Soil Survey Project Leader resume example

Acting MLRA Soil Survey Project Leader for the Tucson MLRA Office. 

Field Soil Scientist 21 years and Soil Survey Project Leader  9 years in the Southern Arizona Basin and Range Province, currently mapped 2.5 million acres to date.

Certified to conduct Wetland and Hydric soils determinations

Lead Coordinator for multiyear, multiagency Initial Soil Survey of Kofa Area, AZ, Parts of La Paz and Yuma counties (AZ657) involving federal, state and private lands on 3,806,931 acres

Developed 5 year Summer Cover Crops trail plan for the Plant Materials Center. Preformed yearly site evaluation, pedon descriptions, chemical and carbon analysis.

Coordiate and conduct  Soil Survey activities on BLM allotments for Soil Survey of  Kofa Area, AZ, of Parts of La Paz and Yuma counties (AZ657).  Provide current ecological site and soils information to help plan and manage land for multiple use and protection and restoration of natural resources.

Prioritisted, Evalute, Submit, Soil Survey Data Join Recorrelation (SDJR)

Review, Develop, submit SDJR’s and Project Plans for long-range plan

Tucson Soil Office has continuily meets or exceeds it mapping  goals yearly basis

Evaluate, analyze, and organize the collection of data:   soil descriptions, transects, notes, conducting laboratory analysis,  particle size class, pH's, calcimeters, carbon content and EC’s to determine the proper classification of soils using Soil Taxonomy.

 Collections helps determine our quality assurance for soil correlation and keeps us within our NRCS specifications and standards as outlined in technical references of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). Develop spreadsheets for the survey office as a tracking device for the organization of this data.

Utilize ARCGIS, Google Earth, GPS, Color IR, and landscape and elevation modeling to enhance the efficiency of soil mapping and to develop with some predictability soil landscape relationships to identify soil properties on complex terrains to perform our soil mapping at an order of two or more detailed levels.

Coordinate and conduct progress field reviews, soil assists and range assists while collaborating with the MLRA Project Leader, Soil Scientists and Rangeland Management Specialist, BLM specialist in reviewing soil interpretations and in modifying and maintaining quality control. This process allows for a quick update to the soil survey legend.

Supervised and  manage  2 to 3 full time employees.  Leads discussions at monthly staff meetings to review and update activities and leave status with staff and MLRA leader. Reports progress, documentation, and leave status, to MLRA Leader in timely manner. Review and certifies time sheets, training, IDP’s performance plans and scheduling.

Coordination and review with Rangeland Management Specialist to document soil-plant relationships, community production and composition information for ESD updates and correlation of ecological sites for entry into data map unit tables in NASIS

Conduct quality control review of field staff every 2 to 3 months and to ensure survey is being progressively digitized and correlated for map unit approval.

Provide staff with guidance on reports, queries, spreadsheets, and calculations needed for proper data base management of the National Soil Information System (NASIS).

Utilizing GPS Garmin and ARCMAP  to plot soil and site date collection of points for evaluating the composition of map unit design and the line placement of digitized polygons. Reviewing attribute data for inconsistencies and consistence’s within the soil survey utilizing the join and relates method within ARCMAP.

Collaborate with the MO-Region 8 Soil Data Quality Specialist (Nasis) Manager to look for Nasis inconsistencies.

Collaborate and  review with Region 8 GIS Specialist to look for inconsistencies on soil digitize work. By utilizing new technologies, training, and quality assurance techniques 

Courteous and professional in my working relationships and interactions with staff,  other disciplines, office visitors in manner that consistently demonstrate fairness, respect, and cooperation which results in an atmosphere of team building and information sharing.

Promotes maximizing efficiencies in soil survey projects by utilizing available technology and encouraging the development of new technologies and techniques. Uses and promotes use of computer and automation technology to share, analyze, summarize and manage data, develop manuscripts, and develop and maintain databases. Utilize Nasis reports and queries, MUG report, pivot tables, spatial editor, GPS Garmin, join and relates method.

Run reports and queries in NASIS to review existing interpretations for inaccuracies due to data errors or deficiencies in the interpretive criteria and for developing soil intreptations for new or unique uses.

Conducts soil investigations within assigned areas to support research and special projects and provide the leadership and coordinates activities in planning and conducting special studies, data gathering necessary for the development and refinement of soil survey interpretations:

Site evaluation and  pedon description for National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) core site on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in Southern Arizona. Establishment of Core site for gathering long- term data on ecological responses of the biosphere to changes in land use and climate.

Soil data collections of benchmark soils in Aridic Ustic Soil Moisture Regime within MLRA 38 and MLRA 40 to evaluate soil classification and interpretations.

Implemented preliminary field soil tests to find the most model sites of gypsum affected soils for a soil characterization by the National Technical Soil Center. These sites helped determine the gypsum content, soil classification, physical properties and interpretative criteria for developing unique soil interpretations for gypsum.

Coordinates and communicates technical functions of soil survey activities, including technical soil services, with the Arizona State Soil Scientist, NCSS Cooperators, Field offices, Districts, other Survey Leaders, Project Leaders, MLRA offices and with other technology teams to ensure soil surveys meets customer’s needs. These offices may be within the state as well as across state boundaries

Technical Soil Services activities include supporting field offices in southern Arizona, soils training from farm bill request mapping, Hel determinations, presentations for NRCD workshops and FFA activities and maintaining the Field Office Tech Guides. Keeps field offices and external customers up to date on the latest soil technologies by showing them how to use the Web Soil Survey.

Create reports, interpretations, and interpretative tables and soils maps from Nasis, ArcGIS and Web Soil Survey to provide soil information to our customers:

Provides soils information to ARS personal, Nature Conservancy, Engineering firms on an as needed basis via ARCGIS maps, MUG reports, and Web Soil Survey from telephone conservations, emailing and personal interactions with customers. Provide technical guidance on NRI and soils information to USDA-ARS scientists

 Acquired the ability to communicate in writing through actually writing technical and non-technical articles dealing with soils and soil surveys. I prepare technical reports for field offices on requested soil mapping areas. I have written reports for engineering firms and private consultants concerning soil interpretations and technical data for planning needs and purposes.

Accomplishments

Member of  the 1,000,000 acre goals mapper

2013 Completed interim report for Crowder-Weisser BLM allotment. Completed 238,870 acres.

2012--Yuma Proving Grounds Oversight and Review Evaluate mapping from 1987, 1992, QA joins, data collections, transects and map unit design.

2011--Assisted with interim report for the University of Arizona Campbell avenue farm, 20 pedon descriptions, preform QA of soils information

2011-2012--Rapid Carbon Assessment Project--Region MO-8 Phoenix.

Lead Office--Warehouse storage of samples and data processing. Provided Oversight, Quality control Provide training to two SCEP students on processing carbon samples: VNIR spectrometer use, laboratory preparation, logging data, preparing samples, uploading data

2010—Detailed to Chinle Soil Survey( AZ713) to assist the Flagstaff  Soil Survey Office to obtain documentation for completion  soil survey to meet NCCS standards.

2008—Detailed and completed interim report on 374,000 acres of order two farmland mapping on state and private lands within Soil survey of Kofa Area, AZ, Parts of La Paz and Yuma counties (AZ657).

2008—Detailed to San Carlos Indian Reservation(AZ675)

2007- 2010 Completed, published and technical edits to 3 Soil Surveys:

                Soil Survey Graham County, AZ, Southwestern Part (AZ673)----2010

Survey of Eastern Pinal and Gila Counties, Arizona (AZ661)----- 2008.

Soil Survey of Cochise County, Arizona, Northwestern Part (AZ666)---2007