Noteworthy

Heroes! WYDOT workers save ducklings from certain death after falling through cattle guard

By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily Originally published July 25, 2022, reprinted with permission

Tiny animal rescues usually include cats being stuck in trees or a raccoon making a home inside of someone’s roof.

But on July 14, a crew of three Wyoming Department of Transportation employees became heroes for a group of eight ducklings when they rescued the tiny birds from a cattle guard near Wapiti.

Jim Berry was one of the three employees who rescued the birds and told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that this is one of the more rare calls he has been on.

“We hear about broken fences and cattle, sheep or goats getting out and you have to wrangle them back in and fix the fence,” Berry said. “But very rarely do you hear of anything getting trapped in a cattle guard.”

WYDOT was brought in after other ways to save the baby mallards did not pan out, according to Susan Ahalt, the owner of Ironside Bird Rescue in Cody.

Ahalt was called early that morning of July 14 by a woman in Wapiti, who heard the ducklings cheeping under her cattle guard. Ahalt attempted to rescue the birds, but due to the weeds and depths of the cattle guard, she could not reach them.

About an hour later, WYDOT was contacted to see if any of its employees could aid in the ducklings’ rescue.

Berry, Shaun Emmett and Joe Klein arrived on scene about an hour later with a front-end loader to raise the cattle guard out of the ground enough to get the ducklings out.

“There’s a pond across the street from where they were in the cattle guard and ducks hang out over there, so I figure their mother was around there,” Berry said.

Berry believes that the ducklings walked away from their mother and when one fell into the cattle guard, the rest of them followed.

In addition to using the front-end loader to reach the ducklings, the WYDOT crew also had to use a blow torch to open the guard and get the ducklings out.

One by one, the men lifted the (likely, according to Ahalt) twoday old ducklings out of the guard and up to the ground above, where they ran around, slipping through everyone’s fingers.

Ahalt and the WYDOT crew finally gathered the baby mallards up and Ahalt took them to her bird rescue, where they have been getting regular food and water.

Once they are older, Ahalt will release them into a friend’s pond, Berry said.

“They seemed happy and healthy when we got to the ducks,” Berry said. “This is one of those times where you get a call and you might have other things to do, but there are eight little ducklings and people are concerned about them. So you get out there and help them and everybody’s happy. Life is good at the end of the day.” n

A three-man crew from WYDOT rescued eight ducklings from a cattle guard near Wapiti.

The next generation of employees?

Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club visit WYDOT

By Mark Horan

Six students with the Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club paid a visit to HQ on Thursday, July 8.

The students, ranging between 13 and 16 years old, got a tour of the WYDOT campus and spoke to representatives from Public Affairs, HR, Patrol, Materials and the Maintenance Division to learn more about post high school job opportunities.

Highlights of the tour included opportunities to sit in the front of a squad car, climb into a snow plow, and watch some rebar get ripped apart in the Materials Lab.

Whether any of these young people join the WYDOT workforce one day remains to be seen. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all.

More tours might be scheduled in the future now that a partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs and WYDOT has been established.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America Members of the Boys and Girls Club were given a provides safe places, tour of WYDOT by the Public Affairs Office. caring mentors and life-enhancing programs that prepare kids and teens for great futures. The program serves more than 4 million youth throughout the country. n

By: Mark Horan

After almost 25 years with the state, including five and a half with WTDOT, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Troy Babbitt retired at the end of July.

AS CTO, Babbitt oversaw three departments:

The Information Technology (IT) Section which encompasses hardware and software needs for all WTDOT employees;

System Programs: Intelligent Transportation / Geographic Information/ Transportation Management Center (ITS/GIS/ TMC); and

Emergency Communications (telephones, cellular service, radio operations).

A U.S. Navy veteran and University of Wyoming alumnus, Babbitt spent virtually his entire career in government, starting off at the Albany County Assessor’s Office, and then moving over to the IT division in the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information (which is now known as Enterprise Technology Services or ETS).

He was the State Broadband Coordinator from 2012-2016, and became the Program Manager for Emergency Communications (then known as Telecom) for three years prior to becoming WYDOT CTO.

Career highlights with WYDOT include:

Becoming the state’s first 911 Coordinator, and leading the state’s transition to Next Generation 911 technology, improving the ability of 911 dispatch centers to locate and track callers in an emergency;

Adding additional WyoLink towers and upgrading systems when possible with fiber optic to allow for high capacity broadband connection;

Advancing roadside and connected vehicle technology and improving web camera and electronic signage to enhance highway safety; and,

Coordinating efforts to allow for teleworking during COVID 19, which was one of his biggest challenges.

“I had a lot of sleepless nights wondering how the heck people were going to go home and actually work,” Babbitt recalled. “A lot of people helped me get that one solved for the agency so that everyone could work remotely. And then, of course, that evolved in all the telework agreements and everything. “Such a huge success with that.”

Babbitt said he’s been fortunate in his career to surround himself with good people. “I’ve had some great mentors that I’ve tried to emulate. Director Reiner, for

example, is a wonderful leader. He just commands respect and the way he runs things. I certainly want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to be part of his executive staff.” Babbitt noted that communication, teamwork, and cooperation between agencies have made a huge difference in helping his departments excel. “It’s all about forming relationships and getting to know people so that you can pick up the phone and have a good conversation rather than fight with each other,” Babbitt said. “So my parting advice is to continue to build relationships to the best of your ability. It just makes things so much better.” Babbitt will be greatly missed by his colleagues on the Executive Staff and within the various departments he oversaw. A retirement celebration was held on July 20 in Cheyenne, and many of his past and present co-workers spoke highly of his professionalism and integrity. “Troy is certainly a man of character and values, and we’re Babbitt all better because he’s spent some time with us,” Director Reiner commented at the ceremony. Several passions will keep Babbitt busy after he retires. He and his wife are excited to spend more time in Colorado and Georgia with their two daughters, son-in-law and granddaughter. And, as an avid professional sports photographer at the state and national level, Babbitt plans to throw himself into that field as much as possible. He’s the official photographer for University of Wyoming Athletics, and shoots for USA Today Sports Images or IMAGN. His pictures have been published in USA Today, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and elsewhere. “I am going to continue working, just at a different capacity,” Babbitt said. Retiring from the state leaves Babbitt with mixed emotions. “It’s bittersweet because the people here at WYDOT and at ETS have been fantastic to work with,” he said. “Everybody’s dedicated, and they serve the state well. I can’t say enough about how good the state employees are that do the job out here.” n At his retirement celebration, Troy Babbitt received a custom-made sign of a radio tower bearing his initials. He was presented the gift by Emergency Telecommunications Program Manager Nate Smolinski (left) and WYDOT Director Luke Reiner.