My job rocks
TVA employees are on the job 24/7, keeping the lights on, running the river system and supporting TVA’s operations. In this column, you’ll hear from TVA employees who can say, “My job rocks!”
Aurora Moldovanyi
Recreation Representative, TVA Land & Water Stewardship
In two years at TVA, Aurora Moldovanyi has helped release lake sturgeon on the French Broad River, implement prescribed burning with the Tennessee Department of Forestry on Norris Reservoir and lay out and build a trail on Boone Reservoir.
A former park ranger with the National Park Service, Moldovanyi has a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology & Management from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in Natural Resource Recreation Planning & Management from West Virginia University.
“My cubicle is located in Morristown, but I’m often on the road to Knoxville and Chattanooga to collaborate with other recreation staff, foresters and wildlife biologists. Together, we plan and manage 293,000 acres of TVA land along 47 reservoirs and nearly 100 public-recreation areas for quality recreation opportunities and natural-resource conservation.
Aurora Moldovanyi assists students from a Knox County, Tenn., elementary school with a sturgeon release in the French Broad River below Douglas Dam. The release was a partnership with TVA, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Aquarium.
“I think of myself as a recreation ecologist and planner. I assess the condition of recreation and natural-resource assets and try to find ways to improve public access and resource conditions simultaneously.
“Our partners and the public see us as the ‘face of TVA’ as we work to maintain and improve TVA lands. Recently, I worked on a proposal to improve day-use recreation facilities, such as picnicking and fishing from the bank, and stabilize shoreline with bioengineering materials – rip rap and vegetation – for a boat ramp area on Douglas Reservoir.
“This is what motivates me to come to work every day: I want to be a good steward of the land, and I want my passion for that to have a positive impact on others.”
Moldovanyi says her passions outside of work include photography. Inside TVA has used one of her photographs (see “Casting call” in the September issue.)