2011 Volunteer Recognition Event 11/5

The sixth annual Volunteer Recognition Event was held on November 5th, 2011 at the UNLV Student Union Ballroom. It acknowledged the valued time and enthusiasm volunteers give to protect our public lands. One hundred and thirty six volunteers received a complimentary breakfast while enjoying the presentation by the guest speaker, Bruce Lund. He shared his passion of dragonflies and damselflies.

The following awards were presented at the event:

• The 2011 Supervisor of the Year was Amelia Savage.  Without Amelia’s can do attitude, the training classes and work days would not have happened. She is a dedicated employee whose ability to communicate and train her volunteers have made this volunteer program a joy to be in.

• The 2011 Volunteer Group of the Year was the Red Rock Canyon Natural Resource Team. They are recognized for their dedication and hard work in removing blight from the Lost Creek Children’s Discovery Trail. They were also instrumental in the logistics and actual hands on removal of the graffiti from a sensitive cultural site that had been vandalized late last year.

• The 2011 Sponsor of the Year was GR8 DIVIN. The group donated 205 hours to the Lake Mead in 2011 and their time has valued over $4,300. Through the Adopt-A-Cove program, they have taken on several areas of the park, and sponsored underwater litter cleanups throughout the last year.

• The 2011 Lifetime Achievement went to Wanda Alexander. Wanda has been an excellent, dedicated groundskeeper volunteer at the Boulder Beach campground for the past 23 years. She has donated nearly 28,000 hours to Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

• The 2011 Volunteer of the Year was Bruce Lund. Bruce Lund has significantly contributed to the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Southern Nevada during FY2011. Bruce’s contribution over the last few years is to, not only the FWS, but also the USFS and the BLM.

• The 2011 Special Award went to Patty Conant. Patty 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.

2010 Volunteer Recognition Event 10/16

The sixth annual Volunteer Recognition Event was held on October 16, 2009 at the UNLV Student Union Ballroom. It acknowledged the valued time and enthusiasm volunteers give to protect our public lands. One hundred and forty seven volunteers received a complimentary breakfast while enjoying the motivational words from the guest speaker, Nathan Tannenbaum, a popular television and radio personality in Las Vegas. He discussed his experience with volunteerism, and the benefits of volunteering in the community.

The following awards were presented at the event:

• The 2010 Supervisor of the Year was Bertha Schmalfeldt.  She has served as the supervisor for the Alan Bible Visitor Center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  Her warm, friendly attitude makes working with her a pleasure for both employees and volunteers.

• The 2010 Volunteer Group of the Year was the National Wild Horse Association. The organization has provided over 800 hours of assistance in the past year to the Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada District Wild Horse and Burro Program.
  
• The 2010 Sponsor of the Year was Forever Resorts. They were a supportive partner with the National Park Service this past year to coordinate and execute six successful volunteer events.
  
• The 2010 Lifetime Achievement went to John Hiatt. He has been working on conservation issues and volunteering in Southern Nevada for the past 30 years. He helped to both create and expand the Red Rock National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas. 
  
• The 2010 Volunteer of the Year was Gene Lueders. He is an outstanding contributor to the mission of the National Park Service at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. He is a retired supervisor and mechanic and brings a vast cornucopia of experience and knowledge to any situation.

2009 Volunteer Recognition Event 10/31

It was a Halloween morning full of screams, or in other words, full of cheers for dedicated service. The fifth annual Volunteer Recognition Awards Ceremony was held on October 31, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas. One hundred and sixty volunteers attended the breakfast in their honor. The volunteers contributed 157, 799 hours to the restoration and preservation of Southern Nevada’s public lands. For entertainment the Paiute Native American dancers expressed their heritage through the majestic art of dance.

The following awards were presented at the event:

• The 2009 Family of the Year Award was given to the Ellis Family. Collectively they have volunteered more than 1100 hours at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.
  
• The 2009 Volunteer Supervisor of the Year Award was Josh Hoines. He dedicated his time working with SNAP teams to complete restoration based projects by involving volunteers.  
  
• The Volunteer Group of the Year was the Association of the Pre-Health Professionals (APHP). The APHP is a student organization within the UNLV College of Sciences. Collectively members have contributed more than 150 volunteer hours at clean-up and restoration events held on BLM, Forest Service and Park Service managed lands.
  
• The 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Fran Byers. She contributed to our educational outreach program at Lake Mead. On a yearly average Fran has worked 225 hours, a monetary value equaling $4,275 each year.
  
• The 2009 Volunteer of the Year was Jackie Brunet. She dedicated over 1,269 hours with the daily operations of the Alan Bible Visitor Center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Her extensive experience in office management and great customer service has been an asset to the visitor center.

View Pictures of the Event

2008 Volunteer Recognition Event 11/08

Two hundred and five volunteers attended the fourth annual Volunteer Recognition Awards Ceremony on November 1, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas. Mr. Douglas Blankinship, Volunter.gov Portal Manger and Partnership Associate Director for Take Pride in America travelled from Washington D.C. to be the guest speaker. He emphasized how important and instrumental each and every one of our volunteers are to supporting Nevada’s public lands.

The following awards were given at the event:

• The Volunteer of the Year Award winner was Joseph Betzler.  Mr. Betzler received this award for his direct support in the Interagency Blackbrush Seed Collection project.
  
  
• The Cultural Site Steward of the Year winner was Chuck Williams. He received the award for his contribution to the protection or archaeological and natural resources in Clark County.
  
  
• The Group of the Year Award went to The Area 52s.  The Area 52s volunteered over 600 hours to help support and maintain Nevada’s public lands.
  
  
• The Lifetime Achievement Award was Bob Kinsler.  Mr. Kinsler received this award for his outstanding dedication to the Interagency Volunteer Program.  With over 9,000 volunteer hours Mr. Kinsler is the epitome of volunteerism. T
  
  
• The Volunteer Supervisor of the Year Award winner was Dan Rose. Mr. Rose received this award for his excellent leadership abilities at Boulder Beach, Callville Bay, and Boulder Campground at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
  
  
• This year’s Special Service Award winner was Bailey Middle School.  Bailey Middle School received this award for its service – in education, containment activities, and research – related to invasion of Lake Mead by non-native mussels.
  
  
• The Sponsor of the Year winner was Saxby’s Coffee. Saxby’s Coffee received this award for their donations to the Interagency Volunteer Program.  This organization lives by its mission, “All owners and employees to become active in their communities and to help in any way they can.”