Park Volunteers Receive Presidential Volunteer Service Award

Park Volunteers Receive Presidential Volunteer Service Award
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Posted: December, 2007

Great Smoky Mountains National Park joined with Take Pride in America to honor six outstanding volunteers with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, several national service awards were given, based on the number of hours the individuals have volunteered. All six of those honored have given over 3,500 hours of their time to our national parks. They received either the Secretarial Volunteer Service Award or the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, which are the two highest volunteer awards in the country.

national park volunteers

The award recipients were: Wendell Wisener (Cherokee, N.C.), Ray Payne (Knoxville, TN), Buck Lambdin (Maryville, TN) for the Secretarial Award; and Shirley Jones (Gatlinburg, TN), Stan Totten (Townsend, TN), Paul Hadala (Sevierville, TN) for the Presidential Award.

Take Pride is honored to take part in recognizing these volunteers for their service to America’s lands,” said Heather Roebke, Executive Director, Take Pride in America. “These people have given our lands the greatest gift they can, their time and energy, and we thank them deeply for that.”

The President’s Volunteer Service Award, created by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, is the highest award for volunteerism to be bestowed on Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said that “Volunteers in the park assist in a variety of ways and these individuals are star performers. They play an integral role in meeting the needs of over 9 million visitors to the park each year. We are pleased to have this opportunity to show our support for the work that they do and to let them know how much they are valued.”

Take Pride in America® is a national partnership program aimed at increasing volunteer service on America’s public lands. It is the goal of Take Pride to empower volunteers from every corner of America to maintain and enhance our natural, cultural, and historical sites. Take Pride encourages citizen stewardship through an innovative public awareness campaign and an interactive website that showcases volunteer opportunities at natural and cultural sites.

A brief description of voluntary services provided by the award recipients follows:

1. Secretarial Award: Wendell Wisener, a certified master gardner, assists by planting heirloom vegetables in garden plots at the Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum in North Carolina area of the Park for the past 8 years. Demonstrating these plantings, visitors have a chance to learn what types of plants were grown in the 1900s.

2. Secretarial Award: Ray Payne. For more than a decade, Payne has been helping backpackers and hikers at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Permit Office, the busiest permit station in the park. In addition to writing permits for backcountry stays, he provides trip planning advice and safety tips.

3. Secretarial Award: Buck Lambdin, has worked for the past 12 years also helping backpackers and hikers at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Permit Office, the busiest permit station in the park. In addition to writing permits for backcountry stays, he provides trip planning advice and safety tips.

4. Presidential Award: Shirley Jones provides interpretive services to visitors and has conducted hundreds of outreach programs to groups. She also participates in special events held in the park and coordinates volunteer activities at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

5. Presidential Award: Stan Totten assists visitors in the Cades Cove area, the most popular area of the Park, by sharing his knowledge of the Cades Cove history. He has been a dedicated volunteer since 1999.

6. Presidential Award: Paul Hadala began his volunteer services as an Appalachian shelter keeper and soon moved over to vegetation management. He assists with such programs as exotic plant control, grassy bald management, and wetland restoration.

For more information on Take Pride in America, visit www.TakePride.gov, or email Thomas_Hase@ios.doi.gov for more detailed information on the award winners and their accomplishments.