Public Lands Transportation Fellows Projects 2020-2022

USFWS Headquarters – Naomi Fireman, June 2020-January 2022

This transportation fellow position will have the incumbent stationed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or Service) Headquarters Office (HQ) and continuing to implement and finalize projects at the Service’s Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex in Woodbridge, Virginia. The fellow will spend the majority of her time working at HQ. Similar to a fellow working solely on the unit level, HQ and the fellow will foster a symbiotic relationship in which both parties gain important skills, experience, and products. The position at HQ will allow the fellow to experience working on transportation projects on a national level and understand how the guidance trickles down to regional transportation coordinators and refuge units. In addition, the fellow will be immersed in the heart of the Service’s national policy hub, where she will see internal workings and responses to orders coming directly out of the capital.

The fellow will spend a smaller portion of her time continuing to implement and finalize projects at the Potomac River NWR Complex, where she spent her first fellowship. The complex, established in 1998, includes the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck NWR, the Occoquan Bay NWR, and the Featherstone NWR. Most of the work for this position will be a continuation of projects from the year before, with the exception of involvement in at least one new project.

  • Advanced Transportation Fellow Naomi Fireman’s Bio (pdf)
  • Naomi Fireman’s 2022 TRB Poster (pdf)
  • Naomi Fireman’s 2022 Wrap-up Webinar (pdf, streaming link)

Eastern MA NWR Complex and Parker River NWR  – Ella Weber, Aug. 2020-Feb. 2022

This transportation fellow position will have the incumbent stationed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge (EMA NWR) Complex in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and/or Parker River NWR (PKR) in Newburyport, MA. These twelve refuges, many of which are located near urban areas, are diverse in the wildlife and habitat they preserve including inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, forests, grasslands, and barrier beaches. The refuges also protects numerous federally threatened and endangered species. These refuge complexes were chosen for the transportation fellows program to assist in improving access, mobility, and connectivity. Over the last several years, the Service has been focusing on improving access and better welcoming visitors to those refuges located near urban cities. The EMA NWR Complex is part of an Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership with the city of Lowell.  To assist the Service in accomplishing this goal, the fellows program has also been focusing on urban refuges.

  • Transportation Fellow Ella Weber’s Bio (pdf)
  • Ella Weber’s 2022 TRB Poster (pdf)
  • Ella Weber’s 2022 Wrap-up Webinar (pdf, streaming link)

John Heinz NWR, E.B. Forsythe NWR, and Cape May NWR – Taylor Long, Aug. 2020-Feb. 2022

This transportation fellow position will be shared between three of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) refuges located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey including John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Philadelphia, PA; E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Galloway, NJ; and Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, Cape May, NJ. Heinz NWR is known as “America’s First Urban Refuge” and was established in 1972. It is situated within the city of Philadelphia, provides environmental education, and preserves the Tinicum Marsh. Heinz NWR previously has a PLTF stationed there in 2016-2017. Forsythe NWR protects more that 47,000 acres of southern New Jersey coastal habitats. The refuge is in the Atlantic Flyway which makes the refuge important for seasonal bird migration. Cape May NWR was established in 1989 and, like Forsythe NWR, is important for protection of migratory birds as the Jersey Shore is continuing human development. These refuges were chosen for the transportation fellows’ program to assist with improving access, mobility, and connectivity. Over the last several years, the Service has been focusing on improving refuge access and better providing a more welcoming atmosphere to people visiting refuges located near urban areas. To assist the Service in accomplishing this goal, the fellows program is focusing on urban refuges.

  • Transportation Fellow Taylor Long’s Bio (pdf)
  • Taylor Long’s 2022 TRB Poster (pdf)
  • Taylor Long’s 2022 Wrap-up Webinar (pdf, streaming link)

Savannah Coastal Refuge Complex – Tommy Egland, Sept. 2020-March 2022

This public land transportation fellow (PLTF or fellow) position will have the incumbent stationed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or Service) Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex. The chain of national wildlife refuges that forms the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex extends from Pinckney Island NWR near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wolf Island NWR near Darien, Georgia. Between these lie Savannah, Wassaw, Tybee, Harris Neck, and Blackbeard Island refuges. These refuges span a 100-mile stretch of coastline and total 57,226 acres. These refuges were chosen for the transportation fellows’ program to assist with improving access, mobility, and connectivity. Over the last several years, the Service has been focusing on improving refuge access and better providing a more welcoming atmosphere to people visiting refuges located near urban areas. To assist the Service in accomplishing this goal, the fellows’ program is focusing on urban refuges.

  • Transportation Fellow Tommy Egland’s Bio (pdf)
  • Tommy Egland’s 2022 TRB Poster (pdf)
  • Tommy Egland’s 2022 Wrap-up Webinar (pdf, streaming link)

NPS Transit Fellow – Ma’ayan Dembo, Sept. 2020 – Sept. 2021

The National Park Service (NPS) Transit fellow will be working directly with the NPS Washington Support Office (WASO) Transportation Branch. In this position, the fellow will assist with transit projects at Glacier National Park.

  • Ma’ayan Dembo Bio (pdf)