• Birds of the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area, Portsmouth, Virginia, 2008-2020

    Abstract: This report presents the results of a long-term trend analyses of seasonal bird community data from a monitoring effort conducted on the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA) from 2008 to 2020, Portsmouth, VA. The USACE Richmond District collaborated with the College of William and Mary and the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory, Waterbird Team, to conduct year-round semimonthly area counts of the CIDMMA to examine species presence and population changes overtime. This effort provides information on the importance of the area to numerous bird species and bird species’ groups and provides an index to those species and group showing significant changes in populations during the monitoring period. We identified those species regionally identified as Highest, High, and Moderate Priority Species based on their status as rare, sensitive, or in need of conservation attention as identified by the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV), Bird Conservation Region (BCR), New England/Mid-Atlantic Bird Conservation Area (BCR 30). Of 134 ranked priority species in the region, the CIDMMA supported 102 of 134 (76%) recognized in the BCR, including 16 of 19 (84%) of Highest priority ranked species, 47 of 60 (78.3%) of High priority species, and 39 of 55 (71%) of Moderate priority species for BCR 30. All bird count and species richness data collected were fitted to a negative binomial (mean abundance) or Poisson distribution (mean species richness) and a total of 271 species and over 1.5 million birds were detected during the monitoring period. Most all bird species and species groups showed stable or increasing trends during the monitoring period. These results indicate that the CIDMMA is an important site that supports numerous avian species of local and regional conservation concern throughout the year.
  • Corps to construct underwater sill to halt saltwater intrusion on Mississippi River

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District will construct an underwater sill across the bed of the Mississippi River channel to prevent further upriver progression of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Memphis Power Team deploys to Alabama ahead of Hurricane Ian landfall

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District has deployed a 20-member Emergency Power Planning and Response Team to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hurricane Ian response.
  • MKARNS Nav Notice SWL 22-54 Montgomery Point L&D - Closure Extension

    MKARNS - The lock closure at Montgomery Point Lock & Dam (NM 0.5), identified in Navigation Notice No. SWL 22-53 has been extended until further notice.
  • USACE Vicksburg District issues update to Lindy C. Boggs Lock and Dam closure schedule

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District has changed the original schedule and is postponing the reopening Lindy C. Boggs Lock and Dam (L&D) to Red River navigation on Oct. 5.
  • Fort Peck fall release reductions start

    Planned release reductions from Fort Peck Dam will begin the end of this week. The release schedule for Sept. 28 is 8,000 cubic feet per second and will be stepped down to 4,000 cfs by Oct. 2.
  • A Fuzzy Epigenetic Model for Representing Degradation in Engineered Systems

    Abstract: Degradation processes are implicated in a large number of system failures, and are crucial to understanding issues related to reliability and safety. Systems typically degrade in response to stressors, such as physical or chemical environmental conditions, which can vary widely for identical units that are deployed in different places or for different uses. This situational variance makes it difficult to develop accurate physics-based or data-driven models to assess and predict the system health status of individual components. To address this issue, we propose a fuzzy set model for representing degradation in engineered systems that is based on a bioinspired concept from the field of epigenetics. Epigenetics is concerned with the regulation of gene expression resulting from environmental or other factors, such as toxicants or diet. One of the most studied epigenetic processes is methylation, which involves the attachment of methyl groups to genomic regulatory regions. Methylation of specific genes has been implicated in numerous chronic diseases, so provides an excellent analog to system degradation. We present a fuzzy set model for characterizing system degradation as a methylation process based on a set-theoretic representation for epigenetic modeling of engineered systems. This model allows us to capture the individual dynamic relationships among a system, environmental factors, and state of health .
  • Cost share agreement signed for feasibility study in Brunswick, Missouri

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, the State of Missouri, and the Brunswick-Dalton Drainage District partnered to sign a Feasibility Cost Share Agreement for a feasibility study on the Brunswick / Left Bank, River Mile 246 area on Sept. 28, 2022, in Brunswick, Missouri.
  • Corps awards $7.7 million contract for habitat restoration in Upper Pool 4

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $7.7 million contract to LS Marine, Inc., of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Sept. 26, 2022, to use dredged material, or river sand, from the head of Lake Pepin to restore backwater river habitat near Bay City, Wisconsin.
  • Army Corps announces Tioga-Hammond Lambs Creek Recreation Area Hunting Closure Dates for Mansfield University Special Events

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, will temporarily close the Lambs Creek Recreation Area for hunting, in conjunction with upcoming Mansfield University cross country races. Access to the Lambs Creek Boat Launch will remain open. The closure will be effective on the following dates: