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  • July

    Black-necked stilts gather near the water's edge at the newly-constructed bird island, located at the Savannah Harbor Dredged Material Containment Area 12A, May 30, 2014.

    New Savannah bird island home to hundreds of nests this season

    To some people, a dredge disposal area might not seem very exciting—but to thousands of shorebirds it’s a safe haven, providing beneficial habitat and protected nesting sites.

  • May

    Real Property Exchange manager Stephen Bruce (left) and Real Estate Division Chief Ralph Werthmann review project drawings for Army Reserve property in Orland Park, Illinois.

    Bartering for Better Buildings: Corps aids Army Reserve upgrades through private sector development

    In a time of shrinking federal budgets for military construction, how does the Army Reserve gain new facilities to train and equip their Soldiers? One solution gaining popularity is a Real Property Exchange (RPX)—and the benefits extend far beyond the Army.

  • April

    The new Murray Elementary School includes 456 solar photovoltaic panels and 10 solar water heating panels on the roof. These panels will augment the facility's total electrical usage and heat about 40 percent of the building's hot water.

    Solar-powered school nears completion at Fort Stewart

    Construction nears completion on a $20.5 million environmentally-friendly elementary school at Fort Stewart. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District and prime contractor Sauer, Inc., the new Murray Elementary School is equipped with over 450 solar panels, a wind turbine, and other sustainable design features.
  • FORT STEWART, Ga. – Mechanical Engineer Matt Kilmer (left) and Civil Engineer Craig Walters with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, Fort Stewart Resident Office, talk to students at Diamond Elementary School about engineering careers with the Corps during a school-wide "STEMposium" April 4, 2014. The event focused on getting children interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) career fields.

    More than MILCON: Corps promotes STEM at Fort Stewart schools

    Many people associate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with building facilities on post; but what they may not know is that the Corps' involvement with a project doesn't stop when the building is complete.

  • March

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Department of Transportation the Federal Highway Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discussed preliminary environmental mitigation plans for a proposed bridge replacement project on the Islands Expressway, Feb. 28, 2014. The proposed project would build a new, larger bridge to replace the existing bridge that crosses the Wilmington River on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It would require permits from multiple state and federal agencies, including the Corps' Savannah District Regulatory Division. Since the project is still in the very preliminary design phase, the meeting brought together regulators from multiple agencies to discuss potential environmental mitigation issues early on in the process. The Corps' Regulatory Division evaluates permit applications from developers, communities and private citizens who plan construction or excavation near streams and wetlands in the state of Georgia. With any permitting project, the Corps first aims to avoid, then minimize, and lastly, compensate for environmental impacts to aquatic resources. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Corps, GDOT partnership balances environment with development

    Did you know that every roadway and bridge in the state of Georgia is linked to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? That's because of a partnership between the Corps and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)—the lead state agency for constructing road projects.
  • Josh Brown, an electrical trainee in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydropower Training Program, works on electrical equipment at the Richard B. Russell Dam.

    A lot of dam training

    What does it take to operate and maintain a dam? Technical aptitude, well-honed skills, teamwork—and a lot of dam training.

  • February

    Mike Ansley, a member of the survey team for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, explains how the Corps uses computer equipment to survey land during a visit to Jenkins High School, Feb. 13, 2014. The visit aimed to recruit students to pursue science and engineering related career paths as part of National Engineers Week.

    Why students should care about engineering

    Why should American students care about pursuing engineering careers? Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are communicating the answer to students throughout the year—and especially during National Engineers Week, which runs this year from Feb. 16 through Feb. 22.
  • Beth Williams, dam and levee safety program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, uses a floodplain model to demonstrate the functions of levees at Girls Engineer It Day, Feb. 1. The event reached 350 middle and high-school age females and their parents to promote engineering career fields. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Engineering: It's not just for the boys

    About 350 middle and high school-age girls and their parents explored career paths in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) during the 3rd Annual Girls Engineer It Day, Feb. 1, 2014 at Woodville Tomkins High School.

  • January

    A worker piles debris from Dredge Material Containment Area 1N into a pit of fire. The 130-acre dredge disposal area, located on Onslow Island in Georgia, is being reactivated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District through a process called air curtain burning.

    Smokeless fire assists in reactivation of retired disposal area

    Air may not seem like an effective barrier for some things, but when coupled with a trailer-mounted blower and heat, it provides a very efficient barrier and environmentally friendly way of clearing land with little smoke. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District is using this method also known as “air curtain burning” as part of the reactivation process for one of its dredge disposal sites in Georgia.
  • SAVANNAH, Ga. – An estimated 7,000 students and their families explored potential career paths in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)—including careers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—during the 5th Annual Student Success Expo and STEM Festival, Jan. 11 at the Savannah Mall. The county-wide event, hosted by the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, provided student competitions, interactive displays, and opportunities for students to learn about career paths in both the private and public sectors. Among the multitude of booths that lined the entire bottom floor of the mall, members of the Corps' Regulatory Division (David Lekson, Sarah Wise, Stan Knight, and Donald Hendrix) talked to kids about career paths with the Corps of Engineers. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Corps reaches out to 7,000 Savannah-area students at STEM festival

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – An estimated 7,000 students and their families explored potential career paths in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)—including careers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—during the 5th Annual Student Success Expo and STEM Festival, Jan. 11 at the Savannah Mall.

  • December

    USACE employees Otis Anderson(left) and Terrence Johnson mentor and coach area youth through their athletic organizations Savannah Thunder and South Georgia 76ers.

    Empowering youth through basketball: Two Savannah District employees make a difference

    If anyone understands the impact that sports can have on a young person’s life, it’s Terrence

  • November

    Savannah District men put down their razors for No-Shave November

    This winter, while some people may say "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," many men at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District are saying "let it grow, let it grow, let it grow." It's part of a national men's health movement called "No-Shave November," where men all across the country are putting down their razor blades to raise awareness for cancer.
  • From his backyard workshop at his Savannah residence, David Lekson carves the shape of a duck's head from a piece of tupelo wood, Oct. 13, 2013. Photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Regulatory Chief master of his own duck dynasty

    Savannah District employee David Lekson doesn't have to watch the popular television show "Duck Dynasty" to experience the wonder of ducks—just give him a piece of wood and some power tools.
  • Regulatory Specialist Brian Moore uses an interactive floodplain model to demonstrate how wetlands absorb storm water and filter drinking water to a class of third grade students at Marshpoint Elementary School, Nov.5, 2013.

    Corps teaches 120 third graders "Regulatory 101"

    Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District gave presentations to 120 third graders at Marshpoint Elementary about the Corps' Regulatory Program, Nov. 5, 2013.

  • October

    David Quebedeaux has built miles of trails as part of his job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in his volunteer position with the Boy Scouts. While at the Philmont Scout Ranch this summer, Quebedeaux (left) and Eagle Scout Marshall Knox (right) and the rest of the crew helped lay out and begin construction on a new section of trail near the Cimarron River, shown here June 14, 2013. Courtesy photo.

    Corps park ranger builds future leaders through Boy Scouts

    In the last three years, Park Ranger David Quebedeaux—commonly known as “Ranger Dave”—has added another occupation to supplement his career at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers J. Strom Thurmond Lake in Clarks Hill, S.C. He runs the largest Boy Scout troop in the Georgia/Carolina region, and this, he said, takes his park ranger experience to another level.
  • USACE South Atlantic Division Commander Brig. Gen. Donald E. (Ed) Jackson shakes hands with members of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Southeastern chapter at Richard B. Russell Lake, Oct. 23, 2013.

    Helping heroes through hunting

    As part of an ongoing partnership with the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District hosted two deer hunts for PVA members and their families at Richard B. Russell Lake, Oct. 23 and 24.
  • CLARKS HILL, S.C. -- Volunteers from Georgia Southern University build fish attractors using orange piping and cinder blocks on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 28, 2013. The fish attractors will be submerged in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers J. Strom Thurmond Lake to provide cover for fish and enhance habitat.

    Corps celebrates National Public Lands Day

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District hosted volunteer activities throughout the Savannah River Basin in honor of the 20th Annual National Public Lands Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

  • September

    Virginia "Ginger" Auld, a supervisory accountant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, reviews financial documents in her office. Auld was named the USACE Resource Management Professional of the Year for her accomplishments in fiscal year 2012. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Savannah accountant earns highest USACE honor for resource management

    Budgets, financial reports, audits…most people without an accounting background would dread these types of things. But for Savannah District supervisory accountant Virginia "Ginger" Auld, those things are her forte.
  • Savannah District team member William Lane displays a handful of the Moruga Trinidad Scorpion and the Butch-T Trinidad Scorpion—two of the hottest peppers in the world—that he grows at his home in Pembroke, Ga. USACE Photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Savannah Corps team member hones hot hobby

    While most accomplished gardeners are known to have a "green thumb," William Lane has a fiery, red one. That's because he grows three of the hottest peppers in the world.
  • SAVANNAH, Ga.–Vice President Joe Biden gives a speech at the Georgia Ports Authority's Garden City Ocean Terminal about the importance of infrastructure investment to exports, economic competitiveness, and job creation, Sept. 16, 2013. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Vice President Joe Biden visits Port of Savannah

    The Port of Savannah continues to attract attention from high-ranking government officials as Vice President Joe Biden visited here Sept. 16.