NRD Presents Conservation Awards at Annual Banquet
Jan. 26, 2012
Area conservationists were honored at the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District’s Annual Banquet on January 22 at the Klein Center in Brainard.
Each year, the NRD gives awards for outstanding efforts in conservation of our soil and water resources. Award winners are chosen by NRD staff and directors.
The Outstanding Conservationist of the Year award went to Vermeline Farms (Wayne, Leon and Austin Vermeline). Four generations of Vermelines have farmed in Saunders County since the mid-1930s. Wayne Vermeline purchased his parent's farm in 1945 and was joined in the farming operation in 1978 by his son Leon. Leon's son Austin also joined the operation after graduating from the University of Kearney in 2009. The farm went 100% no-till in the late 1990s, and with work that is finishing up this year, all 2400+ acres of their farm ground will be treated with conservation practices.
L-R: Austin Vermeline and his fiancee Amy Pfeiffer, Marian and Wayne Vermeline, and Patty and Leon Vermeline accept the 2011 Outstanding Conservationist Award from NRD Special Projects Coordinator Eric Gottschalk.
The 2011 Volunteer of the Year was Charlie Jonas of Wahoo. Charlie has been diligent in monitoring the Thorston Swedeburg Dam south of Wahoo. This dam, which almost took the life of NRD employee Bob Heimann in an accident in 2009, is unique because it has a 18" shotgun style tube that can be easily plugged by floating debris or beaver dams. Charlie has been very vigilant in keeping an eye on it and preventing any beaver from occupying the pond. He also built a wooden walkway above the water to provide better access to the intake tube if it does become plugged or partially plugged. Charlie's help has saved the NRD considerable staff time that would otherwise be required to check the structure periodically throughout the year.
L-R: Operations & Maintenance Manager Bob Heimann presents Charlie Jonas with the 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award.
The 2011 Educator of the Year was Travis Rinehart. Travis, an employee of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is also a volunteer instructor for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Youth Fishing Program in his free time. He completed the youth fishing training three years ago in May and decided to go camping at Czechland Lake the next day; as luck would have it, that was the same day as the NRD's Spring Conservation Sensation. With 350 students at the lake, Travis gave up on a nice quiet day of camping and offered to help lead the fishing activity instead. He and his yellow lab Quincy were an immediate hit with both teachers and students, and he has been back every year since.
L-R: Travis Rinehart, volunteer Youth Fishing Program instructor, receives the 2011 Educator of the Year Award from NRD Information/Education Specialist Troy Thompson.
Sean Elliott of the Saunders County NRCS office was chosen as NRCS Employee of the Year. Sean has been a Soil Conservation Technician in the Wahoo NRCS office since 2010, and prior to that was a field technician employed by the NRD for the Sand & Duck Creek Watershed grant. Sean has assisted NRCS offices in several counties with erorsion control practices and irrigation projects and has been a key player in integrating the latest technologies and practices into field work. In 2011, he was responsible for processing and completing the majority of EQIP, CRP and NRD applications and projects for the Wahoo office.
L-R: NRD Assistant Manager Tom Mountford presents the 2011 NRCS Employee of the Year Award to Saunders County NRCS Technician Sean Elliott.
Ray Casey of Mead was the district's 2011 Director of the Year. Ray joined the Board of Directors in 2009 and immediately jumped into the NRD's projects and programs as a member of the Projects Committee. He has also taken an active role on the Lake Wanahoo Finance Committee and participated in various state and national conferences and meetings. His engineering background has been a great asset to the Board's decision-making process on various projects, and his fairness and ethics have made him a respected figure among both board members and NRD staff.
L-R: Ray Casey of Mead receives the 2011 Director of the Year Award from NRD Manager John Miyoshi.
NRD staff were also recognized at the banquet. Eric Gottschalk, Projects Coordinator, was the 2011 Employee of the Year. Eric administers the majority of the NRD's land conservation programs and also handles several duties in the district's water department, including the chemigation program, well abandonment program, and assisting with water well measurements. Eric handles all of these responsibilities while maintaining a positive outlook, an upbeat approach to his job, and an ability to apply humor to almost any situation.
L-R: NRD Chair Ralph Pieke presents Projects Coordinator Eric Gottschalk with the 2011 Employee of the Year Award.
Other staff awards included:
Customer Service Award – Curt Becker, Water Resources Specialist.
NRCS Field Office Award – Marla Milliken, Saunders County Field Office Clerk.
L-R: NRD Director John Hannah presents Saunders County Field Office Clerk Marla Millien with the 2011 NRCS Field Office Award .
Circle of Excellence Awards – Jill Breunig, Office Manager; Andrew Ekstein, Rural Water Technician; and Karen Rezac, Receptionist.
L-R: NRD Director Dave Saalfeld presents 2011 Circle of Excellence Awards toOffice Manager Jill Breunig, Receptionist Karen Rezac, and Rural Water Technician Andrew Ekstein.
In addition, Years of Service Awards were presented to:
Curt Becker, Water Resources Specialist; Jenny Cambell, Dodge County Field Office Clerk (5 Years)
Bob Heimann, O&M Manager; Larry Angle, Water Resources Manager (25 Years)
Don Kavan, Director (40 Years)
NRD Director Don Kavan was honored for 40 years of service on the NRD Board of Directors. Kavan is the only person to have served continuously on the Board since the NRD's inception in 1972.