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Tulsa County Earth Team Volunteers, Oklahoma: National NACD/NRCS Earth
Team Award
Volunteers receive training for
Oklahoma’s Blue Thumb program, a nonpoint source pollution monitoring
and education program (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)
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Tulsa has cleaner creeks, clearer water, and
hundreds of thousands of citizens that are more conservation-conscious
thanks to the Tulsa County NRCS Earth Team.
Last year, the 100-plus members of Tulsa County Earth Team volunteer
group worked over 3,500 hours to benefit Tulsa and surrounding
communities through conservation events and activities. Their
outstanding efforts earned them the National Association of Conservation
District (NACD)/NRCS National Partnership Award recently presented at
the NACD annual meeting in Reno, Nevada.
“In many counties across Oklahoma, Earth Team volunteers play a key role
in helping the conservation districts and NRCS offices accomplish
conservation goals on a broader scale,” says Oklahoma NRCS State
Conservationist for Ron Hilliard. “The Earth
Team in Tulsa County has done an outstanding job of raising community
awareness about natural resource conservation.”
“Volunteers play a key role in helping NRCS and the districts accomplish
conservation goals on a broader scale.”
Oklahoma NRCS State Conservationist Ron Hilliard
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“Our Earth Team volunteers are the driving force behind our education,
information, and outreach programs,” says Gary Bishop, NRCS District
Conservationist in Tulsa County. “They have been a tremendous help in
conservation education, outreach activities and in putting conservation
practices on the land and in the communities.”
Community conservation awareness is at the heart of all the Tulsa County
Earth Team’s activities. In April of this year, they will host its 14th
Annual Creek Cleanup. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are
deployed to remove trash, litter, and other foreign objects out Tulsa
County's streams, rivers, ponds, and wetlands.
Chelle Ragge' serves as district manager for the TCCD and coordinates
many of the Earth Team volunteers and activities. She has over 20 years
of experience in environmental education, having worked with numerous
non-profit organizations sharing educational material through workshops,
special events, and summer camps.
“The biggest reward for me is when I see the light go on with our Earth
Team volunteers,” she says. “Then you know you’ve made an impact in the
way they think about natural resources and they are going to change
their behavior about the environment.
“But the best thing is that they are going to pass-on that ethic on,” she
continues.
“Earth Team Volunteers are the driving force behind our education,
information and outreach programs.”
Oklahoma NRCS Tulsa County Field Office District Conservationist Gary
Bishop
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Bishop and Ragge’ have tried to create and maintain a challenging
atmosphere for volunteers to participate in their area of interest.
“When they can actually go out and work with other people to conserve our
natural resources, it helps them feel like they are accomplishing
something positive in their community and for the area,” Bishop
explains.
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