Message from the Chief Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 19:20:14 GMT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: "A - Division Chief and Staff", "B - Branch Chiefs and Offices", "DC - All District Chiefs", "Bruce K Gilbert, DACH/Operations, Reston, VA" , "Robert R Mason Jr., Hydrologist(Engr), Reston, VA" , "Ernest F Hubbard, Assistant Chief, OSW, Reston, VA" , "Gail E Kalen, Computer Specialist, Reston, VA" , "Thomas C Pierson, Geologist, Vancouver, WA" , "Verne R Schneider, ACH for TS, Reston, VA" , "Kenneth J Lanfear, Network Info Products Coord., Reston, VA" , "S. Ernest Dreyer Jr., Hydrologist, Reston, VA" From: "Robert M Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, Reston, VA" (Robert M. Hirsch) Subject: Greetings on Friday Afternoon Cc: "Gordon P Eaton, , Reston, VA" , "Bonnie McGregor, , Reston, VA" , "Barbara J Ryan, , Reston, VA" , "P. Patrick Leahy, Chief Geologist, Reston, VA" , "Richard E Witmer, , Reston, VA" , "William F Gossman Jr., , Reston, VA" , "Linda D Stanley, , Reston, VA" , "Pamela R Malam, , Reston, VA" I know I haven't been as communicative with you all as I was the last go round. The major reason is that I have been in a number of very long policy council meetings (Director, Associate Directors, and Division Chiefs). The meetings have not focused on the furlough but rather on some long term issues. It has actually been very useful and a good opportunity to let our hair down and talk about things that have been going well and not so well and how we can do better in the future. Today, we had a special visitor, one that had been on the calendar for several weeks and since he is an excepted employee it was decided that we should go ahead. The visitor was Secretary Babbitt. We visited for almost two hours. He spoke very positively about the USGS and how we had been changing and adapting and staying ahead of the game (in contrast to others like the Bureau of Mines that simply couldn't adapt). His main point in coming was to talk about the USGS/NBS "Corporate merger or federation." He doesn't see it as a true "merger" particularly because of the big differences in our constituencies. He recognizes that NBS currently has very little in the way of a constituency but that they need to develop the constituency through the state fish and game agencies. I talked quite a bit about the Co-op program and how, by negotiating plans of work and actually having the agencies put cash on the table, these agencies really feel involved with and dependent on the USGS. He liked that thought very much. At the end of the meeting we went to another room where all 3 divisions had laid out a set of products that showed things we had done in direct benefit of other DOI bureaus. Among the things he showed a keen interest in were: the new fact sheet on Mercury, a print of the Florida Ecosystem Home Page, the poster on Salton Sea bioaccumulation, a bibliography on the Edwards Aquifer, and a Professional Paper on debris flows in the Grand Canyon. He picked up several of these products and carried them away. I know he will read them. At the end of a rough week it was nice to see our products being appreciated by the Secretary. You probably won't here much from him publicly on USGS/NBS or science issues generally because he knows he is a lightning rod and some in Congress will oppose things simply because he favors them. It is also clear that he has strong and positive communications links to many powerful people in Congress, including some of the most prominent people on the other side of the aisle. After the Secretary left today we continued our discussion of the potential for using OFA and unmatched funds to keep working through the furlough. The issue is a tough one with many legal, political, financial, and morale complexities. The Director and Barb Ryan are following up on the issue this afternoon with key people at the Department. We need to get this resolved. The example of the Grand Canyon being operated on State of Arizona funds has raised precedent that contradicts our existing policy. The Secretary himself acknowledged this. I wish I had some clear news or intelligence to pass along to you about what will happen. Those of you close to a radio or TV probably know much more than I do about what might happen over the next few hours or days. I appreciate all the hours you have put in when you might have been with family or friends. I know that the job you are doing is difficult, dealing with the worries expressed by members of your staff or cooperators who call in with good questions that you can't really answer. Try to have a nice weekend and forget all about this situation. I wish you all the best for the holiday. I'm leaving the office soon. Cathy Hill (clhill) will be here for a while yet today and Jack Fischer (jfischer) will be here in my place on Tuesday. Take care. Bob ********************************************************** * Robert M. Hirsch Phone: 703/648-5215 * * Chief Hydrologist Fax: 703/648-5002 * * 409 National Center Internet: rhirsch@usgs.gov * * U.S. Geological Survey * * Reston, VA 22092 * **********************************************************