Louisiana NRCS Employees Receive Chief's "Circle of Excellence" Award

(l to r) Loland J. Broussard, civil engineer; Karl J. Barry, agricultural engineer; Jean D. Romero, area soil conservation technician; Quin J. Kinler, resource conservationist; Larry J. Trahan, resource conservationist; Chief Bruce I. Knight; Melvin E. Rodrigue, civil engineering technician; Troy J. Mallach, wildlife biologist; Randolph Joseph, Jr., area conservationist; Ronald G. Boustany, natural resources specialist; and Dale J. Garber, supervisory civil engineer; (not pictured: Alton James, RC&D coordinator)

When Hurricane Katrina hit last fall, NRCS employees didn’t wait to be told what to do. They hitched up boats to vehicles and headed out to help. Working with personnel from other agencies, they helped evacuate more than 150 people from New Orleans and assisted an additional 300.

These eleven Louisiana NRCS employees received the Chief's Circle of Excellence award recently for their heroic search and rescue efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  In December 2005, the Chief inaugurated the new award to honor the best-of-the-best.