Las Vegas – Nearly 200 volunteers in Southern Nevada were honored recently at a special luncheon hosted by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. The volunteers have spent countless hours in the past year toward the conservation and preservation of public lands.
The four federal agencies held the Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Recognition Luncheon October 28, 2005 at the Tuscany Hotel & Casino. Southern Nevada federal land managers and volunteer coordinators presented awards to recognize several individuals and organizations.
The Outside Las Vegas Foundation and its executive director, Alan O’Neill, received the Founders Award. Foundation President Thalia Dondero accepted the award. In 2001, Outside Las Vegas, a private non-profit organization, asked the National Park Service, through its Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, to build a partnership among the federal volunteer programs and to secure funding through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. The request laid out the vision for the Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program and Get Outdoors Nevada, which were established in 2004.
The leader of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program also was honored with the Special Recognition Award. Elizabeth Smith-Incer, director of the program’s Nevada Field Office, was instrumental in turning the volunteer vision into program reality.
The Volunteer Service Award was presented to Earnestine Bronson, who has been a volunteer at Lake Mead National Recreation Area for more than 12 years. She serves as a campground host, greeting and providing information to all campers so that their visits are enjoyable. The National Park Service and the Interagency Volunteer Program honored Bronson for contributing the most hours of service on Southern Nevada’s public lands in 2005.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded posthumously to Walter “Pete” Roberts, who logged more than 3,000 hours assisting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and visitors to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to working on the front line with visitors, Roberts also improved habitat for threatened and endangered species at the refuge.
The Volunteer of the Year Award went to a U.S. Forest Service volunteer who spent many hours at the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area and the Bureau of Land Management. Howard Balduc completed a great number of tasks because of his exemplary technical and physicals skills as a backcountry ranger, a GPS specialist mapping campgrounds, and as the one and only geocache locator for the Forest Service.
While individuals made a great impact on the success of the volunteer efforts, so did the private sector. Sponsor awards were presented to HSBC, Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, Southern Nevada Scuba Retailers Association, and Spring Mountains Volunteer Association.
HSBC has made a tremendous difference in a short period of time by recruiting its employees to participate in clean-up events, helping to restore habitat for the endangered Moapa dace, and donating funds and equipment to maintain restoration activities at the refuges.
The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association has been unmatched in its support of Sloan Canyon and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Areas, contributing financially and logistically to practically every project for the Interagency Volunteer Program.
The Southern Nevada Scuba Retailers Association has been steady in its commitment and assistance to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, coordinating 12 eco-dives and beach clean-ups a year.
The steadfast work of the Spring Mountains Volunteer Association makes a difference to anyone who visits, works on, or lives near the Spring Mountains. It has worked closely with the Forest Service for more than 18 years to help manage, protect, and educate the public about the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.
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