Volunteer of the Year –
Bruce Lund |
We nominated this volunteer, Mr. Bruce Lund, because he has significantly contributed to the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Southern Nevada during FY2011. Now retired, Bruce worked 5 years as a US Forest Service Botanist for at the Spring Mountains NRA up until a few years ago. Bruce was one of the first volunteers to help the FWS open Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge to the public in 2009. Because he once lived on the refuge, and due to his biological background, he has been able to provide quality and passionate interpretation to the visiting public. He also trains nearly every resident and episodic volunteer, and regularly conducts interpretive and educational programs to the public and special groups on of the refuges.
Bruce is also an extraordinary secretary of the Friends of the Desert NWR Complex. As a result, he has vastly improved the record keeping and communication of the Friends. Earlier this year, he helped focus efforts by encouraging every board member to read a chapter of the FWS manual on how to form a Friends Group. As a result, the group was able to form a better vision and refine their work plan.
Additionally, Bruce recognized the need for improved scientific data and information on dragonflies and damselflies. After the initial consultation with the managers, he independently created a plan to train and lead a crew of twelve citizen scientists. Requiring nearly no supervision, he implemented a rigorous schedule, working nearly every weekend, in order to gather all data needed for an accurate and useful survey in one summer season. During FY2011, he personally donated nearly 400 hrs to the FWS. The crew that he solely trained and coordinated donated an additional 400 hours. As a result, the FWS is excited to use this survey crew as an example for other types of citizen scientists across the country.
Finally, Bruce is currently working with RRCIA and West CTA on science projects with their students. Thus, due to Bruce’s contribution over the last few years to, not only the FWS, but also the USFS and the BLM, the IVP team recognizes this outstanding volunteer as IVP Volunteer of the Year.
Lifetime Achievement Award –
Wanda Alexander
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Wanda Alexander has been an excellent, dedicated groundskeeper volunteer at the Boulder Beach campground for the past 23 years. She and faithful sidekick, dog Emmy Lou, are fixtures in their campground loop, and provide substantial benefit to the park. Since the beginning of her time at Lake Mead, Wanda has donated nearly 28,000 hours. In today’s terms, the value of Wanda’s time is over $591,000. Wanda’s passion for the park resources, knowledge, and level of dedication would be difficult to replace.
The park’s maintenance staff knows that they can rely on her to take care of minor problems, and to let them know immediately of any issues that they need to address. Because of her reliability and knowledge, park maintenance staff has asked Wanda to help direct other Boulder Beach campground groundskeeper volunteer’s efforts. She lets her fellow volunteers know what needs to be addressed each day, and then they work together to accomplish their tasks.
She’s also a champion of the safety of the plants the plants that she cares for. Any visitor that puts a nail in a tree, or inappropriately ties up a clothesline will hear from Wanda. This is the park’s most heavily used campground, and her watchful eye keeps most vegetation from permanent damage.
In 2009, the Boulder Beach campground was recognized as one of the 16 best campgrounds in the southwest by Sunset Magazine. Wanda’s committed care of the campground contributed to the park receiving this honor, a part of Lake Mead’s vision to be the “Best in the West.”
Wanda has dedicated thousands of hours of her time to Lake Mead, and the park is a better place for her service. We believe that she is worthy of receiving the honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Supervisor of the year –
Amelia Savage
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She has an easy going manner that allows her to work well in a group and give them leadership without being heavy handed.
Without Amelia’s can do attitude, the training classes and work days would not have happened. In the two years I have known her, she has never asked a volunteer to do something she wouldn’t do. Amelia is a dedicated employee whose ability to communicate and train her volunteers have made this volunteer program a joy to be in and has demonstrated her commitment and her full-time leadership abilities.
Amelia Savage is truly deserving of this year’s award of “SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR”.
 Volunteer Group of the Year – Red Rock Canyon Natural Resource Team
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The Group of the Year Award is presented to the Red Rock Canyon Natural Resource Team.
They are being recognized for their dedication and hard work in removing a blight from the Lost Creek Children’s Discovery Trail.
They were instrumental in the logistics and actual hands on removal of the graffiti from a sensitive cultural site that had been vandalized late last year.
Dr. Loubser’s summery report gives the team kudos for participation, hard work, and their level of expertise in removing the graffiti. This team worked hard and put in tedious hours in awkward and painful positions, working on one or more spots in their efforts to restore the site. Due to their efforts, that goal was realized. Thank you for your efforts.
Sponsor of the Year –
GR8 DIVIN
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I am pleased to nominate Vicki Ruiz and the GR8 team at GR8 Divn for the Sponsor of the Year award. While Vicki and her team have been active at Lake Mead for some time, in the past year they have stepped up and taken leadership in new ways. Through the Adopt-A-Cove program, they have taken on several areas of the park, and sponsored underwater litter cleanups throughout the last year.
As divers Vicki and her co-workers and students have a unique view of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Unfortunately, that view is often marred by trash dropped off boats or docks. In an effort to help remove some of this litter, Vicki began working with the National Park Service and marinas to organize underwater cleanups, called Eco Dives.
Vicki has a passion for a beautiful, but often ill treated part of the park, called Placer Cove. At the end of their visit, visitors often leave their garbage behind, both in and out of the water. Because of her concern for Placer Cove, Vicki met with members of the maintenance, law enforcement and volunteer program staff to see what she could do to help. The NPS simply does not have the thousands of dollars that hiring divers to complete routine cleanups would take. But, because of GR8 Divn’s generous sponsorship, Placer Cove is cleaner, and freer of underwater hazards.
GR8 Divin’s volunteer time is valued at over $4300. The technical expertise and oversight they provide are unmatched, and they are always a pleasure to work with. GR8 Divn provides excellent service to the park, and fulfills a critical need.
Special Award–
Patty Conant
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Patty Conant, an employee of the Southern Nevada Conservancy, has been working with the Forest Service supervising volunteers for the Mt. Charleston Litter Program in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area since 2008. She recruits, schedules and supervises the work of over 700 volunteers who contribute over 2,000 hours to pick up approximately 18,000 pounds of litter each year.
She has successfully fostered relationships with hundreds of groups and many individual volunteers. Many come back year after year because they want to help keep the mountain clean but also because they like to spend time with Patty. It is a dirty job to pick up trash on the mountain with things like dirty diapers, broken glass, fast food wrappers, beverage containers being left behind, but Patty makes it fun for volunteers.
Over the years she has worked with individual volunteers like Jeanine and Thomas who for long periods of time have worked daily with her and volunteer hundreds of hours each year. If no volunteers are available, sometime the clean-up effort becomes a family affair when Patty gets her husband, her son or her daughters and their families to come out and volunteer. She also is part of the Spring Mountains Recreation Team that ensures the trails and recreation sites are clean and functioning properly for visitors.
Patty is always thinking about safety and makes sure her volunteers accomplish their tasks in a safe manner. Volunteers working with Patty have never had an accident.
The US Forest Service considers Patty to be a vital part of the organization and appreciates how she represents the organization in a friendly, professional manner. She has helped thousands of visitors who are lost, stuck, or just having a bad day and helps them get back on track. Her dedication also makes it possible for everyone who visits the mountains to enjoy the awe inspiring scenery, without seeing unsightly trash.
From the Forest Service, and everyone who appreciates the mountains, thank you Patty.
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