Central National Technology Support Center Staff

Romy Myszka

Biologist

Updated 04/06/2005

Hometown -- Marathon City, Wisconsin on the banks of the Big Rib River.

Active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966-70. Two tours in Vietnam with the Ugly Angels (HMM-362), a helicopter squadron operating in I Corps.

1975 graduate of the University of California system (attended Orange Coast College, College of the Redwoods, and Humboldt State University) with a degree in Fisheries. Major course of study marine biology, oceanography, natural resources conservation and salmonids.

Started with the federal government at the La Jolla, CA National Marine Fisheries Service lab working on the porpoise/tuna program. Switched to USFWS and moved to South Dakota in 1977 to assist reservoir investigators looking at larval fish diets on the Missouri River. Transferred to the Rock Island, Illinois ecological services/river basins office and spent 4 years looking at environmental impacts of projects on fish, wildlife, wetland, and aquatic systems. Worked with USACOE and SCS personnel in Illinois developing watershed projects and mitigation alternatives.

Began working for SCS in Ohio in 1980 as the state biologist with responsibility for restarting watershed projects that were halted due to environmental concerns. With the cooperation of the USFWS and Ohio Division of Wildlife, SCS developed mitigation plans, aquatic and terrestrial accounting systems, in-stream habitat structures, tree and shrub planting plans that allowed multiple stream projects to proceed in a more environmentally sound manner.

Other state biologist duties included direct technical assistance to area and field offices; fish, wildlife, and plant identification training; interagency farm bill program implementation assistance; water quality training; aquatic and terrestrial habitat restoration; and representing the state office in numerous biological activities.

In 1990, Romy served as the agency’s liaison to USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office in Chicago where he helped develop a multi-million dollar ecological restoration program. Processes put in place during this time continue to be used by federal, state, provincial, and local agencies and private conservationists in the Great Lakes basin.

Romy has been part of NRCS’s internal oversight function in two locations (Atlanta and Beltsville) since 1995. He led or participated in studies on a wide variety of Agency programs, policies, and procedures affecting wetland restoration, wildlife habitat, and easements.

Romy and Linda are the parents of four daughters—all currently involved in the organic farming/fair trade coffee production, forestry, ecology, and environmental health fields.

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