January 19, 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

During the summer of 2003, I supervised Eric Roy as a seasonal worker for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Office of Long Island Sound Programs. Over a three-month period, Mr. Roy conducted field surveys for the invasive aquatic weed, water chestnut (Trapa natans), designed a GIS project, and wrote a final report.

A reliable self-starter, Mr. Roy needed very little supervision. After he spent the first week in the field with me, he then worked independently for the majority of the summer. He mapped out his search routes and planned the efficient use of his time to cover the greatest number of water bodies in a week.

One of the reasons that DEP hired Mr. Roy was for his experience with ArcView Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software. Using this application, he created a GIS project showing the lakes and rivers that he had searched and the results of the surveys. Mr. Roy also wrote a comprehensive final report that was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the funding agency for this work.

Mr. Roy demonstrated a clear commitment to the environment and performed consistently at a high level. He did an excellent job at the DEP and I would recommend him for a similar position or one requiring even greater responsibility and level of performance.

I would be happy to further elaborate on my experience with Mr. Roy. I have since left the DEP but I can be reached at (860) 416-6441.

Sincerely,

Lori K. BenoitFormerly the Habitat Restoration CoordinatorOffice of Long Island Sound ProgramsDept. of Environmental Protection