Fall cleaning: National Public Lands Day Peer ‘supporters’ needed: Critical Incident Stress Management

US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District

COL William GrahamDistrict Commander

Public Affairs Chief

Jeffrey Hawk

Editor/LayoutSheila Tunney

Public Affairs Office412-395-7500

www.lrp.usace.army.mil

Headwaters Update is a quarterly publication of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District. It is produced for electronic distribution by the Public Affairs Office. Views and opinions expressed in the Headwaters Update are not neces-sarily those of the Department of the Army or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions may be sent to CELRP-PA@ usace.army.mil for con-sideration in upcoming editions. Stories submit-ted should be in a Word document format. All photographs should include a caption and be high resolution (at least 4x6 inches and 300 dpi).

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Story and photo by Sandie Egley, Michael Baker Corp. The Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers par-ticipated in the 2011 Ohio River Watershed Celebration on-board two boats of the Gateway Clipper Fleet on Sept. 22. The annual event is free and open to the public. Nearly a thousand attendees toured the region’s three rivers and discussed past, present and future goals in protecting and improving

Western Pennsylvania’s Ohio River watershed. Awards were presented to organizations and individuals, recognizing them for exemplary efforts to restore and promote the region’s streams and rivers as a valuable resource. This year’s award recipients

were as follows: • Individual – Joan Jessen• Non- Profit--Allegheny Land Trust Local & Government • Monaca Borough – Mario Le-one, Borough Manger • Industry – Michael Baker Jr., Inc. The organizations that volun-teer their time, in addition to the Corps of Engineers, to educate the public and sponsor the event include Michael Baker Jr., Inc., Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Penn-sylvania Department of Con-servation of Natural Resources, CONSOL Energy, PA American Water, Stream Restoration Inc., the Western Pennsylvania Coali-tion for Abandoned Mine Recla-mation, the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, and many others.

Corps celebrates Ohio River watershed

District Engineer Col. William Graham, speaks about the Corps’ role in protecting the dis-trict’s water resources during the 2011 Ohio River Watershed Celebration in Pittsburgh.

By Michael Loesch, LRD Operations Whether U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees are deployed to disaster circumstances for extended periods of time, present at the time of a traumatic event on project lands or waters, or dealing with the aftermath of a suicide or untimely death of a co-work-er or loved one, the Critical Incident Stress Manage-ment (CISM) program is available to help. CISM is a peer supporter driven program that is manned by Corps volunteers who are trained in CISM interventions. Although it is largely educational in nature, members of the group also deploy to disasters to provide psychological first aid and perform an edu-cational function to fellow Corps employees. Group interventions, as well as one-on-one interventions, are available upon request (both in the teaching mode as well as interventions during or after a high stress situa-tion or series of stressful events). The CISM program is designed to dovetail with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and make employees more resilient through education. It is also intended to encourage employee peer supporters to act in a first aid function to help prevent employees from having to seek clinical intervention after they have been exposed to traumatic situations. The program assists employees with anticipating and coping with high stress situations and is intended to assist people in effectively dealing with situations that have the potential to impact anyone. Aside from helping the individual, the program is designed to maintain a resilient workforce capable of success-fully accomplishing a wide range of missions across a variety of field conditions. In some cases, the peer supporters may assist individuals in making contact with an EAP contractor. All contacts made between peer supporters and clients are considered confidential. As of Jan. 1, 2012, Lakes and Rivers Division will have three trained peer supporters: Melissa Salsgiver of Crooked Creek Lake, David “Mo” Derewecki of Pittsburgh District’s Maintenance/Repair section, and Linda Jones of Buffalo District. After being selected, prospective peer supporters receive two to three basic courses before being deployed to an actual situation. The training is paid for by the Corps’ national program. More CISM peer supporters are needed! Contact Melissa Salsgiver, (724) 763-3161, for information.

Critical Incident Stress Management

There’s help available

By Nicole Layfield, Stonewall Stonewall Jackson Lake partnered with Stonewall Resort State Park for the first annual “Visit Stonewall Amateur Photography Contest.” The contest took place from March 1 to Nov. 12, and gave first-time or frequent visitors the opportu-nity to discover the beauty of Stonewall Jackson Lake and to capture the unique landscape and recreational opportunities the lake offers. Entries were submitted from all over the United States. The rules required all photographs be taken on project lands, capturing the lake’s landscapes, wildlife, recreation, and small-world spectaculars. Stonewall Resort Park provided prizes to winners in each pho-toghraphy category. A number of the photographs will be displayed in Stonewall’s information center. The contest was considered to be another successful

partnership with Stone-wall Resort State Park. It also served to strengthen the connection between local communities and created appreciation and awareness about the im-portance of conserving public lands.

Stonewall lake, resort partner for amateur photo contest

Stonewall Jackson Lake Ranger Nicole Layfield (right), and Stonewall Resort State Park Recreation Director Carrie Harpold, a former Stone-wall and Tygart student ranger worked together on the photo contest. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Layfield)

One of the winning photos was taken and submitted by Stonewall visitor Al Tucker.

Cov

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West Branch State Park Naturalist Cindy Smith hauls a load of hedge trimmings during M.J. Kirwan Dam & Reservoir’s Na-tional Public Lands Day Event. (Photo by Julie Stone, Kirwan)

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Story by Amy Keitzer-Wallace, Tionesta The Tionesta Lake Heritage Event was held in August in the area adjacent to the Tionesta Lake Information Center. This event melds the history of the Tionesta Valley before Tionesta Lake was built and the history of the construction of the dam. There were guided tours of the control tower, and the information center was also open, with displays depicting Native American culture, railroading and the early flooding history of the Tionesta Valley. Photographs and a slide presentation told the story of the history of the Army Corps of Engineers and con-struction of the dam from 1937 to 1941.

Tionesta event highlights area history When visitors walked behind the information center, they could view displays interpreting the cul-ture of the Tionesta Valley starting in the mid-1800s. A moonshine still, logging tools, hand-crank ice cream maker, farm implements, foot-powered lathe, fishing equipment, edible plants, traps, furs and other items were explained or demonstrated by Tionesta and Kinzua Lake staff and volunteers from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Forest County Conservation District.

STEP Ranger Jim Fe-dorka (left) explains the skills necessary

to start a fire without matches. (Photo

by Jason Bowers, Tionesta)

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Story and photo by Dan Jones, PAOThe last thing anyone wants to see

is the “Blue Screen of Death” on their computer. To prevent this, the Army Corps of Engineers Information Tech-nology (ACE-IT) branch stands ready to assist should the worst happen.

In order to keep the Corps on the cutting edge of technology, ACE-IT instituted a “Personal Computer Life Cycle Management Program (PCLCM),” which is a three-year computer refresh cycle.

According to Bill McGrath, Oper-ations Officer, Central Region - Pitts-burgh District, the Army mandated all computers be Microsoft Windows 7 compliant by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2013.

“The Army initially wanted the Corps to go to Windows Vista then to Windows 7,” said Frank Floyd, Pitts-burgh ACE-IT Chief. “We had to get approval to go straight to Windows 7.”

ACE-IT replaced 214 computers in the Pittsburgh District offices and throughout 41 field sites in September.

To assist with the tracking, plan-ning, accountability, and replacement of computer assets, ACE-IT imple-mented RefreshTrak which links to their OrderTrak system.

“The PCLCM program started a little late,” said McGrath. “Refresh-

Trak is a new system, and we had some little bugs that we had to work out as well.”

“RefreshTrak gives commanders more leeway to manage their computer replacement budget,” added Floyd.

Lockheed Martin (ACE-IT contractor) au-thorized the local technical staff to support refresh efforts.

“We worked with Dell and our local technicians to get the job done in an expeditious manner,” said

Floyd.Although to the untrained eye, the

initial refresh went smoothly, there were some challenges.

“Saving the data and the timing of the refresh were challenging,” said Floyd. “We tried to limit the risk of losing data.”

Not wanting to rest on their lau-rels, ACE-IT, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh District staff, is already planning for the FY-12 PCLCM. They forecast there will be another 200 or more computers replaced.

“In order to establish a battle rhythm, ACE-IT recommended that the command run their PCLCM from December through March,” Floyd added. “We’re hoping to finish the refresh in late May every year.”

The number of computers to be refreshed under PCLCM is dependent on the Commander’s budget. If at mid-year a commander has the funds, more computers can be refreshed.

This staggered process is designed to have less negative impacts on the workforce.

“There are a lot of moving parts to this process,” added McGrath. “We refined the plan to make it less pain-ful and more interactive. We could not have done this within the timeframe without everyone’s support.”

ACE-IT’s Refresh Team replaced 214 computers in the Pittsburgh District offices and throughout 41 field sites in September. Front, center: Jeff Roth; standing from left to right: Frank Floyd, Kevin Rush, Bill McGrath, Greg Schmidt, Ed Johnston, Steve Moore and Ryan Blake.

Pittsburgh team ‘aces’ refresh

Story and photos by Diane Fisher, East Branch In October, primary con-tractor Gannet Fleming and sub-contractors, Advanced Construction Techniques, Inc., and Boart Longyear, mobilized to East Branch Dam and began drilling borings in front of the spillway channel entrance and along the upstream side of the crest of the dam embankment. The drilling is necessary to gather information about the geologic composition of the embankment and spillway en-trance for eventual installation of a cut off wall. The projected completion date of this work is the end of December, this year. In other news, Tab Construc-tion Co., of Canton, Ohio, was awarded the low bid of $2.9 million for widening the main access road as part of Phase 1 of the dam repair project. Tab plans to mobilize equipment to the site in March.

East Branch Dam fixes underway

By April Hawkey, Tygart On Sept. 26, the West Virginia State Veterans Nursing Facility en-joyed an afternoon outing at Tygart Lake. The group spent the day tour-ing the lake, enjoying lunch at the Tygart Lake Lodge and visiting the dam. Park Ranger April Hawkey and Lake Project Assistant Mira Hess escorted the two buses to the outflow area of Tygart Dam. As the veterans took photos, Hawkey answered questions about the dam. Overall, the group said they had a great day. The nursing facility is located in Clarksburg and provides cares for 100 veterans.

Veterans visit Tygart

Tygart Lake Ranger April Hawkey took veterans of the West Virginia State Veterans Nursing Facility on a tour of the dam. (Photo by Mira Hess, Tygart)

Shenango River Lake Park Rangers Luke Houston and Eric Schreckengost participat-ed in the 2011 Mercer County PennDot Open House on Sept. 28. The event involves many local agencies and organizations dissemi-nating information geared towards children. PennDot workers also provide tours of the different machines they use. More than 300 children received the Corps’ water safety message from Houston playing Bobber and Schreckengost greeting and handing out coloring books as children arrived at the PennDot facility. --By Eric Schreckengost, Shenango

STEP Ranger Brian Rossi starts a fire in the moonshine still on display during Tionesta Lake’s Heritage Event in August. (Photo by Jason Quinn, Tionesta)

Bore drilling equipment is on site at East Branch Dam for its dam safety initiative.

This year’s National Public Lands Day at Shenango River Lake was a huge success. One-hundred-four volunteers worked a total of 373 service hours providing a value of service of nearly $8,000. The volunteers consisted of regular campers and visitors as well as Boy Scout Troops. Services included litter pickup, brush trimming, campsite improve-ments, completion of the Beaver Viewing Trail at the Golden Run Wildlife Area, and painting of traffic markers and storage shelves. Volunteers also planted two mature trees, a serviceberry and a red oak donated by Kraynaks, a local lawn and garden vendor. --Eric Schreckengost & Luke Houston, Shenango

In September, 37 students from West Virginia University participated in the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and en-hance the public lands millions of American citizens and foreigner visitors enjoy. The Corps of Engineers’ Stonewall Jackson Lake team and student volunteers spent the day improving Stonewall’s Friendship Hiking Trail. Led by Stonewall Park Ranger Nicole Layfield and Maintenance Mechanic Amanda Rexrode, the students and staff planted several trees along the hiking trail and cleaned up debris. The students also provided technical support in the preservation and enhancement of the trail. The WVU students will continue their effort to help preserve and enhance the trail by developing Stonewall’s Friendship Trail into a self-guided interpretive trail. They are currently designing interpretive signs that will be placed along the trail. The signs will showcase important ecological processes and the role of individual organisms within these processes. This is expected to result in an increased appreciation of the natural world and to help lead to improved land stewardship behaviors among the visitors to federal lands. The signs also offer a unique and educational opportunity to visitors and strengthen the relationship between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Stonewall Jackson Lake, local communities, the visiting public and Stonewall’s valuable partners. -- Nicole Layfield, StonewallM.J. Kirwan Dam & Reservoir had great support on National Public Lands Day from the Pioneer Girlz,

West Branch State Park, the Camper Friends of West Branch State Park and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Together they picked up nearly 500 pounds of litter and trash throughout the project and shoreline, removed shrubbery, weeded and mulched the Visitor Center front garden and trimmed trees for a highly successful event. -- Julie Stone, Kirwan

Berlin Lake held its 8th annual National Public Lands Day celebration Sept. 16-18 with more than 225 people registered for the weekend event. Volunteers worked on eight different projects, includ-ing painting a shower house and benches, water sealing the fence line, installing clothesline posts and traffic sign posts, shoreline litter pick up, rehabbing the nature trail and building 10 fish cribs with the help of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The volunteers were provided break-fast and lunch on Saturday, paid for through local donations, and were given free camping over the course of the weekend. -- Andrew Boos, Berlin Lake

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tygart Lake hosted National Public Lands Day. In conjunction with the Tygart Lake staff, 14 volunteers from local communities worked together to enhance the aesthetics of the project. The day’s events included planting a butterfly garden and trail maintenance on a section of the project’s Dogwood Trail. One group of volunteers planted native flowers and shrubs near the Tygart Dam overlook area. At the same time, a second group of volun-teers installed water breaks, leveled trail surfaces and delineated the hiking trail. The project was considered a real success and supported the nationwide effort to improve our public lands. Follow-ing the event the volunteers and staff enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the staff. -- April Hawkey, Tygart

volunteers

Each year, Pittsburgh District projects benefit from the many, many kind volunteers who help clean and maintain recreation areas for public use. In honor of this year’s Nation-al Public Lands Day (Sept. 24), 467 vol-unteers spent 1,890 hours helping our projects and public lands stay useful and beautiful. Their hard work is valued at $40,312.89. This is a tribute to them. --District Engineer, Col. William “Butch” Graham and all of the employees of the Pitts-burgh District, US Army Corps of Engineers

Thank You!

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By Jeff Hawk, PAOIn bygone days, decisions re-

garding the allocation of limited federal funds for maintenance of navigation projects often hinged on which district could make the most compelling case. Operation chiefs with the Army Corps of Engineers crammed into a room each year to pitch why their projects deserved funding priority over other naviga-tion facilities. Facts and figures were used to build their case, but those skilled in the art of persua-sion often had the upper hand. “The good looking and articulate often won the day,” said Jim Fisher, op-erations chief, Pittsburgh District.

That began to change three years ago when the Corps initiated the National Asset Management Pro-gram. The program looks at opera-tional risk, the condition of critical

components, and their relationship to keeping a lock operating. “Now the process is much more impar-tial. We pass everything through the risk screen,” said Fisher, who assists the national team in charge of formulating and implementing the program. “We’re document-ing a standard process that can be repeated; that is based on sound engineering and probability analy-sis as well as expert opinion. The process gauges the probability of failure as well as the consequences of failure.”

Eventually, the program will require managers to look at risk through each phase of a navigation facility’s life cycle from cradle to grave – planning, design, construc-tion, operation and maintenance, and recapitalization or disposal. Risk is defined as the probability of

failure times the consequences of failure. “It’s a mathematical cal-culation,” said Fisher. “The chal-lenge becomes how you quantify the probability of failure and the consequences of failure.”

The first step in determining risk is to conduct a condition assess-ment of a facility’s components. The assessment considers current component condition; its histori-cal performance; the most recent evaluations derived from engineer inspections; and other factors. “Risk” is a combination of this condition information with adverse consequences that would result from the component’s failure. The computation of risk is the math-ematical answer of three sequential questions: How likely is the com-ponent to break? If it breaks, does it affect service? If it does affect

service, how long will it be until service is restored and what is the value of the lost services?

“A component can be the rusti-est, oldest operating components at the facility, but if it still works as it was designed, its condition is good enough,” said Fisher. Risk also depends on the function of the operating component. The operational risk of a malfunction-ing 155-ton lock gate is far greater than the operational risk created by a malfunctioning traffic signal light at the end of the lock wall.”

The analysis of operating condition information helps determine the probability of failure. That determination feeds additional consider-ations, such as compliance with laws and regulations; safety to employees and end users; homeland security of critical infrastructure; and most significantly, economic impacts. “It gets complicat-ed,” said Fisher.

Recovery time--or the time it takes to bring a broken critical component back into service--is pivotal in calculating risk. “If I lose a miter gate, it might knock the lock out of service for two weeks; if I lose the machin-ery that operates a miter gate, I could quickly install a winch to temporarily operate the gate until a permanent fix is funded,” said Fisher. Both are critical operational components with differing recovery times and risks that weigh differ-ently when considering how to manage these assets.

Likewise, the program consid-ers available resources to address a possible breakdown. The Pitts-burgh District’s repair fleet moors just downstream of the first navi-gation facility on the Ohio River

near Pittsburgh and can respond to repair needs quickly. By contrast, the Portland District is without an in-house repair fleet and must rely on the availability of contractors should a lock break down on the Columbia River. The same compo-nent that takes two days to repair in Pittsburgh could take months to fix in Portland.

This level of scrutiny helps inform business line managers on how best to assign priority for maintenance. The calculation of

economic impacts tied to recovery time – the amount of money indus-try fails to make during downtime – is essential to assigning priority, but presents a challenge when try-ing to equate across a national in-ventory. To establish consistency in the consequences of failure as well as the probability of failure, the Asset Management Team obtains consequence data from the Plan-ning Center of Expertise for Inland Navigation located at the Hunting-ton District in West Virginia.

“The center uses traffic statistics for each navigation project and the savings for using the waterways rather than rail or truck to estimate the increased transportation cost

of an unexpected lock closure,” said Bill Frechione, a Corps econo-mist in Pittsburgh. A project with a medium probability of failure but a high consequence in terms of increased transportation costs could have a higher risk value than a project with a high probability of failure but low consequences. So the project that is less likely to fail would receive funding priority over the project that is more likely to fail.

For districts, a program based on risk may mean that local pri-orities give way to regional or national ones. In Fiscal Year 2013, the greatest share of maintenance work within the Ohio River navigation system will occur in the Huntington District--not Fisher’s home district in Pittsburgh (see “As-set Management: Risk trumps Prevention, Summer issue). “Both Louisville and Pitts-burgh districts will send their fleets to Huntington because they have the greatest risk,” said Fisher. Currently focused on the navigation inventory,

the Asset Management Team is looking to apply its process to other Corps infrastructure, including hy-dropower facilities; levee and flood barrier projects; reservoir dams; and even recreation areas. But next up on the list, said Fisher, is the Corps’ network of coastal naviga-tion structures that protect large commercial vessels, major ports, and other infrastructure along the U.S. coastline.

In a time of ever-tightening op-erations and maintenance budgets, Fisher said the Asset Management Program will save taxpayers money by ensuring federal funds go to critical projects that provide the most national benefit.

Asset Management: Smooth gives way to science

Welders from the Pittsburgh District’s repair team fix intake valves at Emsworth Locks and Dams. (Photo by Sean McCann, ACE-IT)

A new lock gate for the Pike Island Locks and Dam near Wheeling, W.Va., installed in 2010, cost the Corps more than $13 million. (Photo by Doug Christian, Repair Party)

(cont. page 9)

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Wage Grade: Willie Maynard,

New Cumberland Locks & Dam

Employees of the Year

GS: Bryan Ciccocioppo

& Sara Hillegas, Construction

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By Luke Houston, Shenango Shenango River Lake Park Rangers Luke Hous-ton (pictured, holding duck) and Eric Schreckengost (behind Houston) participated in the 2011 Outdoor

Shenango rangers teach students about local wildlifeEducation Day hosted by Shenango River Watchers at Buhl Farm Park, Sharon, Pa. Two-hundred-fifty students from Sharon and Farrell schools explored six different stations throughout the park, learning ways to protect and preserve the natural environment and wildlife. The students also learned how to navi-gate with a compass, bait a hook, and were taught the practice of “catch and release.” The rangers displayed mounted ex-amples of local wildlife and explained the important roles those animals serve in the environment. Some of the mounts included a bobcat, fox, mallard, great horned owl

and the northern river otter, which is a new addition to Shenango Lake. (Photo by Kyle Kraynak, Shenango)

By Suzanne Estock, Youghiogheny Youghiogheny River Lake staffed a water safety table at the Confluence PumpkinFest festival held in October, and Bobber the Water Safety Dog (Ranger Matt Slezak) made an appearance. The PumpkinFest is sponsored each year by the Confluence Volun-teer Fire Company, the Confluence Ambulance Association and Con-fluence Borough. Good old-fashioned fun, such as a tractor square dancing, hay rides, a largest-pumpkin contest, fireworks and an antique car show were all part of the fall weekend, along with a lot of food and music. The festival culminated in the PumpkinFest Grand Parade on Sun-day night. More than 10,000 visi-tors attended the festival this year.

Youghiogheny staff, Bobber join Confluence, Pa. PumpkinFest

Bobber hams it up with volunteers Vera Painter and Bettie Kulik at the Corps water safety table and display. (Photos by Warren Kulik, Youghiogheny Volunteer)

Three-hundred ring neck pheasants were stocked at Shenango Lake this autumn, bringing the season total to nearly 1,000. (Photo by John Pfaff, PA Game Commission.)

Many people enjoy the country when autumn comes to view with the brilliant changing leaf colors in the forests. There is yet another brilliant display of color at this time: the stocking of pheasants for hunting season. Although ring neck pheasants are non-native to the United States, the species has become one of the most prolifically hunted game birds in the world. The pheasant is also the state bird of South Dakota. Working with the PA Game Commission on several different occasions, Rangers Kyle Kraynak and Eric Schreckengost recently helped to stock a total of 300 hens and cocks in several Corps-owned areas open for hunting at Shenango. This was Shenango’s third stocking of the season, with nearly 1,000 birds stocked at the lake this year. The pheasants were raised by the PA Game Commis-sion near Saegertown, Pa. -- Kyle Kraynak, Shenango

Game birds add brilliance

Pheasant stocking increases lake visits The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s pheasant stocking program on land leased at Loyalhanna and Conemaugh Lakes contributes to hundreds of visitors spending thousands of hours and dollars while enjoying the great outdoors. The program draws hunters and bird dog owners who drive several hours to participate. The state pheasant season includes a junior hunt before the regular opening season to encourage youth to experience this activity with greater success. An estimat-ed 100,000 pheasants will be stocked in Pennsylvania this hunting season. The program has suffered from budget constraints and flooding of pheasant raising facilities this year, which in return has reduced the quantity of birds available for

stocking. However, the commission announced in September it may be able to double pheas-ant production for the 2012 season with funds generated from leases for Marcellus Shale gas-drilling. For more information on the pheasant stock-ing program please visit http://www.pgc.state.pa.us. --Mark Keppler, Conemaugh

The pheasant’s head is the only thing that stays in focus as a young volunteer unloads the bird during a PA Game Commission stocking session in October. (Pho-to by Mark Keppler, Conemaugh)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received an unqualified opinion from the auditing firm of KPMG on its 2011 Civil Works Financial Statements. This is the fourth year in a row the Corps received a clean opinion from an outside auditing agency. Sus-taining the clean audit opinion over the last four years was a team effort that stretched across all functional areas at every level. USACE is the only major Department of Defense component to receive an unqualified opinion this year as well as sustaining the accomplishment.-- Mark Catullo, RM

Corps sustains 4th clean audit

Jan Gozales and Marvette Hancock are part of the Corps of Engi-neers crew at Qalaa, Afghanistan.

Pittsburgh District overseas

Headwaters Snapshots

William (Bill) Berberich, a professional sign painter, volunteered 15 hours and materi-als to paint a water safety sign that reads, “WEAR IT at BERLIN LAKE” on the Mill Creek Recreation Area entrance booth. Bill is the brother of Berlin Lake Resource Manager Rene Berberich. He started the project Oct. 8, and completed the final ap-plication two days later. The sign should withstand years of weather and sun due to the special sign paints and UV clear coat that were applied. (Photo by Rene Berberich, Berlin)

Great Lakes and Rivers Division’s new commander, Col. Margaret W. Burcham, and Pittsburgh District Engineer Col. William Graham walk to the conven-tion center landing to motor to Emsworth Locks and Dams on the Corps’ regulatory vessel. The divi-sion commander toured the lock as district leaders emphasized the value the navigation system brings to the region. Acting Operations Chief Jim Fisher (center) and other senior leaders took part in the tour. (Photo by George Brkovich, Regulatory)

As part of the 15th Elk County Rescue Weekend, an advanced rope rescue training session was held

at East Branch Lake for students from various

local emergency services departments throughout

the area. (Photo by Art My-ers, East Branch)

Seventy-four students and teachers from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio, dug in to help construct a new off-road trail at West Branch State Park in Octo-ber. (Photo by Julie Stone, Kirwan)

‘Tis the season for boundary line walking at Corps projects, when the leaves have fallen and the weather is just right....The fall months are used to check boundary lines for real estate encroachments or other violations at district projects. Shenango Rangers Eric Schreckengost (pictured) and Chrissy Zahniser walked the project’s lines in Kinsman, Ohio. They located 26 boundary monuments and noted a few encroachments, which will be handled accordingly. (Photo by Chrissy Zahniser, Shenango)