Bipartisan Congressional support for Geologic Mapping

Land use managers increasingly rely on geologic mapping that returns benefits, including lives saved, resources discovered, costs avoided, increased efficiency, and fundamental understanding.

The National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 therefore mandated the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, which allows partners to work together in building the National Geologic Map Database. The NGMA is, however, due for its fourth reauthorization.

In September, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska cosponsored, with Senator King of Maine, Senate Bill S-1787, whose role is to reauthorize the Act

This month, Colorado Representative Doug Lamborn and Maryland Representative Anthony Brown co-sponsored a corresponding bill, HR-4033.

In a statement, Senator Murkowski stated "We don't have a detailed geologic map for even one-third of the United States, yet it lays the foundation for minimizing risks from natural hazards and is the linchpin to reducing our nation's dependence on foreign minerals".

Steve Masterman, Alaska State Geologist and 2017/2018 AASG President

At the June 2017 AASG Annual Meeting, Steve Masterman, Alaska State Geologist, was elected AASG President. Prior to his Alaska state government service, Steve worked extensively in the mineral industry, including work in Alaska, Peru and Nevada.He earned a bachelor’s degree in mining geology from the Royal School of Mines, and a master’s degree in geological engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Also elected were Past-President David Spears of Virginia, President-Elect Karen Berry of Colorado, Vice President Richard Ortt of Maryland, Secretary John Metesh of Montana, and Treasurer Harvey Thorleifson of Minnesota

Keith Schilling, Director, Iowa Geological Survey

Keith Schilling has been named Director, Iowa Geological Survey. Keith’s professional interests are surface and groundwater interaction, land use/land cover change, watershed modeling, nutrient fate and transport, sediment erosion and transport, floodplain processes, ecohydrology, time-series analysis, biogeochemistry

Philip A. Pearthree named State Geologist of Arizona

Phil Pearthree is the new State Geologist of Arizona. According to the Arizona Geology blog, “AZGS has a new director and Arizona a new State Geologist. University of Arizona Dean of Science, Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, confirmed that Phil Pearthree, Ph.D., is the new director of the Arizona Geological Survey. As part of his duties, Dr. Pearthree assumes the role of Arizona State Geologist. Phil follows former State Geologist Lee Allison who died tragically in a fall in Aug. 2016. Phil received his B.S. at Oberlin College, and M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. He joined AZGS in 1988 and was chief of the Environmental Geology section for more than a decade. As an AZGS research geologist, Phil has authored or co-authored more than 100 geologic reports and maps over the past 29 years. In 2013, Phil and two co-authors received the prestigious Kirk Bryan Award from the Geological Society of America’s Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division for their report, 'Stratigraphic evidence for the role of lake-spillover in the inception of the lower Colorado River in southern Nevada and western Arizona'.”

Rolfe Mandel, Director of the Kansas Geological Survey

Rolfe David Mandel has been named Director of the Kansas Geological Survey. According to the KU web site, “Mandel's published works span a wide range of topics including paleopedology, late-Quaternary landscape evolution, isotope geochemistry, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. He has spent over 30 years working with archaeologists on projects throughout the United States and eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the effects of geologic processes on the archaeological record. During the past 10 years much of his research has involved the use of geoscientific methods to search for the earliest evidence of humans in the Central Great Plains and Midwest. Dr. Mandel founded and chaired the Society for American Archaeology's Geoarchaeology Interest Group (1997-2001), served as Chair of the Geological Society of America's Archaeological Geology Division (1997-1998), and was President of the American Quaternary Association (2009-2010). In 2012 he was appointed Chair of the U.S. National Committee for Quaternary Research/INQUA. Presently he is an Associate Editor for Current Research in the Pleistocene, Geoarchaeology: An International Journal, and the Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. He has received many awards and distinctions, including Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the 2011 University of Kansas (KU) Center for Teaching Excellence Award, the KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 2009 John C. Wright Graduate Mentor Award, and the 2012 Kansas Board of Regents' Haguchi/Irvin E. Youngberg Research Achievement Award. The Geological Society of America recognized his achievements with two prestigious awards: the George Rapp Award for outstanding contributions to the interdisciplinary field of archaeological geology, and the 2010 Kirk Bryan Award for Excellence.”

Chip Groat re-named Louisiana State Geologist

Dr. Charles G. Groat has returned as Acting Director & Professor of Louisiana Geological

Survey. Groat returns to LSU after many years in academia, government, independent research, and administrative positions. Groat’s prior tenure at LSU includes serving as the LGS director and state geologist (1978-1990) and as the executive director for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources (1992-1995). He will work as acting LGS director with CES Executive Director David E. Dismukes to explore new research and growth opportunities for LGS and for LSU’s overall energy, coastal and environmental research initiatives. Groat is a nationally renowned educator and government scientist. Most recently, he retired as president and CEO from the Water Institute of the Gulf. He was professor and director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy and associate director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. He was also director of the U.S. Geological Survey under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.