Friday, April 3, 2009

WHEN THE ARMY (Corps of Engineers, that is) COMES TO VISIT


A snowy egret on the bank of the San Gabriel River

On March 14th, Shannon Pankratz, Gerardo Salas, and Phuong Trinh from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Division, Los Angeles Office, came to talk about the role that Corps-Regulatory plays in our environment and local communities. Gerardo and Shannon typically work within areas of San Bernardino County, while Phuong works within Los Angeles County.

Rarely, do 'regular' citizens think about who regulates or protects the rivers, streams, ports, ocean beaches to 12 miles out, or wetlands and ephemeral and vernal pools. Only when disaster strikes does the Corps of Engineers become visible in emergency response efforts, in addition to building dams, creating water ways that handle flood surges, and regulating
development impacts. They uphold the federal laws set forth by Congress, but in the end they work for the people of the United States.

So, this past Saturday, Shannon and Gerardo and Phuong talked of what THEY do in Regulatory Division, because the Corps overall has many roles. Then we walked a bit through the Sanctuary and talked of jurisdiction, flooding, and endangered animals. It was a good day, not too overcast but cool enough and warm in the sun. We had representatives of the Audubon Society, and people from the community joined us for the walk.

Thank you!

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