Employees Partners Honored at Awards Ceremony

By: Jonathan Groveman

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Jonathan Groveman

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As a National Forest visited and surrounded by millions of people, a timely and effective emergency communications system is critical to ensure the safety of all area law enforcement, as well as the public and natural resources. Patrol Capt. St. John successfully improved the law enforcement radio system by executing a complex contract to tie in to San Bernardino County’s 800 MHz trunked radio system, allowing radio transitions to be encrypted and transmitted seamlessly across the County, as well as with any local municipalities that use the system. The encryption ensures privacy for the public in contact with Forest Service law enforcement, as well as security for officers engaged in operations, such as marijuana eradication.

The USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) and the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) teamed up to present a series of 2019 partner and employee honor awards during a ceremony in Sacramento this past December. The ceremony is an annual celebration of the successes and outstanding contributions to protecting America's national forests. This year marked the first joint Honor Awards Ceremony between the two California-based USDA Forest Service entities. The 2019 Partnership of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious of the evening's awards, was bestowed upon the Trinity Divide Lands Acquisition Team comprised of The Trust for Public Lands, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Michigan-California Timber Company, Shasta Trinity and Klamath National Forests, and the Pacific Southwest Regional Land Staff. The team was recognized for their efforts towards the acquisition of 10,300 acres of land in Northern California along the Trinity Divide that was incorporated into the Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests. This acquisition was one of the largest single Pacific Crest Trail protection efforts to have ever occurred and contains 17 miles of this trail over a 30-mile stretch.  These properties also include areas that provide water sources and meadows that contain wonderful habitat for many sensitive and listed plant and wildlife species.  Additionally, the top of Trinity Divide is also home to a select species of plants found nowhere else in the world.  The theme for this year's Honor Awards was Strength through Core Values; building resilience into our most important resources. Awards presented in the other Regional Honor Award categories included:  Ecological Restoration All Lands, Watershed and Forest Health: California Climate Change Investments Grant Support Team: Jason Ko, Joe Sherlock, Ramiro Rojas, Jerry Bird,  Pacific Southwest Region's Sacramento Office & State and Private Forestry Staff Engaging Youth: Shasta McCloud Management Unit, Shasta Trinity NF Healthy Workplace/Workforce Cultural Transformation Diversity & Inclusion: Eldorado Recruitment Group, Eldorado NF Safety Leadership: Eric Vane, Scott Kusumoto, District Rangers, & Partners, Inyo NF Emergency Response: Gregory Stenmo, Angeles NF Sustainable Operations and Energy Management: Off-Grid Energy Savings Performance Contract ENABLE Team, Pacific Southwest Regional & National Technology and Development Program Special Accomplishment District of the Year: Devil's Garden and Warner Mountain Ranger Districts, Modoc NF Rookie of the Year: Chailenn Young - San Bernardino NF Leading in the Business Environment: Captain Sonny St. John, R5 Law Enforcement & Investigations Leading in the Natural Resources Environment: Ben Haupt, Klamath NF Leading in the Public Services Environment: O'Dell Tucker- San Bernardino NF "We are proud to pay special tribute to those who demonstrated outstanding professionalism, excellent customer service, and exemplary leadership in advancing the mission of the Forest Service," Regional Forester Randy Moore said. "We congratulate not just our winners, but all of the nominees for a job well done. The Pacific Southwest Region, the lands and the public are better for their contributions." Acting Director of PSW Valerie Hipkins acknowledged the importance of teamwork within the organization. "It is phenomenal to see everyone working together to meet the Forest Service's mission," said Hipkins. "Seeing our work together over this past year, I'm very encouraged by how research and development is integrating into the management of national forests in the region." Awards presented in the 2019 PSW Director's Honor Award Categories: Science Delivery Award: Adam Cummings, ORISE Fellow/Karen Pope, Wildlife Biologist, PSW-Arcata. Distinguished Science Award: Dr. Frank K. Lake, Research Ecologist - PSW-Arcata. Community Enhancement and Diversity Award: Lief Gallagher, Ecologist, PSW-Davis. Innovation and Service Award: Jace Goddard, Workforce Services Supervisor, PSW-Davis. Improving the Station Workplace Award: Jon Mitsuda, Facility Manager, PSW-Hilo. Region 5 includes the 18 National Forests in California and includes responsibility and oversight of State and Private Forestry in Hawaii and U.S. Territories in the Pacific. PSW is a world leader in natural resources research through scientific excellence and responsiveness to the needs of current and future generations. They represent the research and development branch of the USDA Forest Service in the states of California and Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.