Kentucky Water Science Center
Mark Ayers has over 31 years of experience as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He has been involved in surface-water, ground-water, and watershed water-quality studies in Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Kentucky, and the eastern United States in general. Mr. Ayers currently is the District Chief of the USGS Kentucky District water programs.
Russell Barnett is the Director of the Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development. The institute is located at the University of Louisville, which increases collaboration among faculty and facilitates conducting environmental research and educational outreach on an interdisciplinary basis. Mr. Barnett also is Chair of the Salt River Watershed Watch program, which trains and equips volunteers from across the 17-county watershed to conduct water-quality testing. More than 450 volunteers have been trained over the past 6 years, and the program maintains over 70 active monitoring locations. The program has assisted State and local governments in identifying and addressing water-quality problems, assisted landowners in measuring and understanding the quality of water on their land, and increased public awareness of Kentucky’s steams. Mr. Barnett has worked in the environmental area for over 30 years.
Kelly Bennett has been a District Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the past 12 years. He currently is serving the people of Bullitt, Spencer, and Hardin Counties, Kentucky. Mr. Bennett holds a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky. He provides technical and (or) financial assistance to land users with resource concerns within the counties he serves.
Steve Blandford is a Soil Data Quality Specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service. He holds a B.S. in forestry and an M.S. in Soils from the University of Kentucky. In his current position, Mr. Blandford provides soil interpretations for various projects, including precision agriculture and basement excavations in the Blue Grass Physiographic Region.
Larry Cox has been State Director for Senator McConnell since January 3, 1985. Formerly, Mr. Cox was the Deputy Secretary of the Jefferson County Community Development Department and later served concurrently as Director of the Neighborhood Response Office and Secretary of the Environmental Policy Office. Prior to his service with Jefferson County, Mr. Cox was Deputy Director of the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency where he was responsible for land use, air and water quality, transportation and housing planning, and technical assistance to local government in a 9-county region.
As State Director for Senator McConnell, Mr. Cox is in charge of a 6-office, 17–member field staff. Mr. Cox’s staff carries out constituent casework and project development; maintains contact with local elected officials, business leaders, and education leaders; acts as liaison between constituents and the Senator; and appears on his behalf when scheduling conflicts occur.
Angie Crain has been a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1995 working on various water-quality investigations throughout Kentucky. She is the project leader on two 319(h) nonpoint-source pollution studies that involve evaluating the occurrence and distribution of pesticides, nutrients, and sediment. Ms. Crain also serves as a project leader for the USGS National Stream Accounting Network (NASQAN) program in the Ohio River Watershed. This program focuses on evaluating loads and yields of chemicals and sediments to determine regional source areas of these materials.
Mike Davis is an Associate Professor in Environmental Technology at Central Kentucky Technical College and the Director of the Kentucky Onsite Wastewater Training Center. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering Technology and an M.S. in Engineering Technology from Murray State University and currently is pursuing a M.S. in Geology from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. Davis also holds certifications as a Class IV Drinking Water Treatment Plant Operator; Kentucky Certified Microbiology Drinking Water Analyst; Class II and III Wastewater Analyst; Class I and II Drinking Water Analyst; and is a certified trainer in Hazardous Materials, Emergency Response, Confined Space, Trenching, and Department of Transportation regulations.
Prior to his employment with the college, Mr. Davis was a permit reviewer with the Special Waste Section of the Kentucky Division of Waste Management. He was responsible for composting, land farming, and soil-remediation projects in the western region of Kentucky.
Aimee Downs, Geographer, has been with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1988. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Geography from the University of Louisville. During her career with the USGS she has collected streamflow and water quality field data, performed computer mapping using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, and served as a project leader for the USGS Water-Use program. Ms. Downs currently is project leader for a 319(h) nonpoint-source pollution study that involves educating stakeholders about nonpoint-source pollution using available GIS data.
Pennie DuBarry, student trainee, has been with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for 4 years. She holds a B.S. in Sociology from the University of Louisville and currently is pursuing a M.S. in Interdisciplinary studies through the schools of Education and Urban Policy at the University of Louisville. In the USGS Kentucky District, she assists in program development, develops and executes education and outreach projects, and assists with other project work in the District. Ms. DuBarry currently is on a work detail to the USGS Office of Employee Development, serving as the Informal Mentoring Program Coordinator.
Ben Lyle was raised on a tobacco and cattle farm in Henry County, Kentucky. He earned his B.S. degree in Forestry from the University of Kentucky in 1995. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Lyle worked for the University of Kentucky, Department of Forestry. Since 1999, he has worked for the Kentucky Division of Forestry as a Service Forester. The majority of Mr. Lyle’s time is spent providing technical assistance to private landowners. His work includes development of forest-management plans, providing assistance for tree planting, timber stand improvement, timber harvests, and suppressing wildfires.
Kerry Prather has been working for over 26 years as a District Fishery Biologist for the Fisheries Division, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He earned a B.S. degree in Wildlife Management from Eastern Kentucky University in 1973 and a M.S. degree in Fisheries Biology from Murray State University in 1977. Mr. Prather’s current duties involve research and management of reservoirs, lakes, streams, and ponds. He also is involved in stream-inventory work and watershed-management activities; however, his primary duties revolve around management of game and non-game fishes in a 26-county district in central Kentucky.
Keith Richardson is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Park Manager at Taylorsville Lake. His responsibilities include operation of the lake to meet its authorized purposes of flood control, quality-water storage, outdoor recreation, and fish and wildlife preservation and enhancement. Mr. Richardson graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1977 with a B.S. in Wildlife Management. He began his career as an Environmental Specialist with the Kentucky Division of Water where he served 3 years. Mr. Richardson then accepted a position as an Environmental Technician with the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, where he worked for 3 years completing a variety of duties related to streamflow, sediment, and water-quality measurement. He began his career with the USACE in 1984 when he became a Park Ranger at Carr Creek Lake in Eastern Kentucky. In 1988, Mr. Richardson transferred to Taylorsville Lake where he continued to serve as a Park Ranger and later became Park Manager.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
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Page Last Modified: Friday, May 11, 2007 01:41:55 PM
