Prairie Engineers, P.C.’s Post

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the St. Louis District. Today, we're not just wearing green we are striving to restore ecosystem structure and processes, manage our land, resources and construction activities in a sustainable manner, and support cleanup and protection activities efficiently and effectively, all while leaving the smallest footprint behind. Here’s a pinch of several ways the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is restoring ecosystem structure and processes to keep our nation green: 🍀Using Engineering with Nature principles to build partnerships and collaborations that extend across Corps of Engineers Districts and Divisions, federal and state agencies, tribal nations, nonprofit organizations, private industry, and academia. 🍀Constructing high-performing habitat restoration, rehabilitation projects that produce state-of-the-art knowledge through monitoring, research, and assessment and engage other organizations to accomplish the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program's vision. 🍀Ensuring the environmental sustainability of the existing Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System through the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program. 🍀Maximizing benefits with the Sustainable Rivers Program to modernize the operation of water projects to improve the social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide. The St. Louis District uses these programs and many more to keep green spaces green and environmental stewardship thriving. #StPatricksDay | #EngineeringExcellence | #USACE | #EnvironmentalStewardship 🌍💚

As we join the Department of Defense, Army, and the rest of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in celebrating Earth Day, we are reminded of our responsibility to help protect the Earth and the people on it. Over the years, USACE has made significant investments and efforts that are on track to help increase our environment’s resilience, reduce our impact on the environment, conserve our natural landscape, and enhance our mission capabilities—as it turns out, what's good for the environment also benefits our mission. Learn more about these efforts here: https://lnkd.in/eUixH26t One such effort and investment is within the Memphis District—the Hatchie-Loosahatchie Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration Study. Hatchie-Loosahatchie Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration Study. The study examines restoration of ecological structure and function along the Mississippi River between River Miles 775 and 736, including side channels, floodplain waterbodies, and other aquatic habitat. It will also examine floodplain forests, and several scarce vegetative communities such as wetlands, canebrakes, riverfront forests and bottomland hardwood forests. Learn more about the study by clicking here: https://lnkd.in/edtfbsVE Environmental stewardship, protecting and preserving our environment, is an enduring mission for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Memphis District. More than ten percent of the USACE workforce specializes in environmental disciplines, working alongside the rest of our diverse team to shape a sustainable future for present and next generations. Learn More about this mission here: https://lnkd.in/eHZvDiHD #memphisdistrictwinning

Deer River Shoreline Stabilization: Restoring Vital Marshland with Beneficial Use of Dredged Material The Deer River Shoreline Stabilization Project is a key initiative aimed at protecting and restoring degraded marshlands along Mobile Bay’s western shore. This project, led by the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), utilizes dredged material from the Mobile Harbor Deepening Project to create nearly 19 acres of new marshland. By addressing shoreline erosion and habitat loss, this collaborative effort showcases how beneficial use of dredged material can promote ecological resilience and coastal protection. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District | Mobile Bay National Estuary Program | #dredgedmaterial #coastalrestoration #resiliency

Michigan’s more than 3,000 miles of coastline are subject to environmental changes that come with rapidly changing climate conditions. High and low water levels, wind, ice, and human activity all contribute to the ever-changing character of these coasts. To address these changes and sustainably invest in and steward these vital coastal areas, Michigan and the seven other states bordering the Great Lakes signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) for a Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study. Using advanced climate and hydrodynamic models, the study will examine a range of future conditions that could affect coastal resilience. #MiEnvironment #GreatLakes #MIHealthyClimate

#ICYMI: The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, comprised of the USDA, United States Department of Defense (DOD), and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), announced the designation of five new sentinel landscapes. In these landscapes, natural and working lands thrive alongside #military installations and ranges. The 2024 Sentinel Landscape Designations include: ✅ Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape, New Mexico ✅ Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, Utah ✅ Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island ✅ Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape, Pennsylvania ✅ Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape, California "The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership provides DOD with the unique opportunity to expand and diversify our partnerships with non-governmental organizations, state and local governments, Tribes and land managers to enhance the #resilience of military installations and the local communities that support them," said Brendan Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment. "This year, the Department is excited to support the five newly designated landscapes in achieving their dual priorities of safeguarding national #defense and enhancing installation and community resilience, particularly in the Pacific and Western regions.” #onecommunity

A historic agreement was signed at the White House, aimed at restoring the Columbia River Basin. The pact involves the states of Washington and Oregon, and four Columbia Basin Tribes: t the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe. The agreement will provide over $200 million over 20 years from the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal power marketing administration under the Department of Energy, to help reintroduce salmon into blocked habitats in the Upper Columbia River Basin. President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes $93 million for salmon recovery efforts through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including $66.67 million specific to Columbia2. This is part of a broader effort by the Biden-Harris Administration to work in partnership with Pacific Northwest Tribes and States to restore wild salmon populations. https://lnkd.in/gE8xuB2P

Yesterday, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, comprised of the USDA, United States Department of Defense (DOD), and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), announced the designation of five new sentinel landscapes. In these landscapes, natural and working lands thrive alongside #military installations and ranges. The 2024 Sentinel Landscape Designations include:  ✅ Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape, New Mexico ✅ Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, Utah ✅ Hawaiʻi Sentinel Landscape, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island ✅ Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape, Pennsylvania ✅ Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape, California "The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership provides DOD with the unique opportunity to expand and diversify our partnerships with non-governmental organizations, state and local governments, Tribes and land managers to enhance the #resilience of military installations and the local communities that support them," said Brendan Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment. "This year, the Department is excited to support the five newly designated landscapes in achieving their dual priorities of safeguarding national #defense and enhancing installation and community resilience, particularly in the Pacific and Western regions.” #onecommunity

Can’t say enough great things about training in the traditional trades! It’s so critical to not only visit and admire beautiful historic homes, but to know the traditional trades such as masonry, carpentry, etc. so they can be maintained authentically.

Institutional racism can be found in policies and practices used by governments to address legitimate goals. In this instance, analysis done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calculated that homes in lower-income Black communities weren’t worth protecting with the more expensive concrete flood walls. "For decades, feasibility studies done by the Corps determining what gets protected — and how — have focused on property values. Simply put, the Corps requires the financial benefits of a project to outweigh the costs. Spending what engineers calculated would be $54 million on walls to protect the Berkley and Campostella neighborhoods of Norfolk, where property values were depressed by historical redlining, didn’t come close to meeting the requirement." But now, due to community activism and engagement, the metrics for approving a project may be changing. #systemschange #institutionalracism #environmentaljustice

Concrete is like a shield that keeps our coastlines safe from the changing forces of the ocean and the Earth. Marine contractors are challenged to develop solutions to protect seaside communities and marinas. https://hubs.li/Q02jmvTw0