Theodolite Assemblage Volunteer Bio: MRWert513
We’re reviving an old and near-and-dear-to-our-hearts tradition of soliciting bios from TNMCorps volunteers who have reached significant editing milestones and earned either the Theodolite Assemblage or Squadron of Biplane Spectators recognition badges! TNMCorps wouldn’t be what it is without the hard work of our dedicated volunteers, so we hope you enjoy hearing from your fellow contributors!
Congratulations to TNMCorps volunteer MRWert513, who recently became one of the newest members of the Theodolite Assemblage with over 2000 points submitted! Thanks for all your hard work and contributions to TNMCorps!
Mark has lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for the last 30 years. He retired in 2022 after working there and two other cities as a prize-winning newspaper reporter and editor. He uses the factchecking skills he honed as a journalist – the skills he later taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati – when editing the USGS The National Map. He especially enjoyed working with graphic artists on maps and other infographics. Mark even supervised them for a time while working at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Mark was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but was raised in the flat lands of Northwest Ohio. He graduated from Indiana University and then spent 18 years in Rochester, N.Y. on the cusp of the Finger Lakes, his favorite place on Earth. After a year in Wilmington, Del. dealing with a dream job that turned out to be a nightmare, he returned home to Ohio.
His retirement is an active one. In addition to volunteering with the USGS, he is a regular helper with the city and county parks departments and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. One of his special interests is pollinators and native plants. Other volunteer gigs include the National Park Service’s William Howard Taft National Historic Site, the National Cancer Society (driving patients to and from appointments), Caracole (which provides services to people with HIV) and the Cincinnati Preservation Association. He also sings with the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus and is an avid gardener.
He echoes the advice of others who have been profiled here: “Stick with it and don’t get discouraged if you get feedback that you missed the mark. The map is constantly changing, which makes our task hard. Mastering the tools of the trade and USGS style takes repetition, lots of double checking and the occasional fumble. Keep at it!”