Making a Difference
Former Army Corps Employee Helps Green the Corps


Jim Wood poses with his dog Lizzy in Arkansas. Wood, a 
volunteer with the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, is now 
working to reform his old employer.
Photo: Courtesy of Jim Wood

Exploring the Arkansas River bottoms. Learning to duck hunt. These are among the childhood experiences that helped shape Jim Wood's love of wildlife and wild places. His passion for protecting these resources is also fueled by a lesson learned in youth: "A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits," a teacher once wrote on a blackboard. The words have always stuck with him.

For three decades, Wood worked for the Army Corps of Engineers as a power plant employee. Retired eight years, the Arkansas native is now working hard to help reform his old employer. "Jim has volunteered countless hours of his time and traveled thousands of miles to advocate for his cause," says F. G. Courtney, senior grassroots outreach manager at NWF.

Last year, Wood led NWF affiliates from 46 states in passing a resolution calling for reform of the Corps. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Corps Reform Network, an alliance of 52 member organizations seeking to transform the Corps into an agency that protects and enhances rather than destroys aquatic resources. "Jim's knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the agency have been invaluable in helping all of us to understand how to go about figuring out what works, and how to go about fixing what's broken," says Courtney.

Over the years, the Corps has engaged in some very good projects, says Wood. "But too often," he continues, "in its enthusiasm to keep busy and satisfy local politicians and special interests, it mismanages its study process-'cooks the books' to make non-cost-effective projects look good to Congress." Recent General Accounting Office reports on botched studies of projects in Delaware and Oregon seem to confirm this practice. While Wood predicts the agency may ultimately see to its own transformation, he believes action on the part of grassroots activists will help save fragile landscapes left vulnerable in the interim.

"History shows we can do it," says Wood. In the late 1960s, for example, citizens in eastern Arkansas garnered political support and thwarted the Corps' plans to build a 100-mile-long ditch along the Cache River. The victory led to the establishment of a national wildlife refuge that is home to one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood forests in the United States and a popular wintering ground for migratory waterfowl. "If not for little battles," says Wood, "we wouldn't see how far we've come, how we got to where we are today and how important our efforts are."

Wood first took up the cause of conservation in 1966 when he joined the Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF). Since that time, he has served in several volunteer leadership positions, including treasurer and director. In 1998, he was elected AWF's representative to NWF, a position he still holds.

"Jim brings his great sense of humor-and common sense approach-to conservation," says Courtney. "And he has mentored others, helping them to understand how Corps priorities affect the health of the rivers and wetlands they love."

Earlier this year, Wood was presented with a Conservation Service Citation for his efforts. Jamie Clark, NWF senior vice president for conservation programs, presented the award. Before joining NWF, Clark served as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a fellow ex-federal employee, she noted in her remarks how difficult-and how important-it is to speak out about the need for change of a natural resources agency. That's exactly what Jim Wood is doing.

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