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| Office of the Secretary |
CONTACT: Joan
Moody
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| For Immediate Release: February 2, 2005 |
(202) 208-6416
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Secretary
of Interior Norton Confers Special Awards |
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WASHINGTON - Secretary of the
Interior Gale Norton today presented special "4Cs" awards for
cooperative conservation to 19 individuals and groups as part of the U.S.
Department of the Interior's 62nd Department Honor Awards Convocation. The Secretary of the Department of the Interior has made conserving our Nation's natural resources one of the Department's top priorities. In so doing, she has introduced an innovative philosophy known as "The Four C's" - Communication, Consultation, and Cooperation, all in the service of Conservation. The Four C's Award is established to recognize a Department of the Interior employee, or a group of employees who demonstrate exceptional contributions, methods, and efforts to promote the Secretary's initiatives. Overall, an individual or group nominated for this award has demonstrated excellent communication skills in building relationships with stakeholders involved in decisions that concern our Nation's natural resources, creating win-win situations for partners as well as for the environment. The individuals or groups also have balanced working relationships with all stakeholders, including: federal, state, tribal, and local governments; private landholders, and private sector businesses, enabling the Department to make sustainable, environmentally and economically sound decisions concerning natural resource conservation. Joint Ventures:
Partners in Stewardship Conference The Core Planning Team for the 2004 Joint Ventures in Partnership Stewardship Conference included representatives not only from Department of the Interior bureaus but also from the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Department's bureaus focused on the needs of partner organizations to plan useful and effective programs that attracted a large number of partners to the conference. Ties to partner organizations were strengthened by providing a forum where partners could interact with the participating Federal agencies in a single setting. The Core Planning Team created a new dimension to the relationship among the Federal land management agencies and their partners. As a result of this successful conference, the agencies now have a forum for addressing issues of mutual interest and an ongoing opportunity to communicate, consult, and cooperate for the effective accomplishment of each of their missions. Indian Outreach
Team The Indian Outreach Team has established effective long-term partnerships with Indian tribes by working together to conserve natural energy resources and to strengthen infrastructures and economies so that children, families, and communities will thrive for future generations. The team leads this effort by supporting the Department of the Interior's Indian trust principle of promoting tribal control and self-determination over tribal trust lands and resources. The Minerals Management Service employs the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Fellowship Program to achieve this goal. Since 1985, there have been 10 IPA participants from six tribes: the Navajo Nation, the Shoshone-Arapaho, the Cherokee Nation, the Crow, the Chippewa-Cree and the Hopi. The team organizes and participates in more than 60 outreach sessions in Indian country and resolves 7,000 Indian inquiries every year, reaching 30,000 individual Indian mineral owners. Lake Havasu
Fisheries Improvement Program The Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program Partnership is a coalition of public citizens, state, local and federal agencies that completed the nation's largest fisheries improvement project under budget and ahead of schedule. Formed in 1992, the partnership is comprised of three Interior agencies, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; as well as state agencies from Arizona, Nevada, and California; private businesses, special groups, and non-profit organizations. The U.S. Marine Corps, Naval Reserve units, Native American Tribes, and local volunteers also made significant contributions, sacrificing 150,000 hours of volunteer labor, skills, and resources for the betterment of the Havasu community. Through their collaborative conservation efforts, the lake now swarms with healthy populations of fish, submerged habitat, and accessible fishing piers, an unparalleled conservation success resulting in achieving harmonious existence between man and nature. John Carlucci John Carlucci, an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor, and Daniel Sparks, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were honored for major roles in restoring valuable natural resources in an important ecological watershed on the East Branch of the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Canal (GCR/IHC) in Indiana. They brought together federal, state, and private parties in a settlement that restores and protects important natural resources. The settlement protects 233 acres of the last remaining globally rare "dune and swale" habitat associated with Lake Michigan. The resolution of these claims required leadership in bringing together the diverse interests of eight major corporations as partners in resolving complex technical and legal issues. Along with their counterparts in the state, the Interior employees worked with other Federal agencies, including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard, and NOAA in order to provide a comprehensive federal and state solution to a long-standing contaminants problem. 4C's, Partnerships
and Collaborative Action Team Robert J. Lamb and Brian O'Neill are changing the way Interior engages citizens in the stewardship of the Nation's resources. Mr. Lamb and Mr. O'Neill have led the 4 C's Partnerships and Collaborative Action Team in developments and activities that will enable the Department, and other federal natural resource agencies, to build their capacity to develop and maintain a wide variety of partnerships. Under their guidance, the Solicitor's Office completed the Partnership Legal Primer, a summary of the Department's legal authorities related to partnering. Since the inception of the 4C's team, Mr. Lamb and Mr. O'Neill have been collaborative and consultative in planning its activities. This has led to representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense being team members and most recently the participation of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Barrens Topminnow
Project This award recognizes the Barrens Topminnow Project staff in Tennessee "for their untiring efforts to protect and restore the extremely rare Barrens topminnow (fundulus julisia) on private lands in lieu of listing it under the Endangered Species Act." The award went to the FWS Tennessee Field Office staff, the Dale Hollow and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatcheries, and the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. FWS partnered with numerous other federal and state agencies. nongovernmental organizations and landowners. The Tennessee Field Office staff took the lead in establishing partnerships with private landowners and installing conservation practices and restoring habitat on private lands. The field office utilized the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program as the primary funding source and established additional populations of Barrens topminnows through stockings of captive-propagated fish into restored habitats. The Dale Hollow and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatcheries acquired captive-propagated juvenile topminnows from partnering non-governmental organizations, the Conservation Fisheries, Inc., and the Tennessee Aquarium, and reared them to stocking size. Personnel from the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge provided equipment and assisted with habitat restoration work at one of the key topminnow sites.
To benefit Hawaii's native ecosystems, the Pacific Islands Conservation Partnership's Program staff (consisting of Craig Rowland, Chris Swenson, Benton Bang, Naomi Bentivoglio, and Stephanie Bennett) channeled almost $2.7 million in cost-share funds, technical assistance and coordination to community groups, private landowners, conservation organizations and other government agencies. The partnership's members created and implemented one of the most unique partnership programs in the nation: the Hawaii Endangered Species Act Community Conservation Initiative, aimed at reducing long-standing conflicts between hunting programs and endangered species protection. The program empowers local communities and employs local citizens to implement projects that reduce feral animal pressure on endangered species and/or reduce endangered species regulation on hunting activities. During its short existence, this program has resulted in not only a closer relationship with local community members, but a newfound recognition that both hunting and endangered species programs are valuable to Hawaii's people. North Carolina
Sandhills Conservation Partnership The North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership is a collective effort to coordinate the development and implementation of conservation strategies for the red-cockaded woodpecker, other native biota, and the longleaf pine ecosystem in the Sandhills area of North Carolina. This partnership includes the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, the U.S. Army Environmental Center, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, The Nature Conservancy, the Sandhills Ecological Institute, and the Sandhills Area Land Trust. All of these parties have worked together over the past year to develop a conservation reserve design plan for this area, and they continue to seek input from over 18 stakeholder organizations. This interim conservation design plan has been incorporated into the new Joint Land Use Review Process for Fort Bragg and surrounding counties. The Partnership also shares ecological and geographical information system information, office space, and regularly collaborates with private landowners on opportunities to restore, manage and protect longleaf pine habitat on private lands. Since 2002, the members of the partnership have protected and managed more than 2,896 acres of habitat. Partnership collective efforts now total 9,089 acres conserved and managed. The Fish and Wildlife Service and other members are working with private landowners on more than 44,000 acres of land to provide longleaf pine habitat that supports over 50 groups of federally endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers.
The Share the Beach Sea Turtle Volunteer Program is a cooperative effort among federal and state agencies, local governments, businesses, landowners and homeowners and volunteers who are united by their desire to protect threatened (loggerhead) and endangered (green and Kemp's Ridley) sea turtles that nest all along Alabama's beaches. Members of the partnership created extensive outreach materials and programs. One of the partners, the Baldwin EMC power company, initiated a movement to turn off street lights whenever a nearby turtle nest on the beach was close to hatching. In 2002 and 2003, more than 300 volunteers devoted more than 10,100 hours of their time to Share the Beach Sea Turtle Volunteer Program. Their greatest reward was to finally see the hatchlings emerge and scramble their way to the Gulf, eagerly watched by the volunteers to prevent any baby turtle from going astray. Without these dedicated people on-site, the vast majority of hatchling sea turtles would fall victim to increasing light pollution by beachfront lighting all along the coast. Park Flight
Migratory Bird Program Team The Park Flight Program depends on communication at both the national and park levels ranging from publications and news media outreach to creative classroom curricula, interpretive and educational materials; public programs and field trips; bird banding demonstrations; and International Migratory Bird Day events. The Park Flight bird monitoring and education projects and international internships have had demonstrable effects on migratory bird conservation. For example, with the help of local volunteer birders, the Park Flight project at Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio assessed habitat quality for migratory grassland birds to aid species restoration and habitat management efforts. In consultation with partners, program goals can then be developed. The Park Flight project at North Cascades National Park in Washington illustrates the benefits of cooperation: a wildlife biologist and chief of interpretation co-manage the project; local partners include the U.S. Forest Service; Methow Conservancy; Skagit Literacy Council; North Cascades Institute; and American Bird Conservancy. Visiting Latin American biologists have developed bilingual exhibits and led park field trips for the Latino community. Susan A. Stewart A Fire Ecologist for the BLM, Prineville District, and the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Susan Stewart has been instrumental in improving collaboration in Central Oregon to enhance the hazardous fuels reduction program and mitigate the risk of fire to communities. She has worked closely with community groups, homeowner associations and other city, county and State agencies throughout a tri-county area, and has been involved with establishing creative approaches to improve outreach and education opportunities, planning efforts, and National Fire Plan grant coordination. Nearly 136 communities lie within the Central Oregon's Wildland Urban Interface Zone. Alaska Outer
Continental Shelf Region The MMS Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region has established a cooperative relationship throughout the State of Alaska with local and tribal officials who are affected by oil and gas activities. Dialogue has included roundtable discussions with the North Slope Borough, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope. The regional office has worked with Alaska native communities and local governments to build understanding and mutual respect and to ensure the need for continued environmentally safe exploration and production of domestic oil and gas resources in the OCS. Gulf of Mexico
Protected Species Team The Minerals Management Service's
Gulf of Mexico Protected Species Team Watershed
Assistance Team The Watershed Assistance Team - Virginia Project, within the Office of Surface Mining in the State of Virginia, is responsible for OSM partnerships with volunteer watershed groups and with other federal and state agencies. During the past year, the team assembled noteworthy projects including creating a new network for federal agency information linked to watershed groups throughout the Appalachian coal country; providing essential training to watershed personnel; significantly expanding the OSM/VISTA Watershed Team; and developing a partnership with the University of Virginia, Wise, that will enable generations of students to learn about acid mine drainage treatment and conservation in classes that will be taught across the region.
Dr. Charles C. Schwartz leads
the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), established in 1973,
a cooperative effort between the USGS, the National Park Service, the
U.S. Forest Service, and the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The
IGBST conducts research that provides information needed by various agencies
for immediate and long-term management of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos
horribilis) inhabiting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With increasing
demands on most resources in the area, the IGBST ensures that the best
available scientific data and professional advice are made available for
formulation of management decisions that will ensure survival of the grizzly
bear population. Dr. Schwartz and the IGBST have built a solid and widely
appreciated foundation of scientific information upon which the successful
conservation program for grizzly bear recovery and management in the Yellowstone
Ecosystem is founded.
As Coordinator of the USGS Great Lakes activities from 2001 to 2003, Donna N. Myers has done a remarkable job of facilitating and integrating communications about the many USGS scientific projects in the Great Lakes area. She has done an outstanding job of integrating USGS activities into those of the larger Great Lakes community of scientists and resource managers and raising awareness among area stakeholders of the many scientific capabilities of the USGS. Ms. Myers' efforts began with the development of the USGS Great Lakes Strategic Vision that took 12 months to formulate and included 25 natural resource scientists and managers from different disciplines of the USGS and state and federal agencies. The award notes that Ms. Myers "has been the model of diplomacy, patience, persistence, and professionalism in furthering the Department's vision of the USGS as provider of the sound scientific basis for natural resources management of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region." Rip S. Shively Mr. Shively and Mr. Lynch are nationally recognized experts in Upper Klamath Basin issues, and water-resources and fisheries science. Through their positions as scientists-in-charge of their respective offices and lead scientists for USGS in the basin, they have made extraordinary contributions to DOI and the States of Oregon and California in resource management and protection goals. They have successfully organized and provided leadership to a wide variety of stakeholders representing the agriculture, water-user, land development, and environmental communities in the development and implementation of a long-term comprehensive plan to maintain ecological health and improve water management for beneficial uses in the Klamath Basin. They have taken the initiative to work with representatives of the many divergent entities throughout the scientific community to develop a body of unbiased, relevant, and authoritative technical knowledge that is critically needed to guide resource management and regulatory decisions, and to evaluate the results of actions taken as a result of those decisions. Mr. Shively and Mr. Lynch have demonstrated extraordinary skill in establishing and maintaining effective, productive, collaborative, and cooperative relationships with representatives of numerous State and Federal agencies involved by ensuring that the different interests are represented in workshops, and that individual, often conflicting views, are included in the development of technical program plans and documents. In so doing, they have vigorously encouraged an atmosphere of trust and cooperation among all in the development of a strong scientific basis for resource management programs and decisions.
In recognition of the exceptional contributions of the Choke Canyon Dam and Reservoir Flooding Events Operations team to water conservation, consultation and teamwork to support the mission of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior recognizes the team comprised of employees from Reclamation's Oklahoma - Texas Area Office, and Oklahoma City Field Office, including Area Manager Larry P. Walkoviak, James W. Allard, Benjamin D. Claggett, Leon E. Esparza, Lewis G. Hall, Thomas E. Michalewicz, Donald E. Moomaw, Forrest R. Rowell, and Matthew P. Warren. The Secretary's Four C's were exemplified by the actions of this team who addressed potentially life threatening and property damaging circumstances during 2003 events, some of which were declared Federal disasters. These disasters would have been much worse without the diligent, untiring, and professional efforts of this team. Reclamation's goals were achieved through the team's communication, cooperation and close coordination with no fewer than two dozen Federal, State, county, and local entities which resulted in protecting the integrity of the dam and reservoir, minimizing downstream property and environmental damage, and conserving as much of the water as possible for the historically drought stricken area of South Texas. These accomplishments were complicated by the remote distances over which many of the participants had to operate. In recognition of their diligent and concerted efforts, the Choke Canyon Dam and Reservoir Flooding Events Operations and Emergency Response Coordination Team are awarded the Secretary's Four C's Award. Western Colorado
Area Office The Shortage Sharing Team is comprised of Patrick J. Page, Louis E. Warner, and Stephen K. McCall. The Team demonstrated an excellent ability to promote cooperation among diverse entities in an effort to conserve our precious water resources on the San Juan River in New Mexico. Their facilitation and promotion of collaborative efforts to address a limited water supply and sharing of shortages in the San Juan Basin embodies the philosophy of the Secretary's Four C's - Communication, Consultation, and Cooperation, all in the service of Conservation. The Shortage Sharing Team initiated consultation with 10 water user entities, including Native American Tribes, irrigation districts, power production companies, and a municipality, along with the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The participants agreed to focus on the 2003 water supply and to develop a plan for sharing water shortages, tabling other long standing issues of concern in the basin. The participants cooperated to solve the shortage issues in meeting rooms instead of court rooms. The recommendations and agreements that resulted protected the continued viability of all water uses and protected the environment, as well. The effective communication of the Team is apparent in their ability to keep people at the table through the intense negotiations that occurred over several months. The decisions made resulted from community-based problem solving, facilitated by the Shortage Sharing Team. The Federal and State governments endorsed the recommendations of the parties for operation of the Navajo Reservoir and administration of the San Juan River for 2003. Implementation of the recommendations allowed all users to progress through the water year with a near full supply. In anticipation of more dry years, the participants agreed to meet again to develop plans for the future. In recognition of their contributions to water conservation and cooperation, the Western Colorado Area Office Shortage Sharing Team is awarded the Secretary's Four C's Award.
The Secretary's Four C's were exemplified by the actions of this team who addressed potentially life threatening and property damaging circumstances during 2003 events, some of which were declared Federal disasters. These disasters would have been much worse without the diligent, untiring, and professional efforts of this team. Reclamation's goals were achieved through the team's communication, cooperation and close coordination with no fewer than two dozen Federal, State, county, and local entities which resulted in protecting the integrity of the dam and reservoir, minimizing downstream property and environmental damage, and conserving as much of the water as possible for the historically drought stricken area of South Texas. These accomplishments were complicated by the remote distances over which many of the participants had to operate. In recognition of their diligent and concerted efforts, the Choke Canyon Dam and Reservoir Flooding Events Operations and Emergency Response Coordination Team are awarded the Secretary's Four C's Award.
In recognition of the exceptional contributions of the Choke Canyon Dam and Reservoir Flooding Events Operations team to water conservation, consultation and teamwork to support the mission of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior recognizes the team comprised of employees from Reclamation's Oklahoma - Texas Area Office, and Oklahoma City Field Office, including Area Manager Larry P. Walkoviak, James W. Allard, Benjamin D. Claggett, Leon E. Esparza, Lewis G. Hall, Thomas E. Michalewicz, Donald E. Moomaw, Forrest R. Rowell, and Matthew P. Warre |