Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – April in Juneau can mean many things. It’s springtime, cruise ship time, whale watching time, and now Forest Service employee orientation time.
For the second year, Alaska’s capital city is hosting dozens of the newest employees hired with the USDA Forest Service and the Alaska Region.
From April 2-4, up to a hundred newly minted agency workers and about a dozen orientation presenters will gather at the Centennial Hall for a 3-day, in-person orientation about the agency, its history, workforce, mission, values, relationships, and priorities.
The orientation-goers call communities on or near the Chugach and Tongass National Forest, including Juneau, home, with remote workers based outside of Alaska making the trip north to attend as well.
“We hired about 175 new employees last year,” said Acting Regional Forester Chad VanOrmer. “With so many new hires, offering a robust Forest Service orientation for them made sense and doing it in Juneau was a given.”
The in-person orientation includes special panel discussions on the agency’s strategic priorities of sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands, delivering benefits to the public, applying knowledge globally, and exceling as a high-performing agency.
Also, like last year, a tribal partner panel with guest speakers from tribes and corporations based in southeast and southcentral Alaska will take center stage on day three of the orientation to share the unique and inspiring story of Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples.
