14 Jul 2021

USACE employee celebrates 50 years of federal service

A member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District achieved a unique milestone as a government employee recently. Amy Burke, workforce management specialist, celebrated 50 years of federal service in a ceremony hosted by Col. Damon Delarosa, district commander, at the agency’s headquarters on June 24.

28 May 2021

Alaska District commander embraces heritage, promotes diversity

Walking into the headquarters building for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District, a wall of portraits featuring former commanders greets employees and visitors alike. Of the 29 men who have led the organization during its distinguished history, Col. Damon Delarosa is the first to represent the Asian American community.

4 May 2021

Alaska District wins Army Environmental Award for Second Consecutive Year

Climbing up the hillside of a remote Alaskan island, an old tramway rusts into the ground beneath it. With gnarled rails, the 2,400-foot structure is a remanent of an abandoned radar facility that provided early warning of approaching enemy aircraft during World War II. The tramway is part of a formerly used defense site that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District worked to clean up the past two summers.

9 Apr 2021

Army engineers celebrate 75 years on the Last Frontier

Seventy-five years ago today, the Chief of Engineers ordered the establishment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District. With the stroke of a pen on General Order No. 6, the agency was born.

19 Mar 2021

General visits northernmost USACE-run flood control project

Maj. Gen. William H. Graham, deputy commanding general of civil and emergency operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visited the Moose Creek Dam on Feb. 19 while touring the organization’s northernmost flood control project. Col. Kirk Gibbs, USACE Pacific Ocean Division commander, and Col. Damon Delarosa, USACE Alaska District commander, accompanied the general.

1 Dec 2020

Corps moves into 22nd year of cleanup on tribal land in Southeast Alaska

Nestled 20 miles south of Ketchikan, Alaska, the Metlakatla Indian Community resides on Annette Island.  The tribe opted out of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act when Congress passed the legislation in 1971.  Today the Annette Islands Reserve is the only Native American reservation in the state and the tribe lives among the remnants of past military and federal use of the land. Through the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District and the Metlakatla Indian Community are working together to continue environmental cleanup efforts for the 22nd year.

16 Oct 2020

Corps project helps improve Soldiers’ sleep

Almost every night, people close their curtains to go to sleep; but for Soldiers stationed in the Fairbanks area, regular curtains will not suffice. Getting quality sleep in the middle of summer, when daylight is nearly 24 hours a day, is a challenge that can adversely affect mental health. U.S. Army Garrison Alaska is taking a multifaceted approach to address this problem and a small but effective piece of this work is by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District. They worked with Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely to install 2,740 blackout shades in 30 barracks this year to improve sleep quality and in turn, enhance the mental health and well-being of Alaska’s warfighters.

17 Jul 2020

Alaska District breathes new life into 1940’s-era headquarters building

In 1979, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District added 37,800 square feet of dark brown, steel siding and trim to its headquarters and laboratory buildings located on what is now known as Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Since then, the organization has grown to more than 400 employees and implemented projects across Alaska and the Indo-Pacific Region. But, during nearly half of the district’s history, the exterior of the facility stayed the same color, weathering storms and harsh Alaskan winters each year.

6 Jul 2020

Corps continues legacy of dredging at Port of Alaska

All summer long, a crimson and white boat moves back and forth through the waters near the Port of Alaska collecting silt, sand and gravel off the seafloor to allow vessels to navigate the harbor in Anchorage. The boat is a dredging vessel called the Westport, operated by Manson Construction of Seattle, Wash., which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District contracted to maintain the mooring areas for the past three years.

8 May 2020

Ice Jams Trigger Operation of the Moose Creek Dam on Chena River

For the first time since operation of the Moose Creek Dam began in 1981, ice jams in the Chena River were the reason that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District regulated stream flow to successfully prevent flooding of communities in the Fairbanks North Star Borough from April 24 to 30.