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2007 Earth Team Awards
NRCS
Nebraska honored with National Earth Team Volunteer Service Award.
Nebraska State Conservationist Steve Chick (center)
receives National Earth Team Volunteer Service Award from NRCS
Associate Chief Dana York and Legislative and Public Affairs
Director Doug McKalip. For the past 8 years, 98 percent of NRCS
Nebraska offices have used Earth Team volunteers. NRCS image.
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Chief’s Cup - National Earth Team Volunteer Service
Award
NRCS Nebraska
For the past 8 years, an amazing 98 percent of NRCS Nebraska offices have used Earth Team
volunteers. In each of the past 3 years, more than 2,100 volunteers have
together contributed over 50,000 hours. Nebraska's volunteers take on
responsibilities as wide as the Plains, serving on
local conservation work groups, advancing environmental education, raising awareness of
NRCS' programs,
producing radio broadcasts about conservation, as well as performing with everyday
office operations with traditional Earth Team excellence.
Earth Team Partnership Award
Sunflower Resource Conservation and Development
Council, Harper, Kansas
Within 24 hours of a tornado that destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kansas,
Sunflower RC&D, in cooperation with Kansas conservation partners, collected
needed items and charitable donations for storm survivors. Working with
seven conservation districts and others, Sunflower received and distributed donated items
and took in tax-deductible cash donations. Literally tens of thousands of
necessities have been distributed. Sunflower
RC&D continues to maintain the Greensburg Area Relief Fund that channels funding
to local recovery agencies.
Earth Team Employee Award
Patricia Hoeffken, Arkansas State Volunteer Coordinator
Patricia’s leadership and direction put 857 volunteers to work in 43 field
offices throughout The Natural State. Their total time of service in Fiscal Year
2007 - nearly 11,000 hours. Patricia's many award-winning achievements include developing a relationship with the Department of Veterans
Affairs to provide volunteers, hosting volunteers from the Arkansas School for
the Deaf, and developing State volunteer training materials.
Earth Team Chief’s Recognition Award
Franklin County NRCS/Soil and Water Conservation
District Office, Maine
Franklin County Earth Team volunteers provided more than 7,700 hours of
assistance to NRCS and its customers in Franklin County during the past 5 years.
In fact, 29 volunteers worked 1,700 of those hours in Fiscal Year 2007 alone.
These dedicated volunteers delivered a spectrum of services - field surveying,
outreach and education, office assistance, publication
and newsletter printing and distribution, fund raising, and more. Famous for
firing up the volunteer spirit, the Franklin County Earth Team brings together
private organizations and businesses to benefit natural resources and
communities, and at the same time reward everyone who serves.
Earth Team Individual and Group Volunteer Awards
Individual: Kayla Higgins. NRCS Jordan, Montana, Field
Office
An Earth Team volunteer since 2006,
Kayla not only takes on
everyday tasks about the office, but develops conservation plan maps through her
mastery of Arc Map software, a skill that saves the Jordan Field Office staff and
provides a top-quality product to customers. Kayla also checks and enters data
into ProTracts, and the agency’s Performance Results System and Customer Service
Toolkit. Kayla does all this and more to keep Jordan flowing smoothly, even though she is less than 2 feet tall, due to
brittle bone disease.
Group: WACKY Day Group,
NRCS Phillipsburg, Kansas, Field Office
The Wildlife, Agriculture, Conservation Knowledge for Youth Day, or WACKY Day,
attracts hundreds of northwestern Kansas sixth-graders and
volunteers to learn about wildlife, soil, water, recycling, composting, and
experience other conservation-focused subjects. Most kids joining in WACKY Day
come from
rural areas where there are few learning experiences about conservation outside of schools. This
always-eagerly-anticipated event
continues building and strengthening partnerships among conservation districts,
local Farm Bureau
organizations, the FFA, extension offices, wildlife groups, and schools.
Earth Team Partnership Award
Tulsa County Conservation District, Oklahoma
Racking up more than 3,500 hours of service in Fiscal Year 2007, the Tulsa Earth
Team is an important driving force behind partnership-based conservation
education, information, and outreach. With boundless and infectious enthusiasm,
Tulsa Earth Team volunteers organize events, staff and provide products for
public presentations, create conservation-based educational programs, join in the Blue Thumb Monitoring
Program, and provide everyday service assistance to their home office. The Tulsa Earth Team volunteers
strengthen partnerships with area businesses, organizations, and clubs, and
looks to the future teaching children about the need for conservation. No wonder
the Tulsa Earth Team has been called the lifeblood of its conservation district.
Earth Team Partnership Award
Kristi Gay. NRCS Flager Field Office, Colorado
Deeply devoted getting volunteers to put conservation into action,
NRCS District Conservationist Kristi Gay brings together community groups and
volunteer-based organizations to commit their time and energies to important conservation
projects. On the clock and off the clock, Kristi expands
conservation through education, often using her own money to do so. Kristi keeps
her commitment to
conservation by holding field trips for teachers and hosting workshops. In
addition, Kristi has put her energies into energy, writing a
Conservation Innovation Grant for eight producers in her district and the
Northeast Colorado RC&D that enables them to produces biofuels on their farms.
Links...
Earth
Team Volunteers
Join the Earth Team
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