National Public Lands Day 2007 Volunteers of the Year
National Public Lands Day recognizes the efforts of three outstanding and dedicated public land volunteers. Read about their tremendous efforts and accomplishments to care for our natural environment...
Heidi Tschopp
Allegany State Park, New York
"Heidi has been volunteering at Messinger Woods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for many years and in 2002 also started volunteering every Friday at Allegany State Park in the recreation and programming department while holding a full-time job in veterinary clinic.
She would arrive early every Friday to help with creating bulletin boards, organizing teaching materials, researching programs, leading programs or any other task that needed completing. Over the last 5 years she has become such a valuable member of the naturalist staff that she has been put on the payroll for each Friday to help defray the cost of her 100 mile commute.
Because of Heidi's terrific organizational skills and attention to details, Allegany State Park has been able to hold very successful National Public Lands Days events for the last two years. Through Heidi's year-round commitment to the NPLD at Allegany, participation has doubled from not quite 50 participants the fist year to over 100 the second year.
She serves as co-chairperson for the event, coordinating with park managers, other departments, regional maintenance and recreation/programming staff. She has developed mailings, posters, procedures and team leader trainings for the work teams. Without Heidi, Allegany State Park would not have been able to hold as big an event as we did.
To give an example of Heidi's commitment to NPLD, last year she stayed in the park on Friday night, coordinating last minute details until 10:30 pm. On Saturday morning she was up and moving electric cars for the litter teams' use by 6 am. The morning was cold and the cars were covered in frozen dew from the 30 degree night. Freezing in open, non heated cars, Heidi managed to get them going and in position before traveling out to the registration point to get that set up before 9 am. The day was cold and rainy, but over 100 volunteers braved the elements to work outside at 12 different locations. Heidi worked as a team leader for the litter teams in the Quaker Area, as well as traveling to other work sites to make sure everything was going smoothly and everyone had enough equipment, supplies and water.
Exhausted by the end of the day, Heidi stayed until the last detail was taken care of and all the picnic supplies cleaned up. Heidi also personally took the time to thank each volunteer that participated, making them feel appreciated and important. By the next Friday she was back writing up the evaluation of the event and planning next year's.
Heidi is one of those rare individuals who lives what she believes. She never hikes without picking up other's litter. She teaches sound outdoor ethics. She advocates for parks and public lands with her time, labor and money. She deserves to be recognized as an example of the kind of commitment to our lands that we all should have." —Lynn LeFeber, Salamanca, NY
Paul Tanner
Bureau of Land Management
Cross Bar Cooperative Management Area
Amarillo, Texas
"Paul Tanner, Natural Resource Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management in Amarillo, Texas is responsible for managing the Cross Bar Cooperative Management Area (CMA) 12,000 acres of mixed grass prairie located 15 miles north of Amarillo. Because of other responsibilities in this office, management of Texas' only BLM lands is left primarily to Paul. Acquired by the Bureau of Mines in 1931, the Cross Bar was transferred to BLM in 1997. Paul transferred to that office in 2000 and quickly recognized the Cross Bar as a unique ecological treasure worth restoring.
Paul began the "Cross Bar Ecosystem Restoration Project" in 2002 with the re-introduction of prescribed fires to the property and an aggressive herbicide application program to eliminate salt cedar from the riparian areas. Paul was part of the spray crew that applied herbicide to 17 miles of salt cedar infested stream and river banks. In 2003, Paul burned 3,225 acres of the Cross Bar and continued to work personally on eradication of salt cedar. He arranged burning 3000 acres in 2004, contracted an aerial application of herbicide on 1000 acres of mesquite, and worked on a three-man crew applying herbicide to salt cedar. During 2005, Paul arranged to burn 1500 acres and worked on the salt cedar spray crew seven 10 hour days a week for three weeks in the heat of August. 2006 was an extremely dry year so he worked on a three man crew applying herbicide, much of it as a volunteer.
In addition, public involvement in the ecosystem restoration project has been extensive and continuing. Between 2002 and 2006 over 50,000 hours of volunteer time were donated on a variety of projects made possible only because of his willingness to recruit volunteers for a seemingly endless array of projects on their time schedules. Besides coordinating and participating in NPLD for five years, Paul has worked most weekends from daylight until after dark. Paul's willingness for this large scale public involvement and coordination and working side by side with volunteers, has made extensive progress toward establishing a restored prairie ecosystem." —Glenda Briscoe, BLM, Amarillo, Texas
Illa Willmore
Bureau of Land Management
James Kipp Recreation Area
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana
"Illa Willmore has been a campground host at James Kipp Recreation Area since 1993. Illa and her family have a ranch about 11 miles south of James Kipp Recreation Area and she has accumulated a lifetime of knowledge about the Missouri River, the Breaks and the James Kipp site. Visitors seem drawn to the opportunity to visit with Illa to hear stories about people, events, trials and rewards common in this country. She also finds a means of offering information about BLM and public resources- such as fishing, hunting, and sightseeing trips- during her discussions with visitors. Illa has played a vital role in training past volunteer campground hosts.
Illa began her volunteer work as a campground host at Kipp in April 1993, and has spent numerous hours (like Lewis and Clark) journaling into our BLM log. Her journals provide humorous stories about the people she has met as a campground host, the assistance she has offered to those in need and numerous encounters with Mother Nature (the extremes in between hot/cold, wet/dry and ice/water.) She has offered hot coffee and warm conversation to countless visitors who left their vehicles stuck in the gumbo (common in the Missouri River Breaks) and walked to the highway. She has opened her home to those stranded for extended periods. Illa's compassion to meet the needs of the visitor has helped transform what might have been miserable mishaps into fond memories.
Illa has participated in all three National Public Lands Day events at James Kipp Recreation Area. She continuously shares her love for the public land and extends her respect for the land to all the public land customers by providing them with information about the noxious weeds, Leave No Trace ethics and stewardship of their land.
This volunteer serves as a great ambassador by portraying the best customer service to all the visitors that stop at James Kipp. Illa's warm smile is her trademark and her service for the last 14 seasons has been invaluable." —Sandra Padilla, BLM, Montana