DEL 3 & CHERYL

Del 3 and Cheryl were married in 1986

The Wedding Party

Dan, Donna, Cheryl, Del3, Pat, Del2 and Debbie

Special recognition

Employee of the Year

Del Lobb, Fisheries Habitat Specialist, was selected as the Employee of the Year for 2001. Del is a Research Biologist in Columbia. Del was selected for his extreme dedication and persistence in protecting instream flow and aquatic habitat in Missouri streams. Del is extremely knowledgeable in one of the most technical and little understood sciences of instream flow. Instream flow is vital to the health of our stream communities. He quickly earns the respect of his peers, even those that are on the opposite sides of the issue, because he relies on sound science and professional judgment to prove his point - never wavering in his fight to improve the aquatic resource. His letters and comments are always well worded, concise, and never left open to interpretation. Adversaries soon come to respect his opinions because they are well founded in principal and good science. The past two years he has made remarkable progress in MDC=s negotiations with AmerenUE for the FERC re-licensing of Bagnell Dam. He has served on five subcommittees including Erosion, Water Quality, River Hydrology, Fish and Invertebrate Sampling, and Lake Management, and assisted with the Mussel and Recreational Use subcommittees. Each of these committees require many hours of meetings, detailed analyses, and extensive debate to make difficult decisions and meet short deadlines. These efforts are critical for protecting the Osage River and its aquatic life over the next 40 years of the Bagnell Dam license. He has also been heavily involved in instream flow issues on Table Rock Dam and Lake Taneycomo. He did many of the data collections and arranged for TVA=s expert on temperature and dissolved oxygen modeling to develop a model for water flow and its effects on temperature and dissolved oxygen in Lake Taneycomo. The results of this contract study will be the basis for negotiations with the Corps of Engineers and Southwestern Power Association for flows to improve the water quality of the upper end of Lake Taneycomo and will improve the trout fishery. He has also been involved in several studies regarding instream flow issues on three rivers in West Central Missouri, the Marmaton, Marais des Cygnes and Little Osage rivers. He has coordinated two university projects with University of Missouri on communities and habitats of these rivers and is co-investigator on a large USGS study on instream flow and water uses in the basin. The study must withstand legal scrutiny because a water compact will likely be litigated between Missouri and Kansas if we are going to preserve water for our resources in Missouri. Del received a plaque and a custom-made 6 weight fly rod and reel and we wish him many happy hours of smallmouth fishing on Missouri streams. Del’s wife Cheryl Lobb was present to see him receive the award. Congratulations to Del and Cheryl.