Nov. 10, 1997 -- Some of this week's stories

Harvest to help restore ANL-E native habitat

Volunteers from Argonne and DOE recently spent a sunny day harvesting prairie plant seeds at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, gathering about 25 gallons of seed that will be used to restore Fermilab's on-site prairie and begin a native habitat restoration project at Argonne-East.

"The donated seed will be spread out this winter at Argonne so that it will have a greater probability of germinating," said Julie Jastrow (ER).

Argonne ecologists are working on a project to preserve and restore on-site native habitat types, such as woodlands, wetlands, prairies and savannas, to protect native species and enhance the beauty of the Argonne-East site.

"Reestablishing these natural communities at Argonne will increase biodiversity and improve habitats for native wildlife species," said Jastrow. "Restored habitats will ultimately require less maintenance."

The reestablishment of native habitats at Argonne is included in DOE and Argonne land management policies, which propose to manage land and facilities as valuable national resources.

A 12-member Argonne Land Management and Habitat Restoration Committee evaluates and develops plans for the project. Much of the restoration work was performed by Plant Facilities and Services-Grounds employees in 1996.

Last fall, ground preparation for a prairie restoration site in the East Area began by eliminating existing nonnative vegetation with a herbicide. Early this spring, a controlled burn was conducted to remove dead vegetation. The site was then tilled, and herbicide was applied to kill the flush of weeds that sprouted after tillage. In late May, PFS employees sowed a mixture of prairie grasses and other plants.

"Initially, the site will look pretty weedy, but the prairie species will be growing under the cover of weeds," said Jastrow. "After the second or third year, we should be able to conduct an effective controlled burn, and then the site will begin to look more like a prairie."

"Additional seeding and periodic controlled burns will further enhance the site," she said.

This fall, the committee plans to begin a similar process to restore native prairie to an area surrounding a wetland near Building 401 in an effort to reduce erosion and enhance wetland water quality. In addition, nonnative plants will be removed in woodland areas to promote the growth of oaks and other native trees.

Currently, ecologists are developing plans to restore savannas by evaluating current theories concerning savanna communities and by gathering information from savanna restoration efforts throughout the region.

-- Rosemary Fabian

Lemont Road work may close lanes

Curb-repair work now under way along Lemont Road south of Westgate Road is the harbinger of a road-resurfacing project that will result in future lane closures.

If weather cooperates, the project should take about five weeks, said Kent Cooper of the DuPage County Division of Transportation. But bad weather could delay most or all of the project until next spring.

A mild spell will allow county crews to start the project, bringing lane closures from just south of the bridge over the Des Plaines River to Deerpath Road, the entrance to the International Centre business park where Argonne-East's Building 900 is located.

Cooper said lanes would be closed only in the stretch of roadway being resurfaced at the time.

The county is also planning to resurface Plainfield Road between Manning Road and Clarendon Hills Road. Whether that project starts in the next few weeks or is delayed until next year also depends on the weather, Cooper said.

Lab to mark first 'America Recycles Day' ...

On Friday, Nov. 14, DOE and Argonne will celebrate the first "America Recycles Day" by sponsoring a forum at Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria from 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.

America Recycles Day is aimed at keeping recycling working by encouraging the use of recycled products. Local vendors will be on hand exhibiting products and packaging made from recycled content. Employees can also learn more about the types of recycled content products available for purchase through Argonne's Procurement Department.

Argonne employees can support America Recycles Day by pledging to recycle and buy recycled products. By signing a pledge card, employees will receive an "Argonne Recycles" lapel pin and become eligible to win the "American Green Dream House" or a family Walt Disney vacation in a national random drawing.

Prizes sponsored by the State of Illinois include an ethanol-fueled Ford Taurus (two-year lease), a skybox party at a Chicago Bulls game and an IBM computer for a school.

Argonne will also raffle T-shirts and "Argonne Recycles" coffee mugs from the pledge cards submitted.

Pledge cards will be available during the forum or by calling Keith Trychta (EMO) at ext. 2-1476. Argonne's America Recycles Day is sponsored by DOE, Environmental Management Operations, and the Waste Management and Pollution Prevention Advisory Committee.

... and 'recycled' toy drive will brighten
Christmas season for children in Chicago

The "America Recycles Day" forum marks the kickoff for a holiday toy drive to benefit the children of Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood. Employees who bring a toy to the forum will receive an "Argonne Recycles" coffee mug.

From Nov. 14 through Dec. 5, donated toys may be dropped off at Argonne-East Fire Station, Building 333.

The toys will be donated to Bethel New Life's Christmas Family Sharing Project. Bethel New Life is a partner with Argonne in several recycling and environmental projects to help restore Chicago's West Garfield Park area.

Toys must be reusable, safe, clean, intact and in working condition. Suggested items include puzzles, games, books, cassettes, bicycles, tricycles, wagons, dolls, roller skates, ice skates, electronic toys and electronic equipment. Toy guns or toys in poor condition will not be accepted.

For more information, call Keith Trychta (EMO) at ext. 2-1476.

Building 366 to be
dedicated to HEP's
Leonard Balka

The High Energy Physics Division facility in Argonne-East's Building 366 will be dedicated to the late Leonard J. Balka in a ceremony inside the building on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m.

Balka transformed Building 366 into a high-energy physics detector fabrication facility. He was instrumental in building several detectors for Argonne's High Energy Physics program, including components for ZEUS, Fermilab's Collider Detector Facility, the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC), STAR and the ATLAS detector for CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

Balka and his group of technicians also had a major role in the construction of the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator R&D facility, which shares the building with detector fabrication.

Earlier in his career, he managed the Zero-Gradient Synchrotron vacuum system and then worked on the U-25B superconducting magnet project, including the installation at its exchange location in Moscow.

Balka, an engineering specialist, died July 29 after 35 years of service to the laboratory.

All Argonne and DOE employees whose schedules permit are invited to attend the ceremony.

Morgenthaler to speak on Bosnia duty

Jill Morgenthaler (OPA) will recount her experiences with the international peacekeeping force in Bosnia at "Tales From the Front," a special presentation by the Argonne Toastmasters Club on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The award-winning speaker will begin her one-hour talk at noon in Argonne-East's Building 203 Auditorium.

Morgenthaler, a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, spent nine months in the Balkans as deputy operations officer at the Implementation Force's Office of Public Affairs Operations, which escorts and provides information on the military operation for members of the press.

The Implementation Force is an international group of about 60,000 troops from 25 nations -- including some 20,000 U.S. troops -- helping to keep the peace in Bosnia and ensure humanitarian aid deliveries.

EA group honored
by Groundwater
Protection Council

The EAD Environmental Assessment Division team of John Veil, Debbie Elcock and David Tomasko has received the Award of Excellence in Technical Development from the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC).

The team was recognized for evaluating the feasibility of using salt caverns for disposal of nonhazardous oil-field wastes. The award was presented at the GWPC's recent annual meeting in Cleveland.

The GWPC is a national organization that serves as a forum for government, industry, educators and environmental organizations to exchange information, debate policy and fund research related to ground protection.

HR seeks appraisals
of its appraisal form

Human Resources is interested in obtaining feedback on the effectiveness of this year's revised performance appraisal form.

All exempt (staff) employees and 300 series non-exempt employees who were evaluated this year using the new form are asked to complete a brief survey via the "Performance Appraisal Survey" button on the Human Resources home page. The survey takes only two to three minutes to complete.

Paper copies of the survey are available in the Human Resources reception area for employees who don't have access to the World Wide Web.

Feedback is needed no later than Nov. 14. Results will be analyzed and compared with similar questions from the recent all-employee survey which reflected the 1996 performance appraisals.

ANL Choral Group
seeking voices

The Argonne Choral Group is looking for singers to join in its 16th season of spreading holiday cheer at Argonne-East.

No experience is required, just a willingness to sing, said Harry Bell (PFS), who has led the group since its inception. Rehearsals will be held at lunchtime, and the group will perform on a day in December to be determined.

For more information, or to volunteer, call Bell at ext. 2-7096 or Ervina Scott (PFS) at ext. 2-5295.

Talk to reveal secrets of 'Smart Exercise'

Argonne's Preventive Health and Wellness Program will sponsor a one-hour interactive seminar on "Smart Exercise" at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 13, in Argonne-East's Building 203 Auditorium.

The seminar will be conducted by Kathy Freeman, an exercise physiologist and certified athletic trainer. It will feature highlights of Covert Baily's videotape "Smart Exercise."

Participants will learn the latest discoveries in exercise physiology to explain muscle efficiency, metabolism and the secrets to getting fit fast.

The seminar is open to all Argonne and DOE employees and their spouses. There is no charge and no registration required.

League seeks
woman bowler

The Argonne Mixed Bowling League needs a woman bowler to fill out a team.

No experience is required.

The league bowls on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at Strike 'n Spare II in Lockport. Call Sharon Cleary (OCF) at ext. 2-8531 or Janet Carothers (CMT) at ext. 2-1499 for more information.

Argonne's official
history is published

Argonne's official history has been published and is available for employees to purchase.

"Argonne National Laboratory: 1946-96" (ISBN 0-252-02341-2) was written by Jack M. Holl, professor of history at Kansas State University and former chief historian for the U.S. Department of Energy. The 644-page, hard-cover book, which contains a foreword by Argonne Director Emeritus Alan Schriesheim, was published by the University of Illinois Press.

Employees can order copies by phoning the University of Illinois Press at 800/545-4703. Payment can be made by MasterCard or Visa. The price is $29.95 each, plus mailing costs of $3 for the first copy and 50¢ for each additional copy.

Employees who prefer to pay by check can mail orders to the University of Illinois Press, P.O. Box 4856 Hampden Station, Baltimore, MD 21211.

Those who identify themselves as Argonne employees or retirees will receive a 20 percent discount.

HR offers classes in English, presentations

Human Resources has scheduled classes in English as a second language, grammar and proofreading and presentation excellence in November.

Class information for all Human Resources classes can be found on the Human Resources World Wide Web home page under Performance Development. Employees may use a copy of an enrollment form to enroll.

* English as a Second Language (HR534) is designed to help non-native speakers improve their English language skills on the job. The class will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays, Nov. 19 - Feb. 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 201, Room 238. The cost is $375 - $425, depending on class size, including textbooks and $30 for a pretest required for all new participants. Call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

* Grammar and Proofreading (HR336) presents practical methods for improving a participant's professional writing style. The class will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nov. 18 - Dec. 18, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. in Building 201, Room 238. The cost is $210. Call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

* Presentation Excellence (HR532) provides techniques to look, sound and feel confident, organized and effective. The class will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 11-12, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Building 212, Room B201. There is no cost for this class. Call Charlyne Robinson (HR) at ext. 2-8786 for more information.

IPD hosts workshop
on BASIS Webserver

The Information and Publishing Division will host the BASIS Midwest Regional User Group workshop, "Using and Enhancing the BASIS Webserver Gateway," on Friday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 401, Room B1100.

The workshop is free.

A technical support representative from Information Dimensions, Inc., will present current and future features of the BASIS Webserver gateway. A trainer from the company will demonstrate construction of a simple document database and enhancing it for web delivery.

Two user presentations will cover using BASIS to store hyper text markup language (HTML) documents and retrofitting existing BASIS databases for HTML support.

For more information, call Dana Stasiak (IPD) at ext. 2-0912 or send e-mail to dstasiak@anl.gov.

EMO offers two free classes
in transuranic waste management

Environmental Management Operations will offer two free training courses on Transuranic (TRU) Waste Management.

* "TRU Waste Management System Overview," to be held Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 3-4, will help participants understand key tasks in TRU waste management process requirements. It fulfills the Quality Assurance Program Plan indoctrination training requirement.

* "WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria Revision 5," to be held Friday, Dec. 5, will address organizational responsibilities, required plans and forms and meeting Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) waste acceptance criteria. This class is limited to 20 people, but the limit may be increased depending on demand.

Classes will be held in Argonne-Easts's Building 360. Those interested should send name, address, telephone and fax number, e-mail address, and course name to Waste Management Department, Building 306, or send e-mail to sbaumann@anl.gov. The fax number is ext. 2-6706; telephone numbers are ext. 2-5865 or ext. 2-5866.

Reservations must be made by Friday, Nov. 14.

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