Kentucky Employee Stories

Updated 06/05/2008

Foundations for Conservation

Robert C. Ricks, Soil Conservation Technician

Many times people are unaware of the support staff necessary to keep this agency going.

One of our support personnel is Robert Ricks.  Bob Ricks has served our agency for more than twenty-two years and has served in Federal government for a total of 26 years.  Bob came to our agency from the U.S. Department of Interior.  In addition to his federal service, Bob served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves for over 22 years.

In his role as a Soil Conservation Technician, Bob has been instrumental in various projects throughout his career.  He is one of the first to report to a project area as he and fellow staff must lay the ground work for projects.  His detailed reports are used for design specifications for a variety of conservation practices that include of ponds, pipelines, waterways, diversion terracing practices, and animal waste management facilities.

Bob takes enormous pride in his work and realizes the importance of accuracy and specificity.  When asked what the most memorable project in which he participated, he doesn’t hesitate to remark,  “As an inspector for an Emergency Watershed Protection project, I gained enormous experience and insight of the various equipment and materials used to repair devastation.  The greatest feeling was to return to the project upon completion and seeing the results of a conservation practice actually working well.”

Bob’s dedication and devotion to conservation are exemplified in his work for NRCS.

Foundations for Conservation

Paul Howell, Geologist

Paul Howell has served as SCS/NRCS Kentucky’s geologist for more than 40 years.

When a new staff person comes aboard, Paul is the one person that really needs to show them around.

His wealth of knowledge of the ground and what lies below is one to be appreciated.  For starters, he offers a “twenty-five cent” tour along the Bluegrass Highway which runs between Lexington and Elizabethtown. 

This roadway has many cuts that expose the various bedrock formations and clearly reveals the distinct properties which control landscape development, soils, ground and surface water resources, and ultimately landuse patterns.  He calls this tour “connecting the surface to the subsurface.”

The application of this information is very cost effective and must be understood on a site-specific basis to be successful in NRCS’ activities and projects.  Assessing the subsurface suitability of a site is prudent for building ponds, water well exploration and foundations.

Paul likes his role as a geologist, the people he works with, and the variety of work.  He subscribes to the advice an uncle once gave him, “it is better to wear out than rust out.”

Paul Howell, truly a conservationist.

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