The Building Strong Buffalo Podcast

The Maumee Area of Concern in Northwest Ohio has been the site of industrial and municipal development for almost two centuries. Environmental contamination has run rampant, so the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District recently teamed up to remove over 50,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Otter Creek, a small creek that empties into South Maumee Bay. 

Meaghan Kern, E.P.A. Region 5 project manager, and Ashley Binion-Zuccaro, USACE Buffalo project manager, are this episode's guests. We discuss Otter Creek from top to bottom, and explore what this means for the big picture of our environment.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

Otter Creek ArcGIS StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e410f4f7ffb347939f0e276c939cde8f
Otter Creek photo album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157718595866608
Otter Creek drone album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157719336371275
Otter Creek videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISFt5U_RNXYx43leQANrJsBdZFFJNneW
Otter Creek additional information: https://search.usa.gov/search?query=otter%20creek&affiliate=lrb&utf8=%26%23x2713%3B

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In recent years, high water levels have plagued the Lake Ontario shoreline. In 2019, the Village of Fair Haven, NY and Little Sodus Bay Harbor suffered damage to a critical piece of maritime infrastructure. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District was called to action to repair the structure, and Lex Barker, USACE Buffalo project manager, is here to explain what happened and future work at the site.

Our Civil Works mission provides a key foundational component of the nation’s public infrastructure and now is a critical time for investing in it. 

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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Developing future leaders through leadership opportunities in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District has always been a top priority and is strongly encouraged for all newer employees as well as senior leaders.

The Leadership Development Program (LDP) was created to ensure all Buffalo District employees have the chance to develop and refine strong leadership skills. The goal of the program is to develop results oriented, agile leaders with broad perspectives who lead people and lead change successfully in complex environments. Listen to current Leadership Development Program Level 1 members discuss their experience.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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The Army's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion vision is to embrace all people of our Nation and the unique contributions of those individuals in an inclusive environment while creating winning capabilities. So how is the Buffalo District making these values a reality? What's the difference between diversity and inclusion? What challenges are there to creating a better organization from within? Judi Phillips, Buffalo District Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, jumps on the podcast to discuss.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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716-879-4349

February 21, 2021 begins Engineers Week so we’re calling attention to our awesome engineers carrying on the tradition of making the world a better place. We invited engineers from a variety of disciplines to form an Engineers Roundtable to discuss what makes their field special, favorite marvels of engineering, and if love can be engineered. This episode's guests are:

• Katie Lewis – Civil Engineer

• Mary Samoi – Electrical Engineer

• Cedric Wrobel – Geotechnical Engineer

• Lauren Schifferle – Hydraulic Engineer

• 1LT Stacey Acapana - Mechanical Engineer

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

February 21, 2021 begins Engineers Week so we’re calling attention to our awesome engineers carrying on the tradition of making the world a better place. This episode's guests are Derek Meyers, floating plant engineer, and Michael Lehmann, floating plant crane operator. The Buffalo District floating plant is "The Swiss Army Knife of Lake Erie" - a maritime operations unit repairing federal navigation structures on the Great Lakes.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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716-879-4349

Gerry DiPaola is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District project manager for the nearly $400 million Canandaigua VA Medical Center Mega Project. In this mini-episode, we discuss major project successes, winning the Project Delivery Team of the Year for Honor, and what it means to give back to our Veterans.

USACE is partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide a state-of-the-art medical facility and health care service infrastructure to approximately 65,000 veterans living near the greater Canandaigua, NY area.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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716-879-4349

This minisode of the podcast continues our conversation about women in engineering with Buffalo District civil engineer Victoria Towndrow.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

Despite the great strides made toward gender equality over the last century, there are still a number of arenas where women are underrepresented in the workforce. Engineering is one of those industries, where only around 15% of engineers are women.

This episode's guests are Colleen O’Connell, Gerlyn Hinds, Madeleine Dewey, and Akirah Matthews - all female civil engineers with the Buffalo District. Listen and learn more about who they are as people and engineers.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

Coastal resilience is a community's ability to “bounce back” after hazardous events such as extreme water levels, coastal storms, and flooding. In this episode, we explore how USACE can improve your community's coastal resilience and how you can start the process. Your home and your business may depend on it.

Guests:

- Dave Schulenberg, Planning Branch Chief

- Diane Kozlowski, Regulatory Branch Chief

- Phil Stitzinger, Emergency Management Chief

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloDistrict/

https://twitter.com/USACE_Buffalo

https://www.youtube.com/c/USArmyCorpsofEngineersBuffaloDistrict

LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

Erosion is a natural process but it's also putting shoreline communities in danger along the Great Lakes. Weston Cross, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District coastal geologist, has been chipping away at the erosion issue for decades. In this conversation, we discuss how erosion happens, how quickly the Great Lakes are eroding, humanity's impact on the coastline, and all the factors going into a solution.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloDistrict/

https://twitter.com/USACE_Buffalo

https://www.youtube.com/c/USArmyCorpsofEngineersBuffaloDistrict

LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie are breaking records for high water levels and creating all kinds of problems for shoreline communities. Keith Koralewski, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District Chief of the Hydraulics and Hydrology and Water Management Section, joins us to discuss this unprecedented (yet cyclical) event. We cover the relationship between the Great Lakes, the organizations trying to control the situation, climate change, and more.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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Major General Robert F. Whittle Jr. is responsible for delivering engineering and water resource solutions for the Great Lakes and Ohio River region, covering 335,000-square miles and encompassing portions of seventeen states. He joins us for the Buffalo District's change of command, and we talk about his time as second-in-command of the entire Corps of Engineers, being from a military family, the civilian-military divide, and the past, present and future of the Buffalo District.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloDistrict/

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LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

The massive Mount Morris Dam is situated deep in the Genesee River gorge near the northern end of Letchworth State Park in Livingston County, NY. It's been a shield from the destructive power of Mother Nature since its completion in 1952. Steve Winslow, the Dam's manager, joins us on Episode 3 to talk about what it's like to operate and maintain this vital infrastructure. 

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.

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LRB.Public.Affairs@usace.army.mil

716-879-4349

According to Army doctrine, leadership is “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.”

If there’s anyone who exemplifies leadership, it’s Episode 2 guest Lieutenant Colonel Jason Toth. Lt. Col. Toth is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District Commander, and prior to this assignment he served as the Deputy District Commander of USACE St. Paul District and traveled the world as an Army engineer officer.

In this episode we weave across Lt. Col. Toth’s life, leadership, and, oh, just that time he was the last person in SADDAM HUSSEIN's foxhole!

The Building Strong Buffalo Podcast premieres! This is the show to get to know the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, our people, and our stories. Episode 1 centers on the District's operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As worldwide novel coronavirus infections soar past 2 million and lives are lost, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been tasked by FEMA to provide planning and engineering support to address medical facility shortages in the U.S. The Buffalo District plays a key role for this mission along the Great Lakes, supporting Districts with facility assessments across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. At the same time, the Buffalo District has not slowed down getting projects completed across the lower 38,000 square miles of watershed along lakes Erie and Ontario.

To learn more, we’ll hear from key players in Buffalo including the District Engineer Dave Romano, and Chief of Special Projects Branch Bill Kovalevski.

Hosted by Jess Levenson, Public Affairs Specialist.