Latest news with #BruceJohnson
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What is a quagga mussel and why is it bad?
The summer boating season brings wakeboarding, fishing and good times on the water. It also brings the dreaded quagga mussel. The destructive aquatic invasive species infest lakes and reservoirs, typically from being transported on boats or other watercraft. They attach to hulls, propellers, rudders, keels and intake and exhaust ports. A single mussel can reproduce over 1 million eggs per year. Quagga mussels have shown up in several western states, including Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and California. Unlike the mussels you find at the seafood market, quagga mussels are not edible, so people don't harvest the tiny mollusks for food as a means to get rid of them. Removing quagga mussels is expensive and time consuming. Once they're established, they're almost impossible to eradicate. They have an astounding ability to resist chemical and other methods of removal, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. The most effective way to decontaminate equipment is to prevent quagga mussels from being transported from one body of water to another. Over this past Memorial Day weekend, DWR, Utah State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Park Service and Utah Department of Natural Resources officers inspected 10,988 boats and performed 141 decontaminations. Of those total numbers, 1,829 of the boat inspections and 63 of the decontaminations took place at inspection stations in the Lake Powell area, where the mussels were first found in 2012. Statewide, DNR officers found 113 violations of Utah laws established to prevent the spread of the invasive mussels. The majority of the violations last weekend were due to: Boaters failing to take the mandatory mussel-aware boater program course and not paying the associated aquatic invasive species fee for motorized boats. Boaters failing to remove drain plugs while transporting their watercraft. In addition to quagga mussels, wildlife agencies were also looking to prevent the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive plant species. While officers performed thousands of inspections that weekend, some drivers pulling boats blew right past mandatory checkpoints. 'We opened a new aquatic invasive species mandatory inspection station in Kanab, and unfortunately, we had some boaters drive past it over the holiday weekend,' Lt. Bruce Johnson, of the Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Aquatic Invasive Species Statewide Operations, said in a press release this week. 'Even watercraft that have been inspected at Lake Powell are required to stop at operating mandatory inspection stations to verify their inspection.' Utah has 40 inspection stations located at various boat ramps, along highways and at port of entry stations. The DWR and its partners have also installed five dip tanks across the state that more efficiently and effectively decontaminate complex boats. The dip tanks are free to use and are typically close to either the entrance of a state park or near a boat ramp. Dip tanks are located at: Lake Powell — Stateline Launch Ramp at Wahweap Marina Utah Lake State Park Sand Hollow State Park Lake Powell — Bullfrog Marina Willard Bay State Park The quagga mussel is a species of freshwater mussel native to the Aral, Black and Caspian seas and the Dnieper River drainage in Ukraine. It's closely related to the zebra mussel. Quagga mussels were introduced to the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, likely as a result of ballast water discharge by ships from Europe, and spread quickly to other U.S. waterbodies via contaminated boats and other watercraft. The thumbnail-sized, two-shelled mollusks are shaped like the letter 'D' and vary in color from brownish yellow to black. Quagga mussels reproduce via eggs that free-float in the water until fertilized, and then the microscopic larvae — called veligers — emerge after three to five days. Veligers are dispersed in the water while they grow and are free swimming for up to a month until they are large enough to secure an attachment site on just about any kind of surface. They go through metamorphosis and grow an adult shell, reaching maturity in one to two years, per the DWR. According to the DWR, quagga mussels: Plug water lines, even lines that are large in diameter. Get into water delivery systems, costing millions of dollars annually to remove and keep the pipes free, which can result in higher utility bills. Remove plankton from the water, which hurts fish species. Get into a boat's engine cooling system, fouling the system and damaging the engine. Stink when they die in large numbers and are sharp obstacles in beaches.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Utah Department of Wildlife Resources inspects 11K boats for invasive species over Memorial Day weekend
SALT LAKE CITY () — The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) said it inspected about 11,000 boats for an invasive species this Memorial Day weekend. DWR said it was looking for quagga mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil. Quagga mussels can destroy fisheries, damage boats, and even pollute shorelines, DWR reported. Officers say they found about 140 boats with the invasive mollusk. Eurasian watermilfoil is an invasive plant that has made its way through Utah. It blocks out sunlight, killing native plants and hurting fish. According to DWR, bringing even one piece of watermilfoil to a body of water can start a new population. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said invasive species like mussels and watermilfoil impact everyone in Utah. 'We have pictures that show PVC pipes that are being completely closed off with these growing mussels within a year's time we can completely close off a 2-inch waterline. So, those costs go to even non-boaters,' Bruce Johnson, Lieutenant of AIS Operations at DNR, told in an interview. Sandy mom of six survives 15 years of blood cancer, helps other patients fight Johnson said that the solution is simple: When you leave the water, clean, drain, and dry your boat. 'Clean, drain, and dry. That program, that concept works for everything,' Johnson stated. 'As soon as a boater pulls out of any water body, pull all the drain plugs, let all the water drain out, let your boat air dry out, and that will prevent so many problems down the line.' However, it is important to drain and dry a boat at the body of water. Draining into a gutter or a storm drain is 'the worst thing you can do,' Johnson said. That can contaminate other bodies of water that the DNR may not be able to track, causing problems and clogging pipes. According to DWR and DNR, in order to keep Utah's water bodies healthy, boaters also must stop at an inspection station before going in the water. Inspection stations are found throughout the state. An inspection technician will help you and give you a receipt. 'It is mandatory that while we are open at any of these locations, those boaters are required to pull in and get that inspection,' Johnson told 'and it's a good thing for them, […] if they are carrying water, we're preventing that water from being transported from that infested water body and being deposited in a clean water body up here.' Carly Wasserlein and Nick Butts contributed to this story. Human foot found in shoe along Fish Lake shoreline may belong to man missing since 1997 Utah Department of Wildlife Resources inspects 11K boats for invasive species over Memorial Day weekend Experience the magic of your favorite Harry Potter™ movies up close at Harry Potter: The Exhibition RGS Exteriors is your one stop shop for home exterior upgrades and repairs See how Duct Brothers seals the costly leaks in your air duct system Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TekStream To Bring Public-Private Workforce Development Program to Educause Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Conference
TekStream and Partners Establish New Table Stakes for Cybersecurity Higher Education Training ATLANTA, May 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TekStream, a cybersecurity and IT solutions leader, is bringing its public-private workforce development program to the Educause Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Conference in Baltimore, MD, from May 19-21, 2025. The framework will be discussed during a breakout session, Removing Economic, Social and Demographic Barriers to Cybersecurity, on Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m. TekStream, in partnership with Louisiana State University, Splunk, and AWS, provides cybersecurity through automation, shared threat intelligence, consistent architecture, and student training that offers a higher degree of skills than current academia provides. Initially launched as a pilot, the student-powered SOC represents a first-of-its-kind approach to affordable MDS and high-quality, hands-on student cybersecurity training. The program has been implemented at other higher education institutions nationwide, including the New Jersey Institute of Technology, since its initial success. The breakout session, taking place during the second full day of the event, will be presented by Bruce Johnson, Senior Director, Enterprise Security at TekStream; Sharon Kelley, Executive Director for Information Security & CISO at New Jersey Institute of Technology; Craig Woolley, Chief Information Officer at Louisiana State University; and Ed Wozencroft, Vice President for Digital Strategy & CIO at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The panel will discuss how the student-powered SOC alleviates the expense of a standalone cybersecurity approach, how they use AI for level 1 detections and how student training overcomes the barrier AI has created for entry-level job seekers. Session attendees will: Learn how the collaborative SOC protects entities on an institutional, statewide and national level. Hear how LSU and NJIT's training includes escalation, response, remediation and threat intelligence skills that aren't teachable from textbooks. Discover how LSU and NJIT are creating economies of scale, removing barriers to best-in-class cybersecurity with partners. Demand for well-trained, qualified employees is at an all-time high, with an industry average vacancy rate of 28%. Meanwhile, new graduates looking to enter the cybersecurity industry are struggling to overcome the hurdle of AI augmenting level 1 analysis, replacing most entry-level cybersecurity positions. TekStream's public-private workforce development program goes beyond current higher-ed classroom education to provide real-time, hands-on training, combining real-world cybersecurity incident response and engineering experience with a formal, tiered curriculum, oversight and customized guidance. "The industry is at a crossroads right now, needing new, qualified talent to enter a workforce with few entry-level positions for them," says Bruce Johnson. "What we are doing with LSU and NJIT is opening the door for a new, accessible talent pipeline that is replicable, easy to stand up and affordable to manage." Within the program, students are taught how to differentiate severity, identify risk, assess blast radius, implement effective remediation, communicate appropriately and work as a team, with professional oversight from TekStream. In turn, TekStream covers odd hours (the time outside of traditional business working hours), ensuring that LSU and NJIT have the 24/7 coverage needed without burdening students. Unlike other student-powered SOCs, TekStream pulls candidates from all majors and backgrounds. Students within the program learn at their own pace, progressing as quickly or slowly as they like. This approach expands post-graduation opportunities for the students, allowing them to establish a thorough resume and portfolio and giving them the skills needed to enter mid-level roles right after graduation. Ten students will have successfully completed the program with this year's spring graduating class. In addition to its application for improving higher-education learning for students, TekStream's workforce development program offers a fast-paced, easy-to-manage framework for entities looking to upskill existing employees. In early use cases, some organizations have been able to upskill their existing IT and cybersecurity talent in as little as six weeks. Visit to learn more about the event, or stop by the session on May 20 at 4 p.m. About TekStream TekStream, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, helps clients accelerate digital transformation by navigating complex technology environments with a combination of technical expertise and staffing solutions. TekStream provides battle-tested processes and methodologies to help companies with legacy systems get to the cloud faster so they can become more agile, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. With hundreds of successful deployments, TekStream guarantees on-time and on-budget project delivery and is proud to have 98% customer retention. View source version on Contacts Media Contact Brianna LaRoucheTrevelino/Kellerblarouche@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
TekStream To Bring Public-Private Workforce Development Program to Educause Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Conference
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TekStream, a cybersecurity and IT solutions leader, is bringing its public-private workforce development program to the Educause Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Conference in Baltimore, MD, from May 19-21, 2025. The framework will be discussed during a breakout session, Removing Economic, Social and Demographic Barriers to Cybersecurity, on Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m. TekStream, in partnership with Louisiana State University, Splunk, and AWS, provides cybersecurity through automation, shared threat intelligence, consistent architecture, and student training that offers a higher degree of skills than current academia provides. Initially launched as a pilot, the student-powered SOC represents a first-of-its-kind approach to affordable MDS and high-quality, hands-on student cybersecurity training. The program has been implemented at other higher education institutions nationwide, including the New Jersey Institute of Technology, since its initial success. The breakout session, taking place during the second full day of the event, will be presented by Bruce Johnson, Senior Director, Enterprise Security at TekStream; Sharon Kelley, Executive Director for Information Security & CISO at New Jersey Institute of Technology; Craig Woolley, Chief Information Officer at Louisiana State University; and Ed Wozencroft, Vice President for Digital Strategy & CIO at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The panel will discuss how the student-powered SOC alleviates the expense of a standalone cybersecurity approach, how they use AI for level 1 detections and how student training overcomes the barrier AI has created for entry-level job seekers. Session attendees will: Learn how the collaborative SOC protects entities on an institutional, statewide and national level. Hear how LSU and NJIT's training includes escalation, response, remediation and threat intelligence skills that aren't teachable from textbooks. Discover how LSU and NJIT are creating economies of scale, removing barriers to best-in-class cybersecurity with partners. Demand for well-trained, qualified employees is at an all-time high, with an industry average vacancy rate of 28%. Meanwhile, new graduates looking to enter the cybersecurity industry are struggling to overcome the hurdle of AI augmenting level 1 analysis, replacing most entry-level cybersecurity positions. TekStream's public-private workforce development program goes beyond current higher-ed classroom education to provide real-time, hands-on training, combining real-world cybersecurity incident response and engineering experience with a formal, tiered curriculum, oversight and customized guidance. 'The industry is at a crossroads right now, needing new, qualified talent to enter a workforce with few entry-level positions for them,' says Bruce Johnson. 'What we are doing with LSU and NJIT is opening the door for a new, accessible talent pipeline that is replicable, easy to stand up and affordable to manage.' Within the program, students are taught how to differentiate severity, identify risk, assess blast radius, implement effective remediation, communicate appropriately and work as a team, with professional oversight from TekStream. In turn, TekStream covers odd hours (the time outside of traditional business working hours), ensuring that LSU and NJIT have the 24/7 coverage needed without burdening students. Unlike other student-powered SOCs, TekStream pulls candidates from all majors and backgrounds. Students within the program learn at their own pace, progressing as quickly or slowly as they like. This approach expands post-graduation opportunities for the students, allowing them to establish a thorough resume and portfolio and giving them the skills needed to enter mid-level roles right after graduation. Ten students will have successfully completed the program with this year's spring graduating class. In addition to its application for improving higher-education learning for students, TekStream's workforce development program offers a fast-paced, easy-to-manage framework for entities looking to upskill existing employees. In early use cases, some organizations have been able to upskill their existing IT and cybersecurity talent in as little as six weeks. Visit to learn more about the event, or stop by the session on May 20 at 4 p.m. About TekStream TekStream, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, helps clients accelerate digital transformation by navigating complex technology environments with a combination of technical expertise and staffing solutions. TekStream provides battle-tested processes and methodologies to help companies with legacy systems get to the cloud faster so they can become more agile, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. With hundreds of successful deployments, TekStream guarantees on-time and on-budget project delivery and is proud to have 98% customer retention.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cherry growers hopeful for big crop after total loss in 2024
May 1—The rows of cherry trees at Buena Vista Orchard in Bigfork last week were flaunting thousands of buds of the delicate white flowers that will eventually turn to delicious fruit this summer. The picturesque scene offered a stark difference from last year, when a harsh January freeze stopped the flowers from developing at orchards along Flathead Lake. After a near total loss in 2024, local cherry growers anticipate a solid comeback this year, beginning with the peak bloom at the end of this week and into the next. "There's buds all over the place," Bruce Johnson, owner of Buena Vista Orchard and board member of Flathead Cherry Grower's Co-op, said while inspecting a branch. "This year, the chance is there." The east shore of Flathead Lake is unique in its ability to grow cherries, where fruit trees absorb calmer weather due to Flathead Lake. The lake acts as a "heat sink," Johnson explained, moderating weather that comes across it. While temperatures could be below zero in Kalispell or Lakeside, they are often higher south of Bigfork, where cherry orchards cover the land on either side of Montana 35. "That usually holds true, that moderate effect," Johnson said. "But that did not hold true last year." Johnson produced 3,000 pounds of cherries in 2024, only 10% of a normal year's crop. And he was one of the luckier ones, he said, with a lot of orchards having a total loss season. "I've never seen a year that bad," Johnson reflected on his 25 years as an orchardist, walking the rows of trees that survived. At the time it had been 33 years since the last big freeze in 1991 that affected orchards around Flathead Lake. Severe drops in temperature freeze the existing blossoms so pollination can't happen, an essential process for the continuation of growth. As a result, like springtime last year, the trees grew leaves but no flowers, meaning no cherries. "This year our winter was a little more normal and we didn't have the severe drop in temperature. We had some cold weather, but it was gradual. These trees can handle cold weather, as long as there is not an abrupt change," said Brian Campbell, a Flathead cherry grower and field representative for Monson Fruit Company, the Washington-based company that helps growers process their crop. Campbell predicted that if spring weather continues to be pleasant, growers will be looking at a potentially very big crop this year. Monson Fruit Company collects 80% of Flathead Cherry Growers Co-op harvests, which are processed, packaged and marketed at a price determined by surrounding cherry crops, mainly in Washington. They sell cherries domestically and some internationally. A new challenge this year will be navigating the sale of international cherries to countries affected by President Donald Trump's elevated tariffs. With the intention of boosting the manufacturing capabilities of the United States, the tariffs have alternatively thrown the global economy into uncertainty with higher prices. "I can't foresee how [tariffs] would help us," Campbell said. He said that Monson does not distribute many cherries to China, but they do sell to Canada and Mexico, which were also targeted by Trump's tariffs. This year's harvest could peak at the end of July into August. Orchardists anticipate stocked cherry stands along the east shore of Flathead Lake at that time. "Last year people got wind that there was no crop, so a lot of people didn't make the effort to come buy cherries apparently," Campbell said. "This year will be really good for that." Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@ Bruce Johnson looks over a section of apple trees with his puppy Stryder at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Bruce Johnson looks over a blossoming lapins cherry tree at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider A hive of bees rests on a platform in a row of lapins cherry trees at Bruce Johnson's Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Bruce Johnson looks over a young sweetheart cherry tree with his puppy Stryder at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Bruce Johnson looks over a blossoming lapins cherry tree at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Bruce Johnson inspects a lapins cherry blossom at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider Bruce Johnson looks over a blossoming lapins cherry tree at Buena Vista Orchard on Thursday, April 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider
