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E-mails and Memos

    December 9, 2025
    FY 2026 Handshake Funding Recipient Announcement
    I am happy to announce the recipients of the Handshake Partnership Program funding for FY 2026. Please see the attached announcement signed by Mr. Stephen Hill, Director of Operations and Regulatory Division. These are outstanding partnerships that demonstrate the efforts and successes of our field projects in working with stakeholders to foster their involvement in improving and protecting our parks and natural resources. This initiative supports the efforts of USACE in being a community partner and working on grassroots partnering projects.

    Thank you for the worthy nominations from across USACE. The final selectees came from a good cross-section of our national program, geographically and conceptually: 6 projects involving 22 partners, are being funded across 5 districts and 3 divisions.

    Please join me in congratulating the selected recipients, which include:

  • Black Warrior-Tombigbee: Native grassland restoration
  • Buckhorn Lake: Fish habitat improvements
  • BA Steinhagen-Town Bluff: ADA sidewalk and additions
  • Burnsville Lake: Historical area revitalization
  • Seminole Lake: Vessel access enhancement
  • J. Strom Thurmond: Trail system hurricane recovery

    • Congratulations to the selected projects who have worked hard to foster and support these efforts. A big thanks to the Partnership Advisory Committee for their hard work in promoting and evaluating the Handshake proposals. I encourage all districts to apply for future consideration of the Handshake Program as these seeds of partnerships grow to provide long term benefits to the Corps and the public.

    The point of contact for the Handshake Program is Jared Gagnon, reached at (978) 318-8027 or jared.s.gagnon@usace.army.mil. Heather Burke, National Partnership Program Manager, can assist with all partnership and volunteer needs. She can be reached at (678) 972-3824 or Heather.D.Burke@usace.army.mil. Jeff
    Jeffrey F. Krause
    Chief, Natural Resources Management

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Updated: December 2025