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| Lautenbacher
Dedicates Tampa Transmitter as Lightning and Hurricanes Rumble
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| NOAA
Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher
paid a visit to the NOAA National Weather Service’s
Tampa Bay forecast office in Ruskin, Fla., to dedicate the
recently commissioned NOAA Weather Radio station KEC-38 in
Largo last month. The new station will improve service to
the large and growing marine community of Florida's west coast.
"This is great news for the area's commercial
fishermen, recreational boaters and people aboard the ships
coming in and out of this major port,” said Lautenbacher.
“Since the signal reaches further into the often turbulent
Gulf of Mexico, it significantly increases our ability to
reach mariners directly with the warnings.”
In
addition to the weather forecasts, watches and warnings, the
new transmitter will be used by NOAA Fisheries to broadcast
fishery closures, marine public service announcements, and
information on fishery management, meetings and regulations.
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In
an apparent nod to the upcoming Lightning Safety Week,
Vice Admiral Lautenbacher and 80 NOAA Tampa Bay personnel
and family members saw the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey
team triumph over the appropriately named Carolina Hurricanes,
5-4.
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| Terry
Lynch of Tampa’s Aircraft Operations Center describes
a dropwindsonde onboard one of NOAA's Lockheed WP-3D
Orion aircraft.
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| Using
a detailed chart of the Port of Tampa, Vice Admiral
Lautenbacher describes in detail the goals and partnerships
involved in the NOAA Portfields Initiative to a Tampa
Bay network TV news crew following a news conference
at the Tampa Bay Port Authority Building last month.
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| NOAA
Administrator Lautenbacher records the script that will
be broadcast frequently to announce the latest NOAA
Weather Radio service in the Tampa Bay area.
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NOAA
Honored with Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval
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NOAA
has been recognized by the Maryland Work-Life Alliance with
its Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval. The award is given
to members of the Maryland business community “dedicated
to establishing a workplace culture that allows today’s
workforce to achieve success at work, at home, and in the
community.”
"NOAA
is committed to providing a full spectrum of workplace flexibilities
to its employees — the NOAA family,” said NOAA
Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher.
“Since 1994, we’ve promoted alternate work schedules,
which have ultimately developed into cutting edge practices,
such as telework. NOAA recognizes the importance of personal
satisfaction as it impacts professional morale and offers
such opportunities as health seminars, onsite daycare, a fitness
center, and Take Our Daughters/Sons to Work day.”
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| Employee and Team Member of the Month |
| Employee of Month
Rick
Schwabacher
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Team Member of Month
Tom
Beaver
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NOAA
honors Rick Schwabacher and Tom Beaver as the Employee
and Team Member of the Month for February. Check out
their accomplishments in this month’s issue of
NOAA Report. |
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Sea
Grant Creates Christmas Tree Dunes to Battle Erosion
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Texas Sea Grant
planted used Christmas trees along its Surfside and Quintana
Gulf beaches last month to trap wind-blown sand and create
much-needed dunes, which protect beaches from the ever-present
threat of erosion. Thousands and thousands of trees are collected
each year for the annual Dunes Day event in Brazoria County,
Texas.
Used
Christmas trees are suited to trap wind-blown sand because
they are open enough to let wind blow through, yet the branches
are thick enough to trap sand. “Within two weeks there
will be enough sand in those trees that you can’t even
move them,” says Sea Grant extension agent Rich
Tillman. “By next summer you won’t
even be able to see the trees.”
Hundreds of volunteers placed the trees along
the vegetation line and tied
them to stakes to keep them from blowing or washing away.
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Once covered with tinsel and ornaments,
these Christmas trees will help build dunes, which
will protect Texas beaches.
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Volunteers placed the trees along
the beach as part of Dunes Day.
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| If
you do, and you’re in the Washington metro area, NOAA
has a team for you. The NOAA/HHS Softball League is looking
for some men and women to join the League. Doubleheaders included,
there will be about 15 games this season, starting in mid-April
and going through the post season tournament after July 4.
Games will be at 6 PM weeknights close to downtown Silver
Spring. Let us know by February 27! Contact Ben
Sfanos at benjamin.sfanos@noaa.gov.
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At
accessNOAA, we’re always looking for interesting stories
about NOAA people just like you. Whether your office has received
an award, or your collection of Elvis memorabilia is tops
in its class, if it makes a fellow NOAA reader take a second
look, it’s right for accessNOAA. E-mail your stories
and photos to accessnoaa@accessnoaa.noaa.gov, and you may
see it in an upcoming issue. (Digital photos embedded in a
Word Perfect or Word document cannot be used.)
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