Julie “JMac” Macswain
May 2024:
On behalf of the ARCSE Board I wish to thank you for your continued support of our organization. Staying connected in retirement after a career can be a challenge. Dana Dukes York and Cheryl Simmons, former ARCSE President, encouraged me to join ARCSE. I was told that joining ARCSE would be a great way to not only reconnect with ARCSE members, but also to connect with new people.
ARCSE is turning 50 in 2024. If you have some stories that you would like to share from back in the day when you worked with SCS and/or NRCS, please go ahead and share some of those memories. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Please join me in welcoming Becky Fletcher to the ARCSE President-Elect position. Ms. Fletcher will be replacing Mary Podoll who has stepped down for family and business reasons. Thank you, Mary for the time that you served ARCSE. Becky will do a great job in carrying on in the President-Elect position. Please be prepared to lend a helping hand if she reaches out.
Please join me in welcoming Chris Tippe as the new Midwest Regional Vice President. He will be replacing Becky Fletcher. Thank you, Chris for stepping up to lead in this position and thank you Becky for the time you have served the Midwest.
On May 17th, 2024, from 10:30am–12:00pm a training session will be held for our ARCSE State Representatives. Please be on the lookout for an email from Jerry Bernard, ARCSE Newsletter Editor. He will be sending out an email that will contain the Zoom meeting information and a brief agenda for the meeting. This will be a great opportunity for ARCSE State Reps who have served for a long time or for our new Reps to learn more about what your roles and responsibilities are for ARCSE.
Our upcoming Annual Meeting for ARCSE in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. On Monday, July 22nd, 2024, 1:30–5:00pm
ARCSE Annual Business Meeting, 1:30–2:45pm. Our opening segment is for association members and others interested in learning more about ARCSE goals and activities. Leadership from NRCS, SWCS, ARCSE, and other organizations will speak on topics involving conservation policy and program direction, cross-generation engagement, and other priority ARCSE interests.
Historical Review of Conservation in the Piedmont and Coastal Regions of the Carolinas, 3:00-4:00pm. This segment for ARCSE members, guest retirees, and interested SWCS registrants kicks off with the presentation of awards for community service and exceptional contribution to the ARCSE. As we initiated last year at the Iowa meeting, we feature a historical review of conservation in the region surrounding the conference venue, this year the Piedmont and Coastal regions of the Carolinas from the perspective of long-time and current conservation employees in the area from the early beginnings to today. Thanks much to acting STC Jamie Keith and staff for helping put this together.
The Basics of Mentoring, 4:00–5:00pm. This segment is open to all retirees and SWCS conference attendees and covers basic mentoring approaches and techniques, for those interested in becoming an ARCSE member or want a refresher. The recent NRCS/ARCSE Memorandum of Understanding gives emphasis to tapping into the reservoir of experience and knowledge of retired conservationists. Many mentors with this experience are needed for the new hires coming on board to provide technical assistance and program support to climate-smart initiatives and the new farm bill.
Retirees participating in any these ARCSE sessions, but not registered for the SWCS conference, have the option of purchasing a discounted ticket to the Exhibit and Poster Reception immediately following for further networking with fellow conservationists.
Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees
If you are interested in attending these sessions, please visit the SWCS website at https://www.swcs.org/events/conferences/2024-annual-conference/ to learn more.
Thank you! –Julie
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March 2024:
Greetings!
On behalf of your ARCSE Board and Advisors, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in our recent ARCSE survey. This was the first time that ARCSE has ever reached out to the ARCSE membership for input. A special “thank you” goes to Frank Clearfield, a retired NRCS social scientist and ARCSE member, who volunteered to help develop the survey.
The ARCSE Volunteer and Communications Survey results are shown later in this newsletter and are also posted on the ARCSE.org website.
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January 2024:
Greetings!
On behalf of your ARCSE Board and Advisors, I wish you a very Happy New Year! We hope in 2023 that you and your families have been blessed with good health, happiness, and great friendships, and that 2024 continues with many blessings.
ARCSE is grateful for the dedication of its members and would like to thank you for all that you do for our organization. In 2024, ARCSE will continue to work on implementing our Plan of Work, Strategic Plan, and our MOU with NRCS. Through the MOU, both NRCS and ARCSE will continue to explore ways to mentor NRCS employees. This process may take time to develop. You are right, taking on these various workload items is something that is new for ARCSE. The timing is perfect as our organization is turning 50 in 2024.
In my spare time I am serving as House Mother for the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR)Fraternity in River Falls, Wisconsin. This is a perfect way for me to give back in retirement. Over the years I have met many SCS/NRCS employees who were AGRs. If your travels bring you to Wisconsin, please stop by to visit.
Save the date for the 79th SWCS International Annual Conference, July 21–24, 2024 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! This year’s conference theme is “Rising Together: Collaborative Conservation for All.” Call for presentation submissions and more details regarding the event will be posted in the coming months at www.swcs.org/24AC. More information will be forthcoming in an upcoming issue of the ARCSE Newsletter regarding details for our Annual ARCSE meeting. Please visit our website to learn more about ARCSE: https://arcse.org.
ARCSE State Representatives
For those of you who are currently ARCSE State Representatives or who may be considering becoming one, Deb Legear in Wisconsin has articulated her activities as an ARCSE representative. Please see her excellent article under the Wisconsin section of the January 2024 Newsletter.
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November, 2023:
The past few months have flown by since I took over as the ARCSE President. I have enjoyed this opportunity and look forward to serving as President over the next wo years. During this past year, our organization has taken on some new activities and projects, such as developing the first-ever ARCSE Strategic Plan and an Annual Plan of Work. If you haven’t already done so, please take some time to review these documents at https://arcse.org/our-organization/. This information will provide you with a better understanding of the direction ARCSE will be taking now and in the future. Thank you in advance for your support!
Our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NRCS has been in place since our August 7th meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. Through this MOU, both NRCS and ARCSE will explore ways to Mentor NRCS employees. This is a great opportunity for ARCSE members to re-engage with new employees. I hope that you consider mentoring an NRCS employee. What a perfect way to give back in retirement while making a difference in someone’s career!
In early October I worked closely with Tyrone Larson, Wisconsin State Conservationist, regarding a mentoring program that is being launched in Wisconsin. Tyrone felt this would be a good fit for NRCS retirees in Wisconsin, and he hoped that ARCSE might see value in this program. Unfortunately, he passed away unexpectedly on October 8th. Looking back on the discussions I had with Tyrone regarding mentoring, many things come to mind. ARCSE has retirees with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a deep understanding of the agency. Mentoring new employees is a perfect way to share our career journey with someone just starting out. I know personally I am looking forward to serving as a mentor.
As you know, ARCSE offers many kinds of fun gatherings throughout the U.S. We enjoyed our agency while working, and we still treasure each other! From individual contacts and visits to events and meals as a group, we have many avenues to stay connected.
This ARCSE bimonthly newsletter (https://arcse.org/newsletters/) also serves as a means to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in Washington, DC, and in every state. We also alert you to any legislation and programs that affect Federal retirees. An annual luncheon is held each summer and is a highlight event. It is held in conjunction with the SWCS Annual Conference.
ARCSE Member Dues for 2024 Must be Paid by January 1st. See page 8.
With 2023 drawing to a close, you may know of NRCS employees retiring. Please let them know about ARCSE. Together we will make a difference. More information is at ARCSE.org, including sign-up information.
Thank you! – Julie MacSwain with granddaughters
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September, 2023:
Greetings! It is with much excitement and anticipation that I begin as your President of ARCSE. Time has flown by since I retired from NRCS with 36 years of service to the agency. Now it’s my time to give back to others. I look forward to serving you!
Thank you to Arnold King for his leadership as President and Cheryl Simmons for her leadership as Past President. Please join me in welcoming Mary Podoll to the role of President-Elect. We have an outstanding leadership team who continue to help keep ARSCE moving forward.
The ARCSE Board met on August 7th, prior to the annual ARCSE meeting. We approved our budget, which will include increases in our membership fees. The Board concurred with the new dues structure.
These fees will increase on January 1st, 2024. The dues will be as follow:
– Annual dues: increase from $18 to $25
– Annual hard copy newsletter fee: increase from $12 to $15
– Life membership dues:
• Age 75 or older: from $125 to $175
• Age 65 through 74: from $200 to $275
• Age 64 or younger: from $250 to $325
Our Strategic Plan and for ARCSE were finalized and approved at our August 7th board meeting in Des Moines. The Strategic plan charts the course for the direction ARCSE will be taking between 2023–2028. A special thank you to the ARCSE Team that worked on the plan, which included Mary Podoll, Cheryl Simmons, Craig Derickson, Becky Fletcher, and Julie MacSwain. Please review the Strategic Plan and Plan of work documents which are posted on our arcse.org website at this link. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
The 49th annual meeting of ARCSE took place in Des Moines, Iowa on August 7th. This year’s event drew several NRCS retirees and NRCS employees. A special thank you to Mark Jensen, Iowa NRCS retiree and ARCSE Representative, for his role in local arrangements, and to Jack Carlson and Cheryl Simmons who served on the ARCSE committee for planning the event. Please read Mark Jensen’s report of our annual meeting.
A joint Memo of Understanding (MOU) from NRCS Chief Terry Cosby and ARCSE President Julie MacSwain was sent to all employees of NRCS on August 8th. Jerry Bernard, Editor for ARCSE, sent emails to members along with a copy of the signed MOU and our ARCSE directory. Retired conservation employees hold a wealth of institutional knowledge and experience, and members of ARCSE are eager to continue contributing to NRCS’s mission in wisdom of ARCSE’s members and speed up the process of distribution of the Inflation Reduction Act workload across all employees. Please stay tuned for additional details and information about the mentorship program that will be announced in your states in the coming months. A full copy of the MOU is available on our ARCSE website at this link.
ARCSE is doing what we can to reach out to our members. If you have access to Facebook, please follow us on Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees. And, we have a presence on Flickr. Search for ARCSE Communications. And don’t forget to check our ARCSE website. David Buhland has been working hard to keep this up-to-date for our membership. In closing, I challenge each ARSCE member to give a membership application to those who are newly retired. Let’s push to increase our membership prior to the end of the year before the new membership rates go into effect. Membership has so many benefits, including networking, connectivity, mentorship, life-long learning, socialization, and giving back, to name a few. We also need all of you to continue to provide news from your states for the newsletter. Staying connected and involved in retirement is important for well-being. Cheers to working with you down the road.
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Below is the Email sent from Chief Terry Cosby to all NRCS Employees about the NRCS ARCSE MOU.
Team NRCS: By now, many of you have had the chance to invite people in your network to apply to one of NRCS’ recent job postings, and some of you may even have welcomed new members to your teams. Your efforts with recruiting and onboarding are deeply appreciated, and they will help NRCS reach the capacity that we need to serve more customers than ever before through Inflation Reduction Act funding.
Of course, recruiting and hiring new staff is only the beginning of our effort to build up the next generation of NRCS conservation champions. Staff in the NRCS Management and Strategy Deputy Area have been working to build a robust training plan to ensure that new employees can get up to speed as quickly as possible.
As part of that effort, we are proud to announce a partnership that will open mentorship opportunities to new employees through a Memorandum of Understanding between NRCS and the Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees (ARCSE).
Retired conservation service employees hold a wealth of institutional knowledge and experience, and members of ARCSE are eager to continue contributing to NRCS’ mission in their retirements. This partnership ensures that NRCS’ newest hires can benefit from the wisdom of ARCSE’s members, and will speed up the process of distributing the Inflation Reduction Act workload across all employees.
Additional details and information about the mentorship program will be announced in your states in the coming months. We look forward to working together to train the next generation of climate-smart conservation champions.
Terry J. Cosby Julie MacSwain
Chief, NRCS President, ARCSE
ARCSE 