Every Day is Earth Day for Metropolitan
|
April is Earth Month and a good time to highlight some of Metropolitan’s great work to protect habitat, promote conservation and invest in sustainability. Here’s the first in our series of stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program was created in 2005, one reptile almost didn’t make the cut for protection.
That’s because the northern Mexican garter snake was not thought to even exist in the area. So imagine the surprise when snakes were discovered during amphibian surveys along the Colorado River in 2012 and 2015.
“Clearly the snake, listed on the endangered species list, needed the same protection as other covered species,” said
Dee Bradshaw
, Met’s Environmental Planning Team Manager.
Species habitat modeling led to the creation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-approved conservation plans and the snake was added to a list of protected species. "Now, if it can only be trained to stop eating the other amphibian-covered species,”
Dee
joked about the dorsal-striped snake that eat
frogs, toads, fish, lizards, and small mammals.
The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program helps in the recovery of species listed under the Endangered Species Act and focuses on a 400-mile stretch from Lake Mead down to the Mexican border. Officials from CA, AZ and NV agreed to the 50-year program and Met staff are part of the program's steering committee.
|
|
Time Once Again for 'Spring Green'
|
Spring Green, Metropolitan’s eco-friendly flagship event, will take place at HQ this Thursday, April 19, starting with a kick-off event in the courtyard. Employees and the public are invited to attend and learn about some of the latest innovations in environmental sustainability.
It’s a one-day event, but the annual Expo is the result of many months of planning. The effort is led by a core team in the Administrative Services Section and more than 50 staff and volunteers.
Business Team Manager
Tina Smith
took the reins of the project two years ago and says, “When I stepped into the role to lead Spring Green, I was excited and thankful for the collaboration of so many people to make the event successful.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Sascha Rice, an award-winning filmmaker whose documentary, “California State of Mind,” features the legacy of her grandfather, Gov. Pat Brown.
There will also be vendor exhibits, innovative projects by college students, and workshops on water conservation, solar projects, landscaping and green waste recycling at home. A photo booth will let visitors and staff capture fun moments from the day, and Met’s photography club will display a water-themed photography exhibit.
Each year, the Spring Green Expo evolves as evidenced by the changes over the 11-year history of this inspirational and educational event. For more info,
click here
.
|
|
Marty Smith,
Rocket Scientist
|
Marty Smith
, a mechanical engineer at LaVerne is known by his WSO team as their “rocket scientist.” At Rocketdyne, he was an actual rocket scientist and his team built the turbo machinery that propelled the Space Shuttle into orbit. He was challenged to solve problems and discover how to make the impossible possible.
Marty
brought that philosophy with him when he joined Metropolitan in 1991 and believes that engineers can make dreams happen.
Every day at Metropolitan,
Marty
lives an engineer’s dream. One day, he might enter a manhole cover to check on flow meters and, in the process, discover an underground world that few people ever see. Another day finds him working on pumps for shutdowns or solving pipeline problems in a Metropolitan delivery system that runs from the desert to the ocean.
His Metropolitan team is working on a pump efficiency pilot at Gene Camp and recently solved a flow meter problem for a member agency.
Whatever the assignment, he sees the beauty of technical details coming together to deliver water and life.
Marty
mentors many staff and said his reward is seeing people reach their full potential. He also helps young people, including designing an engineering competition for UC Irvine students.
Marty
believes that when gratitude is a big focus in people’s lives, their legacy endures, and so he works to share his gratitude, knowledge and encouragement.
|
|
