NRCS Names Ice as Engineer of the Year
Each year, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recognizes the exceptional contributions of one of their own and awards them the title of NRCS Engineer of the Year. This year, the NRCS Engineer of the Year is Shane W. Ice, P.E., State Conservation Engineer for NRCS in Texas.
Each year, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recognizes the exceptional contributions of one of their own and awards them the title of NRCS Engineer of the Year. This year, the NRCS Engineer of the Year is Shane W. Ice, P.E., State Conservation Engineer for NRCS in Texas. Additionally, Shane was nominated by NRCS for the National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year Award.
Like many conservation engineers of his generation, Shane was schooled in a dedicated land ethic at his family’s farm in Oklahoma. His academic choices were influenced by a happenchance encounter with the NRCS internship program. In 2002, he jump-started his career in conservation engineering as a student trainee in Oklahoma. That internship became the proving ground for future positions as Field Engineer in Texas (2005-2015), acting Assistant State Conservation Engineer in Louisiana (2014), and Assistant State Conservation Engineer in North Dakota (2015-2017), followed by specialized positions as Dam Safety Engineer (2017-2018) and State Construction Engineer (2018-2025) in Texas.
As the head of Texas Watershed Construction program, Shane oversaw watershed infrastructure projects with a total contract value exceeding $97.5 million and has personally managed projects valued at $54.5 million. He demonstrates leadership in technical education by conducting regular training sessions for Texas engineering staffs and has been instrumental in ensuring the technical accuracy of NRCS engineering guidance.
Shane has actively contributed to the advancement of watershed awareness through collaboration with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and their association with the Texas Association of Watershed Sponsors and the National Watershed Coalition. In 2024, was as an acting Construction Engineer with the NRCS National Design Construction Soil Mechanics Center. Currently, he is the NRCS State Conservation Engineer in Texas, overseeing critical conservation engineering initiatives across the state.
Each of Shane’s project present unique challenges. He says leading watershed construction projects is “where you can witness watershed conservation work put on the ground to the extent that we do. Most of our work is building major infrastructure that you don’t see within the work environment of a typical NRCS field office.” He considers solving on-site project challenges with ‘hands on’ effort to be the best part of his job.
Shane’s success is also attributable to his ability to work with people, whether it’s the contractor, sponsor, or NRCS to “get things done” for the benefit of everyone. “Conservation work is a great motivator for collaboration. Technicians, district conservationists, and other engineers have been pivotal in molding my career,” he said. “Without them, I would not be in the position I hold now.”
The diverse landscape of Texas with pine forests out east to high plain deserts in the west creates a high demand for watershed conservation work. With over 2006 dams in the NRCS Watershed Rehabilitation Program (second to Oklahoma’s 2107), Shane has plenty of work to do and hopes to invest some of that time mentoring new recruits. He wants to mentor individuals with ag backgrounds that are passionate about conservation because they’re already invested in the NRCS mission. “We are the ‘go to’ agency for conservation and I consider myself lucky to be a part of it!”
