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Text Box: position at the Chariton, Iowa field office where he worked for eight years before accepting the position in Sidney. He enjoys hunting and fishing and is excited to be working here at his new home, Fremont County.

Text Box: The Sidney field office experienced some big changes in 2005. The first was the June departure of District Conservationist Kristie McKinley, who accepted a new position with the NRCS in Texas. Kristie had been the DC in Sidney since 1998. During her years in Fremont County, she assisted many landowners in putting conservation practices on the ground. The District Conservationist position was soon filled by Brian Gross. Brian was raised in Grand Island, Nebraska and completed his education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. After

Text Box: graduation he began working for the NRCS (then the Soil Conservation Service – SCS) in Battle Creek, Nebraska as a soil conservationist. After two years, he moved to Devils Lake, North Dakota where he worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He then spent two years at the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge in Bemidji, Minnesota where he worked as a technician with landowners on private land wetland restoration projects. Next, Brian returned to NRCS by accepting a soil conservationist position at the Corydon, Iowa field office. After working in Corydon for four years he accepted the District Conservationist

Text Box: Another big change in 2005 was the new location for the USDA Service Center. The Field Office was at 301 South Main Street in Sidney since December of 1984. The new site that was chosen is at 503 West Street in Sidney. Ground was broken in late February, and construction on the building continued throughout most of the

Text Box: summer. The office staff was busy packing and moving the last week of July and then busy unpacking for the first part of August. An open house was held in September that included tours and refreshments. The office staff is now all settled in and enjoying these new facilities.

February 2006

Issue 64

2005 Annual Report

Meet the Staff	2
SWCD 2005 Accomplishments	2
Nature Notes	3
FSA News	3
Scholarship Recipients	4
Financial Report	5
Two Rivers Project Update	6

Text Box: The USDA Service Center moved to its new location at 503 West Street in August.

Text Box: Brian Gross, new District Conservationist in the Sidney Field Office.