7 Jul 2023

Holy Cow! Kansas City District’s Agricultural Leasing Program Provides Benefits Far Beyond Land Management

It’s not uncommon to see cattle grazing in open pastures when driving through the Midwest. In fact, in Kansas, cows outnumber humans two to one. So, while it’s not surprising to see cattle in the Kansas City District’s area of responsibility, it might be surprising to know that some of these herds are grazing on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’-owned land. This is possible through the Kansas City District’s agricultural leasing program. The district is responsible for managing the lands at its projects, which span four states, primarily Kansas and Missouri, but also include parts of Iowa and Nebraska. The district’s agricultural leasing program is a natural resource management tool and a component of the district’s integrated pest management program to control invasive weeds on lands at civil works projects, lake projects and military installations.

2 Jun 2023

Untapped Possibilities: Could navigation on the “Big Muddy” provide clean solutions for a more sustainable future?

The words “green” and “clean” are likely not the first that come to mind when thinking of ground transportation in the U.S. Trucks on the interstate and railroads are probably what come to mind first, but the greenest and cleanest form of ground transportation is one that often gets overlooked: waterway navigation. As the oldest form of transportation, navigation on U.S. waterways is not a new concept. At face value, navigation of the nation’s waterways and environmental sustainability may not seem to be related. Except they are, as navigation has very little negative impact to our environment.

16 May 2023

More than meets the eye: Harlan County Lake completes projects to protect cultural sites

At first glance, the new rock, also called riprap, that has been placed along the banks of Harlan County Lake, Nebraska, might not look like much. However, this seemingly insignificant riprap plays a critical role not only in the mitigation of further shoreline erosion, but also in the protection and preservation of two cultural sites at the lake. Over 11,000 feet of riprap was placed along the shoreline of Harlan County Lake earlier this year. After the 2019 flood, areas of the lake’s shoreline had eroded 50 to 100 feet, with some areas having eroded as much as 400 feet since 1985. Even without experiencing flood conditions, the lake’s shoreline is susceptible to erosion.

14 Apr 2023

Lasting Impressions: Kansas City District establishes district-wide Summer Student Intern Program

As the school year winds down, many college students will be focused on finals and making plans for the summer. For those looking for professional experience in the form of a summer internship, there are seemingly endless options available. The difficult choice may not be if they should do a summer internship, but where and with whom. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to attract some of these students with its newly established Summer Student Intern Program. There are separate intern programs within the Kansas City District, and although there have been summer interns in the past, 2023 will be the first year the program is district-wide. Previously, each division or section in the district oversaw their own summer intern program. Now, the program will be standardized so that all student interns have a similar experience.

31 Mar 2023

Technology Management Office: improving USACE partnerships through innovation

Imagine if you were told that a new software platform could save you 40% of the time you currently spend on administrative tasks at work. What could you do with that extra time? That is the exciting question that many within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might be asking themselves when a new construction management platform is released to the enterprise. The Technology Management Office, or TMO, a branch of the Construction Management Innovation Office within USACE Headquarters, is working hard to develop and deliver a new construction management platform. The new platform will be designed to foster a more efficient, collaborative working environment by streamlining and modernizing current construction management processes.

22 Mar 2023

Setting the standard: Kansas City District recommits to delivering quality

Since its inception, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, has worked hard to solidify itself as a trusted federal partner who engineers quality projects for the nation. Within the organization, a select few districts have taken the commitment to quality a step further. The Kansas City District is one district that puts quality above all else. One way the Kansas City District ensures quality remains at the forefront is by providing district-wide training. Leadership at the district required all Kansas City District employees to attend the Project Delivery Business Program, or PDBP, training during the first quarter of 2023.

2 Feb 2023

Kansas City District announces 2022 Ranger of the Year Award

Ask a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers what they like most about their job and you will likely get a response about being outdoors in nature and the freedom of not being stuck behind a desk every day. One of the more unique positions within USACE Kansas City District, park rangers, or Natural Resource Specialists as they are officially known, are responsible for developing wildlife conservation activities, managing environmental programs and supporting recreation through public safety, much of which is done in the great outdoors.

6 Jan 2023

Bridging the gap: Warrant officers bring unique skills to mega projects

In the U.S. Army, warrant officers provide a unique and specialized role to a unit. Warrant officers are the few subject matter experts within their respective fields, with the ability to solve technical problems, provide advice to commanders, and lead troops all while supporting the larger mission. Their numbers are few, making up less than three percent of the force, but their role within an Army unit is invaluable. It might seem like a no-brainer then, to have a skilled warrant officer assigned to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction project, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many within USACE. Knowing there are so few of these uniformed technical experts within USACE, it may be surprising to learn that the Kansas City District has not one, but two warrant officers assigned to two of its district mega projects.