Friends of Moraine Hills State Park
Award Dinner 2009
Volo
Bog & Moraine Hills/McHenry Dam
Volunteers
Honored
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The evening started out with everyone filling out a mixer & partaking in the pot luck meal |
Bill Brenner |
Pat & Phil Cobb |
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Everyone waited for their name to be called and receive their award Marcia England |
Pat Henschen |
Mike Iwanicki |
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Kathy Kozacky |
Yvette Liautaud |
Myrna Nelson |
Mike & Mary Major |
Merry Miller |
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Trisha Steele |
Randy Schietzelt |
Randy & Nancy Schietzelt |
Ann Shanks |
Neil Whitman |
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Carl Krautwurst |
Bill Ewert |
Bob Vetter |
Volunteer of the year |
Volunteer of the year |
On Thursday, December 10, Illinois Department of Natural Resources staff honored ninety seven volunteers who donated their services to Volo Bog State Natural Area and Moraine Hills State Park/McHenry Dam in 2009. Together they contributed 5,764 hours to these Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites!
Special Recognition was given to three individuals as Volunteer of the Year at their respective sites.
Carol Shaffer of Grayslake and Trisha Steele of Round Lake shared the 2009 Volunteer of the Year award for Volo Bog State Natural Area. Each contributed about 330 hours to the State Natural Area in 2009. Both are weekday docents - Carol on Wednesdays, Trisha on Thursdays. Docents are volunteers who greet visitors, answer questions about Volo Bog and the site in general, assist with program registration and other tasks associated with the Visitor Center, and operate the Tamarack Shop - the Friends of Volo Bog’s book & gift shop. In addition to their docent contributions, each also assists with interpretive office support and mailings of the quarterly newsletter - The Bog Log.
Carol began volunteering at Volo Bog in late 2006. In the past three years, she has helped out with the site’s prairie gardens, monitored bluebird trails, participated in special events and was elected to the board of directors of the Friends of Volo Bog. Early this year, Carol was appointed as the FOVB’s Treasurer.
Trisha began volunteering at Volo Bog in January 2009. Her thoughtfulness and enthusiasm quickly earned her a spot on the board of directors of the Friends of Volo Bog. Trisha can also be found helping out at Volo Bog’s special events such as WinterFest, International Bog Day and Ghost Stories where her novel ideas add new twists to these annual favorites.
Bob Vetter of Grayslake was named Volunteer of the Year for Moraine Hills State Park/McHenry Dam for the second year in a row. Bob’s tireless devotion of about 100 hours to the complex located in McHenry, Illinois, spanned multiple duties and talents. Bob coordinates the Native Gardeners - a team of ten gardeners who tend to the site’s Native Plant Demonstration Gardens. Bob is a founding member of the Friends of Moraine Hills State Park (founded in 2007) where he serves as treasurer & membership secretary. Bob also manages the FOMHSP web site which can be visited at www.FriendsofMoraineHillsStatePark.org . Mr. Vetter is a resident of Saddlebrook Farms, a retirement community in Grayslake, where he often promotes the programs at Moraine Hills as well as Volo Bog State Natural Area where he also volunteers.
Volunteer-of-the-Year plaques were presented to Carol (in her absence), Trisha and Bob by Site Superintendent Greg Kelly and Site Naturalist Stacy Iwanicki. Each also received a Certificate of Appreciation and a Centurian Award Plaque which is presented to all volunteers contributing over 100 hours for a given year.
Also Receiving Awards:
The following individuals also received Certificates of Appreciation and Centurian Award Plaques for contributing over 100 hours each in 2009:
Nancy Bodinet of Lake Zurich, Bill Ewert of Ingleside, Jim Hegarty (Intern) of Fox Lake, John Holmes of Lake Villa
Carl Krautwurst of Grayslake, Merry Miller of Lake Villa’ Nancy Schietzelt of Crystal Lake
Katerina Stepnikova (Intern) now back home in the Czech Republic, Neil Whitman of McHenry
The following received Certificates of Appreciation for contributing 50 - 99 hours each to Volo Bog and/or Moraine Hills/McHenry Dam in 2009:
Chris Brenner of Grayslake, Jerry Donahue of Mundelein, Nancy Doughty of Barrington, Mark Ginger of Des Plaines
Gail Goeke of McHenr, Rob Gough of Johnsburg, Amy Henschen of Libertyville, Pat Henschen of Lake Villa
Jim Horton of McHenry, Mike Iwanicki of Wonder Lake, Brian Janus of Deer Park, Billie Kocal of Antioch
Kathy Kozacky of Roselle, Esther Larson of McHenry, Yvette Liautaud of Streamwood, Karen Lund of Genoa
Meg Macdonald of Lake Bluff, Myrna Nelson of McHenry, Joel Orlinsky of Ingleside, Joan Proell of Wauconda
Ray Purcell of Grayslake, Jane Richards of Wauconda, Leticia Romero of Cary, Randy Schietzelt of Crystal Lake
Jan Wemple of Ingleside
Eighteen additional volunteers received certificates for contributing between 25 - 49 hours each, with another 43 folks offering their help on smaller (often one-time) projects.
Volunteers contribute in numerous ways to educational programming, public relations and habitat restoration at Volo Bog State Natural Area and Moraine Hills/McHenry Dam State Park. Trained volunteer naturalists lead tours of Volo Bog for individuals and small groups on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Youth Program Naturalists lead environmental education programs including Bog Life tours. Nearly 5,000 school and youth group children are introduced to Volo Bog each year. Special events such as International Migratory Bird Days, International Bog Day, Ghost Stories and WinterFest rely heavily on volunteers. Volunteer Docents greet visitors in both sites’ Visitor Centers, while others lead Bird Walks at both Volo Bog & McHenry Dam. Volunteers tend the demonstration Prairie & Woodland Gardens at each site and others monitor bird nesting programs. In 2009, the Habitat Restoration and Stewardship Team was established with over 40 volunteers committing to help on one or more workdays held the fourth Saturday of most months. Many volunteers from the sites are members of the Friends of Volo Bog and/or the Friends of Moraine Hills State Park but membership is not required - the two groups are separate.