendent of Mesa Verde National Park. “The students were enthusiastic and resourceful, and willing to venture outside their com- fort zones in carrying out assign- ments.” David Strawn, a recent anthropol- ogy graduate, and Emily Ciszek, an environmental studies senior, pro- vided interpretative services at Az- tec Ruins. Ryan Barton Sara Newman 2 SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST NEWSLETTER SAN JUAN PUBLIC LANDS CENTER Celebrate Wilderness DURANGO – America’s Wilderness Act became law 50 years ago this month. To celebrate, the San Juan NF has joined with the local community to hold a Walk for Wil- derness and Family Fun Fair on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. The Wilderness Walk will begin at 9 a.m. and follow the Animas River Trail to Rotary Park and loop back to the fairgrounds. Participants will receive a commemorative pin and branded wood chip. There is no need to pre-register. Family Fun Fair booths and activities begin at 10:30 a.m., with music provided by the San Juan String Band. Activities will include a Kids Edu- cation Corner, demonstrations of stock packing and primitive tool use, backcountry gear, low-impact river camping, Dutch-oven cooking tech- Summer Notes niques, and a wilderness backcountry cooking contest. The walk and The summer has flown by, and activities are free, and food and beverages will be on sale. San Juan NF employees have ac- For more information, contact Kathe Hayes at 970 385-1310. complished a great deal. Our new Land and Resource PAGOSA SPRINGS – The San Juan NF Pagosa RD and Geothermal Green- Management Plan has held up un- house Partnership are hosting a free mini-film festival at the Liberty der appeal reviews, which allows Theater on Saturday, Sept. 13th to celebrate the Wilderness Act’s 50th us to begin implementation. A big anniversary. Thank You to everyone who spent The Meaning of Wild documents the adventures of a wildlife camera- the past several years working to man in some of Alaska’s most pristine wilderness. The film has won over make this possible. 20 awards at various film festivals since its 2013 debut. I spent a large portion of the Wild by Law: the Rise of Environmentalism and the Creation of the summer trying to meet with our Wilderness Act received an Academy Award nomination in 1991. partners. Please know that with- A Sense of Wonder, a 2008 documentary about Rachel Carson, depicts out your help, we could not meet her reflections in the last year of her life. Carson wrote the 1960’s all our accomplishments. classic, Silent Spring. I also tried to spend time in the The Colorado Environmental Film Festival has contributed nine award- field with employees across the winning short films. Forest. I appreciate all the invites For screening times, go to: http://pagosagreen.org/film-festival-2014 to visit field projects and hope to receive more invitations. I was scheduled for a trip into the Weminuche (which unfortu- Ginger Recognized by Region nately did not happen) but was glad to see that our Four Corners Fed- San Juan NF Contracting Officer Ginger Domingos received the Rocky eral Lands interns were all able to Mountain Regional Acquisition Management Award as Contracting Of- get into the wilderness. I invite ev- ficer of the Quarter for her work earlier this year gathering informa- eryone to our upcoming events tion for the Office of General Council in relation to a contracting claim. celebrating the Wilderness Act’s th Ginger and a team from the San Juan NF, including Allen McCaw and 50 Anniversary. Ben Martinez, prepared for two hear- In closing I want to remind em- ings in Federal Contract Appeals ployees to be safe ~ think about Court. the job at hand, ensure you have They were recognized for putting the safety equipment you need, together information on behalf of review your Job Hazard Analysis the USFS for presentation to a Fed- and follow its outlined actions to eral Judge. The USFS was success- mitigate hazards. We want every- ful in defending its position as a re- one returning home safe each sult. - Ann Bond night! Kara Chadwick Forest Supervisor SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST NEWSLETTER 3 SAN JUAN PUBLIC LANDS CENTER John is New Budget Analyst DURANGO - John Wilderson is the new San Juan Budget Analyst. He’ll be preparing budgets, applying statistical analysis, and maintaining account accuracy. He’ll also work on development, rule writing and determination, and monitoring. John served as a munitions specialist in the U.S. Air Force for six years, first sta- tioned in Italy and then Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He was deployed to Iraq twice and to Kuwait. He also worked as a tax accountant for TD Bank North America in South Portland, Maine, and has held a diversity of jobs, including chef, truck driver, lobster packer/ grader, construction, and hardscaping. John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with an International Business track from the University of Southern Maine. His interests include hiking, camping, hunting, travel, photography, Crossfit, the tiny house movement, and leather working. He and wife, Anna, his “adventuring companion,” have a ferret named Acadia. “I am ecstatic to be a part of the Forest Service; to be a part of something I appreciate and utilize signifi- cantly,” John says. “Now I have the opportunity to contribute to the effort required to maintain such a vast public land system.” - Ann Bond Lucas Watching over Budget DURANGO - Lucas Gallegos has been filling in as Acting San Juan NF Budget Officer for Stephanie Kelley, who is on maternity leave. He’s done a great job tracking, ana- lyzing and projecting budget and expenditures. Lucas is a Budget Analyst for the USFS Regional Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began his federal career in 2011 as a Pathways student in appeals and litigation, then became a Human Resources Assistant in the USFS Southwest Regional Office. Lucas received his first permanent position in 2013 as Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF Budget Analyst. He now works in Budget Execution at the Albuquerque Service Center and for the USFS Southwest Regional Of- fice. Pretty Lucas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hu- man Resource ManagementBabies and Organi- zational Behavior, as well as a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of New Mexico. “I am thankful to have this opportunity to gain experience helping out on the San Juan,” he says. “I hope to leave behind new and effective ideas, and acquire new ideas to take back with me to my positions in Albuquerque.” - Ann Bond Landon Kelley, 2, helps parents, Stephanie and Chasen Kelley, celebrate his new baby sister, Shelby Ann Kelley, born July 31st, at 7 lbs. 12 oz. San Juan Public Lands Center, Durango 4 SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST NEWSLETTER SAN JUAN PUBLIC LANDS CENTER Thalia is New Civil Engineer DURANGO – Thalia Haro is a new Civil Engineer in the PLC overseeing facilities, water and wastewater. Previously Thalia was an engineering student participating in the Pathways Program at the Rocky Mountain Regional Office. She graduated this spring from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in Engineering with Civil Specialty. Thalia has two adopted cockatiels; one a youngster at 6 years old, the other a senior bird citizen at 23 years of age. They currently reside with her parents in Den- ver. “I look forward to meeting new and great people like I have so far and learning from each individual,” she says. - Ann Bond Road Crew to the Rescue DOLORES – The San Juan NF Road Crew spent time on Bolam Pass last month to re- pair a slump that had dam- aged a 30-foot-long portion of the Hermosa Park Road (FS Road 578) on the Rico side of the pass. Until the repair work, the public had to drive through a road-side ditch to maneuver around the affected area to complete the popular scenic drive from Durango Mountain Resort. San Juan NF Roads Manager Pete Merkel and Engineer Allen McCaw came up with a fix that included reinforcing the fill slope with large boulders and building it back up by compact- ing layers with filter fabric.