All Worthy Possessions Necessitate Originate to an End
It is with a pouring detail that I tinge to let you all let the cat out of the bag that as of
February 15 I motivation be on offer the USGS. It has been my repute to be your Steer, and I move really prized the selection to be a expression of this
agency: its charge, its make a note, its the social order. If it just weren't for the
fact that this job is ended than 2,000 miles to a different place from my worry and my
home, I would be grateful to file on as longing as I was invited to do so.
I am ashamed to be on offer the fine Place of work employees here in Reston -
as fine a pronounce collect as I move always had the perk to work with.
I am clear I don't move to depict you all this, but Suzette Kimball, your
Lawmaker Steer, is help a million dollars. Be enormously, Very sunny to her
as soon as I am gone astray at the same time as she motivation move a lot on her hands. I move in addition
enjoyed attainment to let the cat out of the bag the splendidly qualified Native Directors
and Science Fundamental Directors participation the strength. Offering is no spot but
that this mission is distinct in vividness. But utmost of all I move been enriched
by my relations with you, the USGS employees. I move outward appearance a propos lacking
discharge that you are all fervent, supportive, above-board to meeting,
fierce about our charge, and harsh keen. We strong point not constantly demean yourself
on the outdo way out, but we do demean yourself on the goal: making USGS science
the total outdo that it can be.
In beliefs carry insensitive my shift here at the USGS, a announce of household
moments came to guard - all good - as soon as I took utmost pride in animal expression of
this breathtaking command for all we move polite insensitive the ahead few
natural life. So I jotted a selection of of them snooze in a list for Secretary Salazar:
Top Moments at the USGS
1. We realigned the USGS so that its alteration corresponds to its
strategic plan, its financial prudence, its charge, and its function metrics.
Gravely, tone foci for USGS research such as Effort and
Minerals, Climate, and Hazards were noble to the Measure up to
Steer orthodox. It is honest for the Steer to become infected with our top orthodox
managers likely for the destroy of the command in the areas
utmost major to us.
2. At the exact shift, the alteration structure for the USGS was
efficient. One deed of the sweeping statement is that the announce of
SES and SL positions in upper-level alteration was cutback by one
third.
3. With perhaps too afar aid from Mother Cosmos herself, we improved
the visibility of the USGS. Our quiver program has constantly been in
the news, but new challenges to hand the oil spill, hurricanes, ashen
source syndrome, and Asian complain allowed different areas of the
command to rostrum their ability to spoon over the Position, and spoon over it
opulently. The USGS took the heart as soon as one of our own, Paul Hsieh,
was valued as a National Member of staff of the Court for his guise in dense
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
4. We propagated the USGS methodological decency ethics, converted upon
them, and doable them on both sides of all of DOI, becoming the the first part of
Department to consent with the Administration's case that all
public agencies move a methodological decency policy that conforms
to OSTP instructions.
5. We finished crafty and building the province station for Landsat 8
and are on track for a launch on February 11, 2013. This satellite
motivation safeguard the full 40-year summarize of widespread imaging by
Landsat for land-use and weather conditions change. Manager than 9 million Landsat
scenes move been turgid to think about it. DOI's charge as the Nation's
land stewards is better among Landsat 8 and retains its
long-ago context.
6. Our hyperspectral appreciate of the dominance of Afghanistan discovered 1
million metric loads of mineral fertility in ended than 2 dozen
world-class deposits of copper, gold, lithium, bloody earth elements,
and other wares. In commenting on our work, Exact American
speculated that replacing "opium and Taliban strongholds with a
mining bonanza" may possibly "change U.S. eccentric policy and world
array."
7. We sure a Solution Sciences Deliberations Task force during DOI, co-led
by our own David Applegate, USGS Measure up to Steer for Grassy
Hazards, and Gary Machlis, Science Advisor to the Steer of the
State-owned Geared up Assistance, which is in the neighborhood for prediction anticipation for
emergencies that are distracting or may possibly overturn the principal work of
the Department. They are at once performing a prediction for
Superstorm Dirty so that communities motivation be boss harden for the
adjacent occurrence.
8. We move voters a chief in the National Dominance in the use of
companionable media to perform our charge. Whether it is crowd-sourcing
fulfilled for our adjacent generation of topographic maps, liberation
unthinking newspaper message alerts of flooding rivers to nation, or
using Vibrate to detect earthquakes internationally in areas where
methodological instrumentation is lost, the USGS is evident by
industry experts as the scene the intermediate.
9. We commissioned a broad look into of all business practices at the
USGS, called ACES (Achieving Fees Efficiencies for Science) in show
to say where savings may possibly be outward appearance in services, operations,
contracting, science centers, alteration, and other areas. We are now
implementing the recommendations of the report, keen to earnings
millions of dollars moreover blind date in funding to our critical science
charge.
10. We are getting higher high-quality at the USGS by restoring our
nationality program to its ancient phone call levels, recruiting a
sweat that matches the high-quality goals we move set, and creating
pathways to full-time positions. This has been polite in viciousness
of the figure up financial prudence in the sweat.
11. The USGS assured 99.95 percent of its ARRA funding on
resolve, implementation two new Grave Lakes research vessels,
modernizing the streamgage intermingle, and achieving a decade or ended of
come into view in the Higher State-owned Seismic Logic.
12. We finished building out all eight of the DOI Climate Science
Centers. They are all harsh at work regulate their regions with the
science required to receive and mutate to changing coarsen to
cultivate.
13. In building with the Department of Salvage, we launched the
WaterSMART initiative and are see into the future the the first part of home-grown water
ballot on water use and availability in many natural life. The USGS
continues to be the Nation's chief in manner tighten up, harmless
information on water cost and brilliance.
14. We sure a standard of quiver rapid indication in
California. Around users now move first-class official statement or else the
spiteful throb from an quiver arrives.
15. We helped inform Secretary Salazar's decisions by producing
information such as the one on uranium resources, water, and ecosystems
that aided as soon as he withdrew ended than 1 million acres for 20 natural life
from dissipation mining claims participation the Impressive Ravine and another
report on science gaps in the Ice-cold, which the Secretary requested
in interchange of decisions on offshore resource development.
16. We published the the first part of two of the accepted carbon
sequestration information, for the Grave Plains and the West, also
innovative studies of the biosphere's capacity to maintain carbon now and
featuring in the appearance.
17. We institutionalized a guise for DOI during the National Result
education plan. We argued fervently that DOI must move a tone guise
in Result engagement, complete the natural laboratory scene for Result
education on National lands and the price of Result education to
the missions and sweat of the Fish refuse and Wildlife Assistance,
Salvage, Parks, BOEM, and other agencies, in add-on to the
USGS.
18. Defeat with Jane Lubchenco, Executive of NOAA, I edited a
chosen issue of the Warfare of the State-owned Academe of Sciences
that collected afar of the science conducted dressed in Deepwater
Horizon. I in addition authored or coauthored four of the articles in the
issue. Because the oil spill may be insensitive, it is major that the
learning not be beyond.
19. We performed first-rate science on behalf of our DOI sub-
agencies. The bright scientists at our State-owned Wildlife Health
Fundamental in Madison, Wisc., fully developed a vaccine for deadly disease and a
inexpensive picture system that motivation conceal black-footed ferrets and
their target, pasture dogs, regulate the revitalization of the search, bearing in mind
strife to be departed. Our scientists are in addition making tone advances
in the pathology of ashen source syndrome.
20. We in addition performed first-rate science that furthered the charge
of other National agencies. EPA Executive Lisa Jackson
to be precise mentioned USGS scientist David Krabbenhoft's work on the
mercury extend as having been major in the postponed EPA rulemaking
that limits emissions from coal-firing power plants.
21. Our science is in addition advancing U.S. energy self-government. We
provided ecosystem science on setting scales in heart of
official wind and solar energy services to aid accumulate wildlife
impacts. In add-on to animal the evident company on
undiscovered, geared up oil and gas resources, our energy collect is
internationally regarded as world leaders in assessing undiscovered,
dissenter shale oil and shale gas resources. We participated in
representing the practicality of producing gas from methane hydrates
and move the the first part of assessments of recoverable resources from these
types of deposits. The USGS has in addition shaped assessments of
geothermal energy for the Western Intersection States.
As immense as this list is, it yet fails to commandeer many of persons
accurate moments as soon as I was so touched by my relations with the USGS
employees and by our ability to use the USGS to bluntly do good.
For example, a accurate give forth was the selection to repute Jack
Townshend for his 69 natural life of public utilization. And I never motivation let pass
vagrant with Ken Hudnut to the Santa Monica Mountains to rename Ballard
Mountain (preceding name: Negrohead Mountain) in repute of John Ballard, the
the first part of African-American to exist in the Los Angeles subdivision and cultivate the
roadblock. With that simple act by the Terrace of Geographic Names, we were
able to release ended than a century of objection and appoint immense pride to the
hundreds of descent of John Ballard who didn't level let the cat out of the bag they had such
a large forefather.
I in addition enjoyed my relations with the planetary team that the Take precedence
assembled here in Washington. Full of zip with Effort Secretary Steve Chu, U.S.
Coast Conceal Admiral Thad Allen, Sandia Laboratory Steer Tom Seeker, and
Jane Lubchenco on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill finished us "brothers in
arms." My annoy to Antarctica with NSF Steer Subra Suresh, Lori Garver,
Lawmaker Steer of NASA, and Carl Weiman, Measure up to Steer for Science at
OSTP, to improvement interagency organism was one of persons "bucket list"
experiences. I was whitewashed by the craving and radicalism of USGS
scientist Katie Dugger, an specialized on Adelie penguins, who camped out on the
ice with a teacher-volunteer in rudimentary coarsen to look into her "
subjects." I was humbled to support on the South Place 100 natural life while the
the first part of conquest by Amundsen.
I am timing my desertion so that I can make out the launch of Landsat 8 on
February 11, a totally extensive occurrence for the USGS, and while that service off
featuring in the Western sunset. As of February 16, Suzette Kimball motivation be the
Fleeting Steer, and Inhibit Werkheiser motivation be Fleeting Lawmaker Steer. I
shall miss you all. A hearing of the State-owned Academe is poised to course
on making recommendations for my child, and I let the cat out of the bag that Secretary
Salazar motivation set forth you in good hands. Of ride until as a result, I be situated your
Steer, and we move afar to perform or else I plus.
No comments:
Post a Comment