DIRECTOR RUSTY'S MESSAGE
Hello, WRD family.
Since
being named director of the division, I’ve spent weeks traveling around
the state to meet with each section, office and program. During these
meetings I asked each of you to let me know what is going right and
where you see opportunities to improve.
Your
feedback is very important to me, and I value every response I
received. It is great that we all recognize what is going well and agree
that we are strong as a division. When asked what was going well,
almost everyone mentioned the supportive work environment and
hard-working coworkers, and I couldn’t agree more.
Below are the top 10 items you mentioned. If you're interested,
you can get the entire list from your region supervisor or section
chief.
 Now that I’m finishing up these meetings and analyzing the results, I’m looking forward to putting a plan into action to address your concerns on things that are in the span of our control. I ask all of you to keep in mind that many things cited as opportunities we have no control over at the division or department level.
We have started this internal newsletter to improve communications and recognize you for all of your hard work. We’ve added another layer for IT support, and we’re also offering leadership training at monthly staff meetings.
I hope to continue these meetings and listening to you as we learn what works and what doesn’t work within our division. I’m grateful to be a part of the WRD family. Thanks for all of your hard work!
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MEETING MATTHEW’S CHALLENGE
 A WRD Debris Clearing Team at work.
As Hurricane Matthew whipped coastal Georgia early on Oct. 8, the Wildlife Resources Division had eight Debris Clearing Teams staged on the edge of and even in the storm zone. At dawn, they went to work, clearing fallen trees and debris from 11 state routes that provide critical access to the coast.
The teams’ mission: Go until they hit downed powerlines or water. By mid-morning, many had reached Interstate 95, the Atlantic in view. They kept going, branching onto secondary roads and into other hard-hit areas, all the while following the mantra “find work and get it done.”
Wildlife Resources’ response, coordinated by staff assigned to Georgia’s State Operations Center, was part of a massive effort featuring all DNR divisions – from Law Enforcement deploying rangers and response teams to State Parks & Historic Sites housing more than 10,800 evacuees. Wildlife Resources had as many as 76 employees on the job and at last check had logged more than 5,700 hours, the equivalent of three employees working full-time for almost a year.
For some, the response began long before sunup Oct. 8. At 4 a.m., Sapelo Island manager Fred Hay had already checked the mainland dock at Meridian. “The ferry’s OK,” Hay reported. By 6:30 a.m., he and Sapelo technician Blaine Tyler were boating to the island to survey damage.
The recovery continues. Roads on Ossabaw Island are being cleared of an estimated 1,200 downed trees. Storm-breached dikes are being repaired in Altamaha WMA’s waterfowl area.
Yet what the division and DNR did in the aftermath of Mathew won’t be forgotten. And lessons learned will be used to make the response to future disasters even more effective.
DNR Commissioner Mark Williams wrote soon after the storm that his heart “swelled with pride as I witnessed members of our family selflessly serving their fellow Georgians. … Our divisions worked together flawlessly and it was an incredible reminder that we are all DNR.”
Watch this video of WRD's response.
TEAMWORK
WRD
Debris Clearing Teams are made up of four to seven members – including
as many as four chainsaw operators – and equipment such as a tractor
with a grappling hook or its equivalent. The primary role is to clear
trees and other debris from white line to white line on targeted public
roadways.
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OCTOBER HONORS
 Deb Weiler and Brett Albanese seine for fish on Talking Rock Creek. (DNR)
Congratulations to the October recipients of the Wildlife Resources Division’s We Are DNR awards.
Each employee below will receive recognition from Director Rusty Garrison and select swag from Public Affairs. Also, one employee whose nomination exhibited a particularly shining example of DNR values and mission focus or support will be featured each month.
Recent recipients, plus a quick comment from those nominating them, are …
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Alford “Alfie” Bailey, Game Management (Sapelo Island ferry) – Goes above and beyond customer service while operating the ferry; “everybody gets the royal treatment from Mr. Bailey.”
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Marion Baker, Go Fish Education Center – Passionate about education and customer service and having more than 100 percent growth in the number of education participants in a year.
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Lisa Boone, Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center – She is the glue that keeps the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center together, providing positive and first-rate customer service.
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Bryant Bowen, Fisheries Management (Region 4) – Lauded for his passion for fish, his advances in genetics work with black bass and his work with American shad.
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Sue Cahill, Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center – Treats every customer who visits Charlie Elliott, whether in person at the Visitor Center counter or over the phone, as a valued guest.
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Maxie Gray, Fisheries Management (Flat Creek Public Fishing Area) – Maxie’s great attitude and diligence have made Flat Creek one of the most highly visited PFAs.
- Fred Hay, Game Management (Sapelo Island) – Providing great customer service and a positive attitude, he is able to balance the interests of a private community, state agencies, academia and a federal agency.
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Craig Robbins, Fisheries Management (Region 3) – Craig has worked in almost all fisheries regional positions and done exceptional work, from training hatchery managers to holding Kids’ Fishing Events.
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John Vescuso, Game Management (Region 3, previously 6) – As a recent transfer, John has done double duty to make sure hunters have the best opportunities in both regions, and he’s very resourceful.
Deborah Weiler of Nongame Conservation is the featured We Are DNR recipient of the month. Deb, who is based at WRCC, was nominated by 16 nongame and two fisheries employees, and further supported by three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, two college professors and a biologist with The Nature Conservancy.
Reasons cited in that nomination:
Deb substantially improved our aquatic species databases which greatly increases the value of the data for our State Wildlife Action Plan and environmental review and scientific collecting permit data. She also provided much needed help in conducting the first quantitative assessments of mussels and was key in conducting capture-mark recapture studies in all river basins in Georgia.
Deb helped lead field work for rare-fish distribution studies on the Toccoa River, the Coosawattee, South Chickamauga Creek, the Flint River system and streams throughout the Coosa River system. She is a co-author on all of these studies because of her contribution from the beginning to the end of each project.
Deb always steps up to be helpful and even heroic. When one of our hourly workers was bit by a copperhead at Ft. Mountain State Park, Deb spent the entire night in the hospital with her and drove her home the next day.
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 We Are DNR awards is a division-wide effort through which WRD staff can recognize fellow associates for outstanding work.
Do you have a colleague who created something to make your work unit more efficient? Do you know someone who has done something heroic? How about an employee who initiated a change or a program to make your office run more smoothly? Someone who has gone above and beyond?
That person deserves recognition!
Remember, only WRD employees can nominate someone, and only WRD employees can be nominated. You can nominate a co-worker, a supervisor or a person in another region or section. To do so, simply click the button above and fill out the brief survey.
Thanks to those who took part last month, and to the award recipients for jobs well done!
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PERSONNEL
Changes September-early October. These do not include hourly positions.
HIRED
- Casey Devon Jones, Game Management (Gainesville), wildlife technician 2
- Katherine Grace Jones, Game Management (Gainesville), administration support 1
- Richard Allen Smith III, Game Management (Fitzgerald), wildlife technician 2
TRANSFERRED
- Jeanie Marie Carnell, Central Region II Operations, administrative assistant 1
RETIRED
- Edward G. Van Otteren, Game Management (Sapelo Island), wildlife technician 4
IN MEMORY
Zan
Bunch, retired WRD fisheries technician, passed away Oct. 23. Funeral
services were set for Oct. 26 at Tabor Baptist Church in Wilkes County.
Correction: R. Clay George, with Nongame Conservation, is a wildlife biologist 1. The September newsletter incorrectly listed his position.
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