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minnesota department of natural resources

Operations Services Division Internal Newsletter

May 3, 2021

Message from Director Eric Hallstrom

It might sound cliché, but I can’t help but see spring as a hopeful time. While I love the winter, I am always invigorated by the changes heralded by spring — the snowstorms are (mostly) over, birdsongs are abundant, days are getting longer, and warm weather activities are on the horizon. This year, I am feeling particularly hopeful that our continued vigilance will bring about the end of this most serious phase in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

As I noted in a recent email, we’re not out of the woods yet. As of April 30, about 57 percent of adults in Minnesota have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 87 percent of those older than 65 have received at least one dose. According to a Mayo Clinic study (which factored in infectious variants of the virus and less mask-wearing and other protective measures), Minnesota would have had more than 800 COVID-19 patients needing intensive care if no one had been vaccinated yet — more than doubling the 399 patients in ICU beds in December at the height of the last wave. While there is good reason to be hopeful, infectious variants and less protective measures mean it’s more important than ever to get your vaccine and contribute to establishing herd immunity.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get your vaccine. You can sign up using the state of Minnesota’s Vaccine Connector website to see when you would be able to get vaccinated and notified of vaccination opportunities in your area. Signing up through the Vaccine Connector will also enter you into the random selection process for the state’s Community Vaccination Program sites. Data and studies show us the vaccine is reducing new cases and preventing hospitalizations and deaths.

We’ve come a long way since last spring, and I am excited about the future of work at the DNR. Many of the changes necessitated by the pandemic allow us to develop new and, in some cases, better ways of doing our work. While the nature of the pandemic has necessitated frequent changes to our operations, I appreciate how well you have adapted and kept your personal safety and the safety of those you work with at the forefront of your actions and practices.

Thank you for completing the Telework Learning Survey, thinking about how your work has changed in the last year, and sharing your thoughts on what the future might look like. Whatever the new "normal" looks like, I’m committed to making sure it works for our employees, as well as the Minnesotans we serve. Until then, there are important steps we can still take to limit the spread of COVID-19 and allow more people to get vaccinated, like continuing to wear your mask and social distance.

The onset of spring reminds us that change is constant. Winter eventually comes to an end — and so will this pandemic.

- Eric Hallstrom, Operations Services Director

In this edition of staff news:

COVID-19
OSD staff, projects honored with Commissioner's Awards
What to do if you get a quarantined email
Keep ticks from biting
Comings and goings
Milestones at the DNR

COVID-19

The COVID-19 situation is fluid, with information changing almost daily. Please check the COVID-19 Information for Staff page of the Intranet often for updates and information about how the DNR is handling the situation.

The Intranet page includes messages sent to DNR employees from the Commissioner's Office, audio from Wireside Chats pertaining to COVID-19, directives to and guidance for staff, links to the Governor's emergency executive orders and approved signage to post in DNR buildings.

To help fight against COVID-19, download the COVIDAware MN app, a free COVID-19 exposure awareness app. For more information, please visit the Minnesota COVID-19 Response website.

For wellness and mental health resources, including resources for managing anxiety and stress, visit the Wellbeing page of the Intranet.

More resources and information can also be found on the Minnesota Department of Health, the Be Ready MN and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.

OSD staff, projects honored with Commissioner's Awards

Congratulations are in order!

The annual commissioner’s awards seek to recognize the work of individuals and project teams that goes beyond the norm. Multiple Operations Services employees and projects were recognized for such exemplary work with the 2020 Commissioner’s Recognition Awards. We want to honor the achievements of our colleagues and say thanks.

Sally Dybdal

Purchasing Operations Supervisor, "Behind the Scenes"

Nomination summary: "The year 2020 was unlike any year the Enforcement Division ever experienced. Conservation Officers were involved in an incredible number and variety of unique situations, and the extraordinary efforts of Sally Dybdal are a primary reason why the year went so safely and smoothly. Sally went above and beyond for the division during seven civil unrest deployments. She worked tirelessly to ensure agency staff had what they needed to be effective in protecting the First Amendment Rights of all people, while also protecting life and property. Sally dropped everything to coordinate lodging and food for more than 100 officers, and made herself available at all times of the day, and night, to address purchasing needs. She even personally delivered food/snacks on multiple occasions to our officers to make sure they were taken care of. A true example of going the extra mile 'behind the scenes.'"

Craig Canada (MNIT)

Application Developer, "Natural Resources Conservation"

Nomination summary: "Craig is nominated for his outstanding customer service, with the 'customer' being statewide fisheries field staff. Most Fisheries field staff know Craig simply as the Lake Survey Program Wizard, since he provides consistent and accurate support to staff on a variety of technical issues and is always reliable, responsive and courteous. Working out of the Central Office, his communication responsibilities are statewide, from fisheries employees in Baudette to staff in Lake City. His breadth of knowledge and attention to detail have helped DNR Fisheries build a top-notch centralized information system that is well suited to the agency’s needs. His consistent dedication, reliability, promptness and courteous nature are uncommon attributes in a busy workplace environment."

Katie Rossman (MNIT)

GIS Support Specialist, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Katie Rossman, Region 1 GIS Specialist, is an expert GIS analyst and developer of data resources needed to conduct the everyday work of DNR staff. This nomination recognizes Katie for her expertise and innovation in creating better products and supporting the priority work of the department. Specifically, Katie is recognized for her development of the Public Lands of Minnesota Map and Dataset Project. Katie’s work to update the Public Lands of Minnesota Map (which covers approximately 400,000 acres), and more than 28,000 public records, is aimed at providing high quality, consistent data that can be used as a key tool in developing strategies for Minnesota's public lands. The resulting dataset is the most complete and consistently categorized statewide data for public land ownership across the state. This effort took extraordinary effort on Katie’s part and she delivered well beyond all expectations!"

Rowzat Shipchandler (CMO)

Diversity Program Coordinator, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Rowzat's work as Diversity Program Coordinator has always been valuable. In 2020, her efforts to support and empower staff striving to learn about and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion at the DNR were truly exceptional. For example, her creation of monthly Diversity Chats showed both innovation and adaptation. These popular and impactful sessions provide DNR employees a forum to learn from each other and discuss current events and how we can improve our service to all Minnesotans. Rowzat also gave generously of her time to help individuals and teams process the events of 2020 and the increased awareness of racial disparities, and to truly foster a commitment to action. Through her expertise, commitment and collaborative efforts, Rowzat has helped us to better engage, listen and learn from others. This has advanced the DNR’s DEI strategic priority to enhance our ability to serve all
Minnesotans."

Liz Parent

Financial Management Director, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Liz demonstrates the highest level of commitment to the agency and exhibits integrity, fairness, and strong leadership skills. The DNR had many challenges this past fiscal year, during which Liz provided excellent leadership. For example, Liz demonstrated adaptability and strong management in her role serving on the IMT for COVID-19, supporting civil unrest-related deployments, and preparing for Line 3 demonstrations. Liz also supported various Greenbelt projects for her teams, encouraging staff to learn, fully participate and advance continuous improvement at the DNR. Liz is a highly respected leader who looks for the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the core values of the DNR."

Chris Lawson

Senior Mechanical Engineer, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Facilities work in 2020 focused on indoor air quality, replacement of failing or outdated mechanical systems and energy efficiency. Chris Lawson’s mechanical engineering expertise was critical to these efforts to provide timely, professional advice and solutions for key projects. These projects included total system replacements for the Hibbing LAM office, Region 2 headquarters, and improvements for the Region 3 headquarters. In addition to his excellent problem solving and project management expertise, Chris’s commitment to standardization and process improvement enhanced the efficiency of design and construction in 2020 and into the future. It’s no wonder Chris’s colleagues and division “customers” regularly express their appreciation for his professionalism, expertise, efficiency, and can-do approach!"

Region 2 Shop Team

Douglas Sagedahl, Justin Olson, Rick Serfling, Jason Hanks, Kristin Hanks, Alexia Janecek, "Behind the Scenes"

Nomination summary: "The Region 2 Shop is responsible for outfitting, maintenance and disposal for more than 1,500 pieces of equipment stationed at dozens of worksites across the northern portion of the state. The readiness of this equipment is important to DNR programs and staff, including conservation officers and wildland firefighters. Despite the overwhelming amount of work that everyone has to do, the team’s willingness to assist others and consistently find ways to help with all vehicle and equipment matters is unequaled."

Financial Operations and Management Reporting

Dan Kolner, Sue Mullally, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Dan and Sue worked with key staff to design, capture, and automate recurrent (e.g., monthly) financial reporting. This included reports on major revenues, compensation and operating costs, and an executive summary. The team automated the process so that all of this work takes place within minutes with a few clicks. At minimum, this process is saving 500 manual hours annually as well as reducing the verification time by 95 percent and providing more consistent and accurate data. This work improved the ability of agency leadership to make informed, timely decisions on agency and division budgets."

Information Center Team

Ann McBurney, Justin Badini, Kim Balfe, Carey Goedel, Elina Kuusisto, Jim Abernathy, Richard Patton, Barb Hoverman, Carly DeVries, Lee Ragan, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "Our DNR Information Center staff manage more than 100,000 calls and emails from the public annually, providing information on a diverse and complex range of topics. In 2020, they experienced a significant increase in call and email volumes while maintaining top-quality service to the public. Information Center staff also assisted several callers experiencing crisis situations, and were able to provide a calm voice and essential information to Minnesotans in distress. The team also demonstrated continuous improvement by initiating a new weekly email communication about trending questions. This helped them partner more effectively with other DNR staff in informing and educating the public via our website and social media channels. The Information Center staff’s expansive knowledge, dedication to clear communication, and outstanding commitment to the welfare of Minnesotans makes them an exceptional team. "

R4 Buildings and Sustainability (BAS) Team

Jerry Conlon, Dennis Smith, Tracy Beckman, Tony Arndt, "Operational Excellence"

Nomination summary: "The R4 Buildings and Sustainability Team demonstrates operational excellence throughout their work. They communicate and work cohesively, using skill and collaboration to tackle their priorities. They are adept at problem solving, and developing good relationships with staff and local vendors to create safer worksites, as well as helping the agency reach efficiency and sustainability goals. The team makes thoughtful decisions and revaluates as new information becomes available. They created an R4 mailbox for sites to submit requests. With each submission, they reprioritize available resources. They are also adept at identifying safety issues and then moving those to the top of the priority list. Even simple problems are solved with some creative thinking. One example is the team researched foam jacking (which uses expanding foam to raise concrete) as a solution when a sidewalk had heaved and was causing a trip hazard. Each team member brings their skill set to the work, and they celebrate each accomplishment as a team. Their attitude and professionalism allow them to use all available resources to create safer worksites and help the agency reach energy efficiency and sustainability targets."

Other projects with OSD staff representation

"Behind the Scenes": Kat Nordby (MNIT), Maggie Gorsuch (MNIT), Renee Johnson (MNIT), Jon Wagner (MNIT) and Mike Jordan (MNIT) were members of the Land Reconciliation Team. Other team members included Heather Kieweg and Angela Yuska.

"Behind the Scenes": Sally Dybdal, Denise Laska, Toni Golden, Derek Severson, Kim Montgomery, Julie Johansen and Beth Carlson were members of the Electronic Process Conversion Team. Other team members included Jodi Wendorf and Mindy Janssen.

"Natural Resources Conservation": Kitty Hurley (MNIT) was a member of the Watershed Health Assessment Framework Team. Other team members included Beth Knudsen, Ben Gosack and Dan O'Shea.

"Natural Resources Conservation": Vanessa Perry, Robert Cary (CMO) and Jill Nguyen (CMO) were members of the Line 3 Permitting Team. Other team members included Randall Doneen, Cheryl Kelley-Dobie, Pam Arndt, Amy Marrier, Derek Hilding, Margi Coyle, Jamie Thibodeaux, Stephanie Klamm, Kim Boland, Michele Walker, Jennie Skancke, Becky Marty, Brooke Haworth, Cynthia Warzecha, Dan Miller, Lisa Joyal, Bridget Henning-Randa, Ian Chisholm, Owen Baird, Mike Kelly, Deserae Hendrickson, Matt Boyer and Julie Weitzel.

"Natural Resources Conservation": Kristi Coughlon, Jon Hendrickson and Crystal Payment were members of the Mississippi Headwaters Restoration Team. Other team members included Cindy Lueth, Luther Aadland, Jean-Paul Lipton, Jim Hansen, Dave Radford, Connie Cox, Chris Weir-Koetter, Neil Haugerud, Timothy Schmidt, Sid Johannes and TJ Clavin.

"Operational Excellence": Greg Kruse was a member of the DNR Emergency Managers Team. Other team members included Larry Himanga and Paul Lundgren.

"Operational Excellence": Lori Peterson (CMO) was a member of the CAR Document Management Protocols. Other team members included Cynthia Novak-Krebs, Dan Petrik, Jenny Shillcox, Tom Hovey and Jason Boyle.

"Operational Excellence": Charlotte Riggs, David Brown and Emily Engel were members of the Game and Fish Fund Report Division. Other team members included Jami Markle, Shannon Fisher, Jesse Roberts, Greg Hoch, Jeff Ledermann, Joe Albert and Brian Stenquist.

"Operational Excellence": Mark Lindquist, Betsy Lough, Wanda Dahlhoff, Michele Oelreich and Alice Remillard were members of the FMA/RMA Policy Team. Other team members included Kerstin Larson, Shelby Kok, Aaron Wunrow, Bob Welsh and Lonnie Lilly.

"Outdoor Recreation": Trent Luger, Rick Clark, Patrick Litchy, Amanda Marquis, Peter Paulson, Tom Reich, Yancey Stam and Mike Wells were members of the Whitewater State Park Cedar Hill Campground Rehabilitation Team. Other team members included Stacy Smith, Brent Anderson and Shawn Fritcher.

"Outdoor Recreation": Kim Montgomery was a member of the Visitation Data Analysis Team. Other team members included Darin Newman and Andrew Korsberg.

"Outdoor Recreation": Jon Hendrickson, Paul Ouren, Danny Anderson and Garrett Owens were members of the Gitchi-Gami Trail Fall River Bridge Consensus Building Team. Other team members included Kent Skaar and Oliver Liu.

"Outdoor Recreation": Kate Lamers and Harland Hiemstra were members of The Trailblazer Team. Other team members included Veronica Jaralambides, Sara Holger and Deborah Locke.

What to do if you get a quarantined email

What's a quarantined email?

A quarantined email is a message that the state email system identifies as potentially dangerous. It is separated, or quarantined, from other email sent to you to protect state systems. It might be flagged as a threat because it:

Looks like a phishing attack.
Includes suspicious attachments or links to questionable web sites.
Is spam (email sent in large quantities).

If an email is placed in quarantine, you will receive a notification in your inbox from quarantine@messaging.microsoft.com. You can also access quarantined emails online if you think a valid email has been incorrectly quarantined.

What should you do when an email is quarantined?

When you receive a notification that an email is in quarantine, you can choose to: Block Sender, Release, or Review. MNIT recommends that you leave the email in quarantine, and do not release the email to your inbox unless you have reviewed and confirmed that it is not dangerous.

Here are the steps to evaluate a quarantined email:

Select Block Senderif you recognize the sender as malicious, or if you no longer need to receive emails from them.
Select Reviewand then Preview Message to view the content of the email safely in a secure browser.
- If an email appears to be work-related, confirm with the sender through alternate, legitimate channels such as a phone call or known website.
Select Releaseonly if you confirm the email is legitimate or is required for legal or data retention purposes.

After you evaluate a quarantined email, delete the notification email from your inbox.

Keep ticks from biting

As the weather gets warmer, ticks will be out and biting. Consider the following to reduce the risk of a tick bite:

Keep ticks on the outside. The two most reported areas for tick bites were the torso and legs, but ticks can’t crawl through clothing. Tuck in your shirt and make sure pants are sealed, preferably with gaiters. For high exposure areas, wear long-sleeved shirts with the cuffs sealed. Rubber boots and slippery surfaces can make it easier to brush ticks off while walking through brushy areas.
Use Permethrin. Permethrin is an effective insecticide. The more a tick crawls on treated clothing, the greater the chance it will die or fall off before you are bitten. Wear a fully treated outfit and take advantage of the DNR paid offerings of permethrin clothing.
Inspect for bites. Most tick-borne illnesses need the tick to be attached for more than 24 hours in order to spread the disease to a host. Getting the tick off quickly is key to not getting sick. Provide and encourage the use of tick check stations. As soon as you can after being in the field, take a hot shower and do a tick check. Throw your clothes in the dryer for 10 to 15 minutes on high heat to kill remaining ticks.
Use all forms of protection. The DNR policy requires at least two forms of tick protection. Wearing light-colored clothing is the least effective method, with a sealed, Permethrin-treated outfit being the most effective.

For more information, check out the Tick Awareness page of the Intranet.