Joseph Minter, a natural resource specialist for the Corps’ Vicksburg District, has spent the initial portion of his eight-year career performing dam safety and wetland delineation inspections, providing opinions for environmental statements, assisting in coordination efforts with federal, state and local authorities on a large rehabilitation project on Ivan Lake, and addressing environmental issues in opinions and reviews. For the past four years, he has served as the lead park ranger over the Red River Louisiana Field Office. He is also the Operations and Maintenance Business Information Link (OMBIL) coordinator for the Red River and Bayou Bodcau, responsible for annual updates for environmental stewardship and recreation.
When Minter initially learned about the ERDC University (ERDC-U) program, he saw it as a great opportunity to learn about ongoing ERDC research efforts that would increase his knowledge of conducting surveys for threatened and endangered species on the Red River, and to learn new methods in tracking various species for reporting purposes. This is an important aspect in his duties to update OMBIL to track which species are managed on Corps projects, as well as the Environmental Stewardship budgets for management of these listed species.
In working with mentors Dr. Richard Fischer and Dr. Eric Britzke, along with other experts, Minter gained a clearer understanding of ERDC capabilities in the environmental arena by conducting research on Section 7 consultation. This is done by conducting research on species of concern, federally and state listed and non-listed, which are managed for or have the potential to be managed on Corps projects throughout the Mississippi Valley Division and South Atlantic Division for the Threatened & Endangered Species Act.
While at ERDC-U, Minter conducted research on managing bats by using echolocation detection equipment and meta-population study of bats for agent-based modeling within the population. He also investigated a large database of wildlife imagery for classification purposes and analyzed imagery for wildlife hesitancy and successful passage rates through wildlife culvert crossings at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Through these and other assignments that promoted innovation in his occupational field, Minter learned new skills through a combination of on-the-job training and experience, self-study, and research execution.
“The ERDC-U program has far exceeded my expectations,” Minter said. “The amount of projects I’ve been able to assist with and the self-learning opportunities have been both incredible and eye opening.” He has already recommended the program to his colleagues.
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