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  • November

    GALVESTON, Texas (November 22, 2021) Bryant J. Celestine, a member of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, was the guest speaker at USACE Galveston's National American Indian Heritage Month observance, November 18.

    SWG Observes National American Indian Heritage Month

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District officially observed National American Indian Heritage Month (NAIHM) with a virtual presentation hosted by the district’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office, November 18.

  • October

    GALVESTON, Texas (October 8, 2021) – Sally Davila, a Galveston native and leader within the local Hispanic community, speaks via teleconference to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District employees during a virtual Hispanic Heritage Month observance. Davila and other local minority group leaders are preparing to roll out ‘The Hue Pages,’ a business directory of local African-American- and Hispanic-owned businesses. This effort—Davila hopes—will provide much needed economic growth and development for local small businesses.

    SWG Observes Hispanic Heritage Month

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District officially observed Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) with a virtual presentation hosted by the district’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office today.
  • Every year, we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) from September 15 through October 15. We asked several Hispanic identifying folks here at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District what this observance means to them.

    SWG Employees reflect on Hispanic Heritage Month

    Every year, we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) from September 15 through October 15. During this time, we celebrate and learn about the contributions of the 60.5 million Americans who trace their ancestry to Spain and Latin America.
  • WALLISVILE LAKE, Texas (Sept. 29, 2021) – Reese Green, a combat injured veteran, poses with the 6-foot-plus alligator he hunted at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Wallisville Lake Project during the Lonestar Warriors Outdoors Gator Hunt. The event is a sponsored alligator hunt for combat injured veterans. In partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens and Lone Star Warriors Outdoors, USACE Galveston hosted the hunt as a way to successfully manage alligator populations in support of environmental stewardship and maintain its wounded warrior outreach program.

    SWG Hosts Gator Hunt for Wounded Veterans

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District hosted the 7th Annual Lone Star Warriors Outdoors Gator Hunt at its Wallisville Lake Project location from September 28 through October 1. More than a dozen combat injured veterans took part in the event USACE co-hosts in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Anahuac Emergency Medical Services, and Lone Star Warriors Outdoors (LSWO)—a Texas-based nonprofit 501c3 organization.

  • August

    Kelsey Ciarrocca, a cartographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District's Real Estate Division, demonstrates an interactive, real-time map she helped develop for real estate acquisitions. Ciarrocca was recently named the Galveston District’s “Innovator of the Year” for masterminding a way to make the maps her real estate team uses more interactive and resourceful.

    Cartographer's Innovation Puts SWG on the Map

    There are people who like their jobs. There are even people who love their jobs. Then there are people who got out of their way—and out of their own pockets—to learn a new skill and make their jobs easier for their colleagues.
  • The Delta Variant is as much as 225 percent more transmissible than the original virus based on documentation from the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

    District working to combat COVID spike

    Galveston District Commander Col. Tim Vail held a town hall August 2 with the entire workforce, to discuss new COVID-19 mitigations in light of the newest COVID-19 strain -- the Delta variant. Vail recommended the District workforce continue following all current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Defense (DoD) installation requirements on COVID-19 prevention.

  • July

    Outreach Specialist Ron Wooten receives a commander's coin from Galveston District Commander Col. Tim Vail during an awards ceremony held July 1, 2021, at the District's headquarters. Wooten earned the coin for being named the Galveston District’s “Volunteer of the Year." Wooten leads all senior leadership and stakeholder visits, where he goes above and beyond to coordinate all logistics aspects of high-profile visits. His photography skills also proved invaluable to the district’s public affairs mission, where he volunteers to provide photo support whenever necessary.

    District's FY21 'of the year' recipients named

    The Galveston District honored eight awardees for their exceptional contributions and work during Fiscal Year 2021 and in previous years. Commander Col. Tim R. Vail and Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Mangement Mr. Byron Williams presented the awards during a ceremony held at the District's Headquarters in Galveston on July 19, 2021, where they spoke about the accomplishments of the awardees.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rangers attend an annual refresher training course as part of USACE Galveston District's Ranger Appreciation Week, July 13. Policy requires all USACE Rangers to receive eight hours of training annually on a variety of topics such as self-defense, tactical communications, policy, changes in policy, and cultural demographics.

    Galveston hosts park ranger training, appreciation event

    The Galveston District hosted an annual refresher training and appreciation event for Southwestern Division’s district Park Rangers July 13-15, 2021. Policy requires all USACE Rangers to receive eight hours of training annually on a variety of topics such as self-defense, de-escalation techniques, tactical communications, policy, and cultural demographics.

  • June

    Andrew Cook, an operations manager at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Galveston District, surveys the future site of a nourishment project on Babe's Beach in Galveston, Texas, June 7, 2021. To support this project, USACE is placing the dredged material from its required dredging in Galveston's ship channel to replenish Babe's Beach. The Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the City of Galveston, the Texas General Land Office, and USACE are partnering on Babe's Beach in an ongoing effort to maintain and protect Galveston's beaches at no additional cost to residents.

    Galveston District supports nourishment project at Babe’s Beach

    This summer, Galveston Island’s Babe’s Beach, is getting a new round of fresh sand. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District is partnering with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the City of Galveston, and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in an ongoing effort to maintain and protect Galveston’s beaches – all at no additional cost to local residents. USACE is placing the Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDM) or sand from its required dredging of Galveston’s ship channel to replenish this beach area. The BUDM is dredged and collected into a dredging ship, which is then pumped through pipes from the dredging ship onto the beach. This beach nourishment project is expected to take several months ending in late summer.
  • SWG District Commander Tim Vail (left) gets a briefing from members of the District's Emergency Management team prior to Hurricane Laura in 2020. The SWG Team is prepping for what is expected to be an active 2021 Hurricane Season.

    District Prepares for 2021 Hurricane Season

    The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1through November 30, is expected to be “above-average” according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency predicts between 13 and 20 named storms in the 2021 season in the Atlantic, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes, with top winds of at least 74 mph. NOAA is also forecasting three-to-five of those storms will become major hurricanes ranked as Category 3, 4, or 5, with top winds of at least 111 miles per hour. To prepare for this year’s onslaught of storms, SWG kicked off Hurricane Season with a virtual townhall to discuss preparations, recently.

  • March

    Wallisville Lake Project, Crab Trap Renewal

    Abandoned Crab Traps Removed From Wallisville Lake

    From February 19th through the 28th, Texas coastal waters were closed to crabbing with wire mesh crab traps to facilitate the 3rd Annual Statewide Volunteer Crab Trap Cleanup. This closure allowed for the legal removal on February 25, of any crab traps which remained in the water.

  • January

    Galveston District announces annual award recipients for 2020.

    Galveston District announces annual award recipients for 2020

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held a Town Hall Dec. 17, 2020, to update employees on what occurred in 2020 and where the District is heading in 2021. The event was also used to announce the lengthy list of annual award recipients, say farewell to retiring employees, and recognize District personnel who graduated from the USACE Leadership Development Program.