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New Fisheries Building to Replace One Destroyed by Hurricane
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NOAA officials helped to break ground for a new facility in Pascagoula, Miss., replacing one which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The building, which will house offices and laboratories for NOAA's Fisheries Service, is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
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Participating in the groundbreaking ceremony held December 19, 2007 were (left to right) John W. Watson, acting Mississippi laboratories director; Bill Petty, Walton Construction Co.; William F. Broglie, NOAA chief administrative officer; Alex Chester, acting Southeast Fisheries Science Center director (now retired); and John Oliver, NOAA's Fisheries Service deputy assistant administrator.
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Green Suitland Facility Goes for Gold |
The new NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, home of NOAA's around-the-clock environmental satellite operations, was certified Gold under the U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. The LEED system is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
"This rating is an example of NOAA's commitment to environmental stewardship, not only through its mission and science, but in how NOAA employees work on a daily basis," said Paul Pegnato, the NSOF project manager.
The LEED certification levels are determined by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Located in Suitland, Md, a key feature to NSOF's design is the 140,000 square foot "green" roof, one of the largest in the D.C.-region, that covers the main building structure. The roof reduces the amount of storm water run-off, reducing the impact of the construction on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Additionally, the roof, which is set into the sloping landscape, provides enhanced thermal regulation and lowers the building's energy costs.
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NOAA's new Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md., was certified Gold under the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system.
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NOAA Employee and Team Member of the Month
for January |
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Employee of the Month
Heath Hockenberry
NOAA's National Weather Service |
Team Member of the Month
Kimberly Bahl
NOAA's Fisheries Service |
NOAA’s Employee and Team Member of the Month for January are Heath Hockenberry, NOAA's National Weather Service, and Kimberly Bahl, NOAA's Fisheries Service.
In addition to a wide range of duties associated with his role as NWS fire weather program manager, which he successfully carried out during what was a record fire season, Heath Hockenberry also volunteered to serve as an incident meteorologist in support of three major incidents—the Battle Creek Fire Complex in Oregon, the Landmark Fire Complex in Idaho and, notably, the Greensburg, Kansas tornado recovery. Heath and his fellow IMETs won accolades from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their excellence in forecast services provided at the recovery scene in Greenburg. In the words of one of the incident managers, Heath and his fellow IMETs “provided a valuable and vital service that helped protect tens of millions of dollars in government owned material and equipment and over one thousand response personnel. The peace of mind your forecasts provided to both responders and victims was of inestimable value.”
As a fellow with the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Kimberly Bahl assisted in creating and maintaining the North Pacific Metadata database for the Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations. This database facilitates the ability of researchers, managers, students, fishermen and the public to understand the functioning of the complex ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, its marginal seas and coastal areas. Kimberly is part of a group leading an effort to establish Internet search and delivery of marine ecosystem data held by the United States, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia oceanographic data centers. Kimberly’s excellence in web design facilitates the public’s visual comprehension of complex scientific concepts. Her efforts support NOAA’s vision of an informed society.
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Call for Nominations: 2008 NOAA Environmental Heroes Awards |
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 NOAA Environmental Heroes Awards. This is a great way to recognize and honor those non-NOAA individuals and organizations who have made a difference by volunteering their time to help NOAA carry out its mission. Not only do the awards raise awareness about NOAA’s mission, but they also encourage others to participate in NOAA volunteer programs.
The awards will be presented to the Environmental Heroes in conjunction with Earth Day events in April 2008 and recipients will be featured on the NOAA Earth Day Web page.
Nominating an individual or organization is easy. Simply read the instructions and complete the nomination form online or get in touch with your line office representative:
- Susan Buchanan, NOAA's National Weather Service 301-713-0622
- John Leslie, NOAA's Satellite and Information Service 301-713- 2087 x 174
- Ben Sherman and David Hall, NOAA's Ocean Service 301-713-3066
- Monica Allen, NOAA's Fisheries Service 301-713-2370
- Jana Goldman, NOAA Research 301-734-1123
- Jeanne Kouhestani, NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations, 301-713-7693
- Julie Bedford, NOAA Headquarters 202-482-6096
- Robert Hansen, NOAA's Education Office 202-482-4594
Nominations are due by Friday, Feb. 15. Please feel free to contact either Julie Bedford (202-482-6096) or David Miller (202-482-0013) in NOAA’s Office of Communications if you have any questions or need additional information.
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