Introduction
Merrisach Lake was the host camp for my summer internship where I was a Summer Park Ranger with US Army Corps of Engineers. Merrisach Lake is located in Tichnor, AR. The campground at Merrisach faces Merrisach Lake and the Arkansas Post Canal. The canal creates a waterway from the Arkansas River to the White River (Recreation.gov Explore Your America; 2014).
Merrisach Lake is pooled from the water between the Wilbur D. Mills Dam and Lock Number 2. Merrisach Lake is fifty miles from Stuttgart, AR which is not only known as the rice capital of the world but the duck hunting capital of the world (Stuttgart: Duck Capital of the World; September 2010). My host camp, Merrisach, is between Dumas, AR and DeWitt AR; most if not all of the communities in this part of the state are farming communities; most farms consist of rice, soybean, and corn.
Merrisach Lake is part of the US Army Corp of Engineers. The US Army Corps of Engineers was founded in 1802 and is made up of approximately 37,00 civilian and soldiers in more than 130 countries worldwide. The Corps mission is to provide public engineering services in peace and war to strengthen our Nation’s security, energize the economy, and reduce risks from disasters; the core has a vision of Engineering solutions for our Nation’s toughest challenges.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is the nation’s top provider of outdoor recreation, own and operate more than 600 dams, as well as own and operate 3% percent of the United States electric capacity. The US Army Corps of Engineers has a guided principle of environmental sustainability and are always working to strengthen our nation’s security as well to protect and restore our environment.
As an avid hunter and fisherman I love being in the outdoors. Growing up I loved being outside, so when my parents gave me the advice of doing something I loved as a career when I got older, I couldn’t help but think of working with the Army Corp of Engineers in one of their parks as a ranger or natural resource specialist. Working at the Corps would not only mean that I would get to help maintain and protect our nation’s wildlands but it would also mean that would I work for an agency that provides support to our military and their families.
Organizaiton
The US Army Corps of Engineers is a government agency which operates under the Department of the Defense; the parent agency to Corps is the United States Army. The Corps headquarters is located in Washington, DC with nine divisions and 45 districts around the world. In the United States the Corps is divided into eight divisions with each division being divided into subordinate districts (US Army Corps of Engineers;2007-2018). The Corps of Engineers follows watershed boundaries instead of state boundaries therefore a state could be divided into several districts or divisions. Merrisach Lake is in the Little Rock District of the Corps of Engineers.
The US Army Corp of Engineers Mission is to deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our Nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disaster. The Corps Vision is engineering solutions for our Nation’s toughest challenges. The intent of the Corps is to be one disciplined team — in thought, word, and action — and to meet our commitments by saying what we will do, and doing what we say.
The Corps has an Environmental Advisory Board which serves as a way for the Chief to get outside, expert, and independent advice on environmental issues. The Environmental Advisory Boards meets one to two times a year with the meetings being open to the public. The board consist of five to ten members who are respected authorities in their field of natural and social sciences.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has a Wetlands Delineation Manual. which is the current Federal delineation manual used in the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory program for the identification and delineation of wetlands (Corps of Engineers Delineation Manual; January 1987).
The Corps of Engineers works with federal, state, and local partners on water resource challenges. Together they work on finding ways to reduce risk to lives, property, and the environment as well as strengthening our coastal communities. During times of disaster and emergencies the Corps Emergency Response teams can mobilize and respond quickly to disasters to help with saving lives and protecting communities.
The US Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General and Chief of Engineers is Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite; Deputy Chief of Engineers/Deputy Commanding General is Major General Michael Wehr. The Little Rock District Engineer and Commander is Colonel Robert G. Dixon. As Commander of the Little Rock District, Major General Wehr oversees a civil works mission stretching from southern Missouri to southwest Arkansas; this includes 12 multipurpose lakes, 7 hydropower facilities, 13 lock and dams, as well as 138 parks and access areas.
The superintendent of the local Corps parks is responsible for the protection and management of natural and cultural resources, public safety and law enforcement functions, as well as property management and facilities maintenance. As a Summer Park Ranger for the Corp of Engineers my duties were to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the park visitors and preserve natural resources by managing recreational grounds. A midyear review of each employee’s performance is made and discussed with the employee of the Corps of Engineers.
Funding
The US Army Corp of Engineers is funded through the government appropriations; The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2019 includes $4.785 billion in gross discretionary funding for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (President’s 2019 Fiscal Budget for US Army Corps of Engineers; February 2018).
Another way the Corp receives funding is by the fees setup for day use fees, camping fees, and lock fees. The Corps camping fee was established under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965; the law provides for charging of recreation use fees at designated Federal recreation areas.
Congress gave the Corps authority to collect day use fees as part of deficit reduction legislation the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Expenditures are placed in the capital budget if they are used for expanding or replacing facilities or equipment; operational expenditures are for the day to day operations such as labor, marketing, utilities, and raw material. The Corps is a branch of the government and Congress has most of the control involved with setting and approving their budget.
The Us Army Corps of Engineers uses business lines to classify their work; this is the framework used for developing the annual budget. Navigation receives the most funding while emergency management receives the least. Navigation and the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration receive over half the budget when combined. There was a $9 million increase in the recreation budget in one year; the Corps budget for recreation went from $284 million in 2016 to $293 million in 2017.
The Civil Works Construction Cost Index System provides technical instructions based upon tables and examples that are updated each year in March and September, with the most current data available to develop and forecast cost indexes for used in calculating the United States Army Corps of Engineers civil works project costs.
Human Resources
The Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) provides the human resources for the Army Corps of Engineers. Each district has their own human resource office.
Depending on the type of job that is held with Corps of Engineers you may be required to have certain certifications. While I was working as a Summer Park Ranger I had to obtain certification in CPR, First Aid, and Defensive Driving; I also had to be pepper spray in the face which is a requirement of Park Rangers.
The USACE Learning Center is the Center for Learning and Training for the Corps of Engineers. It is under supervision of the Headquarters Director of Human Resources. The center manages and implements the Proponent-Sponsored Engineer Corps Training (PROSPECT) Program; this program provides job related training to meet the needs of the Corps of Engineers. The PROSCPECT program has been offering selected courses for over 30 years worldwide; while selected courses are offered worldwide the main training center is in Huntsville, Alabama.
All civilian jobs with the US Army Corps of Engineers are posted on the USAjobs website (www.usajobs.gov). USAjobs is the official job site, all interested applicants must apply through this site using the tools available. The probationary period for new hires is two years. The Corps of Engineers continually evaluates and monitors it workforce management initiatives and programs.
The Corps has employee benefits; benefits include: sick days, paid holidays, annual leave, insurance, and retirement. Also listed in the benefits package is Quality of Life and Career Enrichment; under this section the benefits are: alternate work schedules, student loan repayment, leadership training, advanced education, and individual skills training.
Marketing and Public Relations
The Public Affairs Office handles the marketing and public relations for the Army Corps of Engineers; their mission is to create and send out messages that reflect the Corps policies, procedures, and positions. The Public Affairs office use many tools to communicate with the community and the media.
The use of the internet is one tool they use to keep the public informed of what they are doing not only locally but around the world. The Public Affairs Office also uses social media to keep the public informed and they invite the public to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube.
Public Affairs publications may be published or established when the following criteria has been met:
- A valid mission requirement exists.
- The commander and ASCC, ACOM, or DRU (through surveys, focus groups, or informal meetings, for example) determine a publication to be the most effective means to fulfill and sustain the Public Affairs requirement.
- The ASCC, ACOM, or DRU grants approval
The Corps of Engineers has internal and external audiences. The target internal audience would be service member, family members, civilian employees and those retired from the Corps. The external target audience are the average people from across the country. Surveys are often used to evaluate marketing; surveys cover areas from distribution of information and the topics covered in the information.
Planning
The US Army Corps of Engineers Campaign Plan is the agencies strategic change document. The Campaign Plan mainly includes operation and program plans.
- The National Security Plan strives to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to the Department of Defense and the Nation.
- The Water Resource Plan goal is to deliver enduring and essential water resources solutions using effective strategies.
- Reduce Disaster Risk delivers support to help respond to and recover from disasters that impact the nation.
- The Prepare for Tomorrow plan strives to build resilient people, teams, and systems to sustain a diverse culture of collaboration, innovation, and participation to deliver strategic solutions.
Headquarter staff directors and chiefs formulate plans when necessary and appropriate, to implement program area specific actions in support of the campaign plan. Plans are updated, reviewed and added by the commander.
The Corps of Engineers Civil Works leadership is provided by a presidential appointed civilian assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works who is charged with setting the strategic direction and has the responsibility for the overall supervision of functions relating to the Army Civil Works program.
- Strategic Goal 1: Transform the Civil Works Program to deliver sustainable water resources solutions through Integrated Water Resources Management.
- Strategic Goal 2: Improve the safety and resilience of communities and water resources infrastructure.
- Strategic Goal 3: Facilitate the transportation of commercial goods on the Nation’s coastal channels and inland waterways.
- Strategic Goal 4: Restore, protect, and manage aquatic ecosystems to benefit the Nation.
- Strategic Goal 5: Manage the life-cycle of water resources infrastructure systems in order to consistently deliver sustainable services.
Conclusion
The mission of the Corps of Engineers is to deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our Nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disaster.
In my opinion the Corps does honor this mission by providing support to our military directly and indirectly with warfighting efforts, supporting Homeland Security, working with the military on infrastructure support, managing and supporting numerous environmental programs, and provide water resources which include coastal protection, flood protection, water supply, and recreational opportunities.
The Corps of Engineers is at work in 90 countries, supports 159 Army Installations, 91 Air Force Installations, and is the number one provider in outdoor recreation in the nation with more than 360 million visitors to the 4,485 sites of the 423 Corps projects annually. With these numbers it is easy to see how their mission is honored.
Agency Supervisor
Mr. Brian Osberghaus, Natural Resource Manager at US Army Corps of Engineers, was my supervisor. Mr. Osberghaus was a Natural Resource Specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers from September 2004 to May 2015; in May 2015 he took the job of Natural Resource Manager, the position in which he holds today.
A Natural Resource Manager should have a strong working knowledge of the operation and maintenance of the dam and related facilities, as well as the basic plan of operation for managing the water supply, flood risk, and hydropower aspects of the project where they work. Some of Mr.
Osberghaus duties are serving executing approved plans and procedures for meeting objectives of the Natural Resource Program, assist with operating plans, schedules and budgets. A degree in Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, or a degree in a related field is required to hold the position of Natural Resource Manager. Mr. Osberghaus holds a degree in Outdoor Education and Natural Resource Management from Missouri State University; he also holds a Master’s Degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State.
