Weekly Highlights
MEMORANDUM
From: Susan Horton
Subject: Weekly Highlights, USGS National Wetlands Research
Center, February 4, 2008
Current
- USGS Participates in World Wetlands Day at Caddo Lake: On February 2, USGS scientist Carroll Cordes attended a celebration of World Wetlands Day at Caddo Lake, a “wetlands of international importance,” under the Ramsar Convention located on the Texas-Louisiana border. Cordes gave an overview of USGS science work at Caddo Lake and participated in a community dialogue about the Chinese tallow tree and how to control this invasive species. (Carroll Cordes, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8653)
Notable Congressional Activity
- Science and the Storms: the USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005: The USGS rolled out the report, “Science and the Storms: the USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005,” at a series of meetings and briefings, January 30 – February 1, with staff members of the USGS headquarters, the Department of the Interior, the U. S. House of Representatives, and the U. S. Senate. USGS scientists discussed the lessons learned and the technology deployed before, during, and after Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma that will help the public, emergency responders, and policymakers prepare for and reduce losses from future hurricanes. Presenting information were Gregory Smith, director of the USGS National Wetlands Research Center (Lafayette, La.); Charles Demas, director of the USGS Louisiana Water Science Center (Baton Rouge, La.) and Asbury Salenger, oceanographer at USGS Florida Integrated Science Center (St. Petersburg, Fla.). (Gaye Farris, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8550)
Press Inquiries/Media
- Present at the February 1 House briefing on the report, “Science and the Storms: the USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005,” was Rosanne Skirble, environmental reporter with Voice of America, who conducted interviews with USGS scientists Gregory Smith, Charles Demas, and Asbury Salenger. Daniel Fowler, a reporter for the Congressional Quarterly, attended the Senate briefing on the same day and interviewed Gregory Smith about how USGS reinvented its technology to help 911 callers get rescued after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
- On January 31, USGS geographer John Barras provided contact information for USGS scientists to The Press of Atlantic City Media Group for a podcast they are developing about Atlantic coastal wetlands and bays.
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