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“[There are] two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.” – Edwin Arlington Robinson Here at Buffalo National River, we have a lot to be thankful for. The volunteers and community partners who serve this park are at the top of the list. Every year, we honor the volunteers who go above and beyond to set an example of stewardship and inspire the next generation. The following individuals and organizations have been recognized for their outstanding volunteer service to Buffalo National River in 2019: 
C. Chadbourn NPS Midwest Region's 2019 George and Helen Hartzog Volunteer Group of the Year: Arkansas Canoe ClubThe George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service recognize the exemplary contributions of volunteers across the National Park System. The Arkansas Canoe Club was selected as the 2019 Midwest Region Hartzog Volunteer Group of the Year for their dedication to cleaning up Buffalo National River.Cowper Chadbourn and the Arkansas Canoe Club have gone above and beyond the average river cleanup, committed to removing the biggest, bulkiest, and most challenging debris from waterways across Arkansas. This requires a technically-driven mind, a devotion to stewardship, and a whole lot of tenacity and time. Last year alone, the Arkansas Canoe Club (ACC) removed more than 15,000 pounds of debris, including 400 tires, from the Buffalo River. Drawing from its members' specialized know-how and phenomenal leadership, ACC creates innovative tools like floating cranes and pulley systems to extract difficult debris from difficult places. ACC member Chris Elkins even designed a smartphone app that paddlers can use to log photos and GPS waypoints of debris so that ACC volunteers can efficiently find and retrieve it later. Congratulations to the Arkansas Canoe Club for this prestigious award and recognition by the National Park Service! 
NPS Enduring Service Award: Jerry GollerFor five years, volunteer Jerry Goller has gained recognition among Buffalo National River's visitors for his extensive knowledge of the area, his diligence, his sense of humor, and his no-nonsense attitude. His enduring service has benefitted every park division, from Visitor & Resource Protection to Facility Management to Interpretation & Education.Jerry began his volunteer service as the Buffalo Point Campground Host in 2015 and later moved to the Upper District to serve as Campground Host at Steel Creek and eventually Ozark. In addition, Jerry has completed an astounding amount of trail maintenance, river patrolling, and preventative search and rescue over the years. Thanks to Jerry's trailblazing efforts in conjunction with the Visitor and Resource Protection division, emergency callouts for lost hikers have been reduced drastically at Buffalo National River. In March of 2020, after 5 years and 2 days of service to Buffalo National River, Jerry retired from full-time volunteering and now resides in nearby Harrison, where he has easy access to all of the best paddling and fishing spots in northern Arkansas. We are forever grateful for the mark that Jerry has left on this park. 
A. Tetterton Volunteer of the Year: Aletha TettertonOne of Buffalo National River's greatest advocates, Aletha Tetterton is a park neighbor and volunteer who serves on the Board of Directors for the Buffalo National River Partners (BNRP). 
C. Bitting Volunteer of the Year: Cowper ChadbournPairing his brilliant engineer mind with a personal devotion to recreating on unimpaired Arkansas waterways, Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") Chadbourn leads a statewide "advanced trash removal" effort that extracted approximately 400 tires and more than 15,000 pounds of bulky debris from Buffalo National River in 2019.Last year, Cowper's individual efforts totaled 957 volunteer hours, and his recruitment of friends and other volunteers led to an added 606 volunteer hours for a total of 1,563 volunteer hours contributed to Buffalo National River. 
NPS Student Volunteer of the Year: Madison WestMadison West, a 2019 graduate of Arkansas Tech University's Parks, Recreation, and Hospitality Administration program, served as a Visitor Services Assistant volunteer in the spring semester of 2019.She produced an online video series and classroom program called "Rangers Wear Many Hats" to highlight the various career paths within the National Park Service. She also assisted with interpretive/educational programming, visitor services at the Steel Creek Ranger Station, and visual information projects throughout the park. She contributed more than 400 hours of service in the spring of 2019. Volunteer Organization of the Year: Mennonite Disaster ServiceFor several years, the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) has been a quiet and mighty force that has served the most vulnerable visitors at Buffalo National River. The members of MDS assist park personnel and community partners with disaster relief, emergency response, and search & rescue operations without hesitation or complaint. They are a structured, talented, and humble group of responders willing to do anything within their powers to successfully complete any assigned mission. Each member has acquired a unique skill set that has expanded the group's available services. These services include underwater scuba operations, boat and sonar operations, ground search operations, high angle rescue, and aerial search and surveillance. The exceptional capabilities they bring to Buffalo National River have helped our rescue efforts and disaster response grow tremendously. They inspire others to do better, be safer, and work harder. They are a dependable group that, when called, show up in vast numbers, ready to tackle any obstacle that stands in the way. |
Last updated: May 3, 2020