From October 16 through October 27, 2006, Charles Glock, heavy equipment coordinator and Keith Morris, heavy equipment instructor, instructed 27 students in specialty tracked vehicle training at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. Participants included U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Employees from Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge and Maryland State Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Training focused on the use of the Geo-Boy, a large brush cutter mounted on a low ground- pressure tracked vehicle and the Marsh Master, a tracked amphibious machine used in marshes. The training consisted of classroom work-reviewing policy and safe working procedures, actual operating seat time, preventive maintenance, and equipment tie down & load securing.

The Geo-Boy is used to prepare fire breaks, clean up wildlife food plots and maintain boundary lines and roads. The Marsh Master is used to suppress wildfires and help with prescribed fires on state and refuge lands.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has a Memorandum of Agreement with the state of Maryland and both pieces of equipment belong to the Service. Department of Interior (DOI) policy says anyone operating a piece of government equipment must first complete a DOI training course. Maryland does not have a safety equipment training program and was very eager to join in the training. Maryland Division of Forestry and Wildlife personnel work very close with the Blackwater fire crew during the burn season. The cooperation and coordination between the two agencies is seamless.

The feed back from the students was outstanding, likely leading to future training between Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the State of Maryland.