Volunteer(s) of the Year: When Lenore Faulk began volunteering with Stream Team in 2004, she had already been collecting temperature data on Lake Debra Jane. Not only has Lenore been a dedicated volunteer in the Stream Team lake program, but she has also been very good at recruiting her neighbors and fellow citizens to help with monitoring on Lake Debra Jane. She coordinates the volunteers to make sure that each monitoring session is covered during the season and that the lake samples are dropped off for lab analysis. Her oversight of volunteers has helped make for a smooth running sampling program on Lake Debra Jane.

Paul Chromey began volunteering along with his daughter at Stream Team events in 2005. He and his daughter both became stream monitors on Swan Creek. Since that time, Paul’s daughter has graduated from high school and gone off to college. Paul now monitors Swan Creek with his son. They have also both participated in plantings, storm drain stenciling, and staffed the Stream Team booth at the Western Washington Fair. We applaud Paul’s involvement in the education of his children and other youth.

Group of the Year: This award was presented to the Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC) for bringing a large amount of volunteer power to two of our largest plantings: White River in Sumner and Red Salmon Creek near the Nisqually Estuary. Coordinated through the VCC, 52 volunteers contributed 339 hours to these two projects alone. This group initially volunteered in 2005 when they began water quality monitoring along Spanaway Creek, near Bresemann Forest. Stream Team is honored that the VCC has chosen our program as a partner in their work to provide valuable experiences, education, and volunteer opportunities for veterans.

Above & Beyond Award: This year, the Above & Beyond Award went to Mike Viafore, who constructed a one-of-a-kind storage rack for Stream Team’s planting shovels. Made of cedar branches and boughs collected from his own trees, Mike’s beautiful creation would have looked more at home in a mountain lodge than holding our dirty old shovels. Bonus feature: the shovel rack is on wheels to make it easier to move around for loading and unloading.

Hall of Fame Award: While looking back at 2007, we were faced with an interesting dilemma. For the first time since 1999, no one was eligible for the salmon tile awarded to volunteers with five consecutive years of Stream Team participation. At the same time, there were a number of people who had far exceeded our award categories for volunteer hours. The solution? Stream Team is proud to announce the inaugural six inductees to the Stream Team Hall of Fame: Dennis Anderson, Joyce Anderson, Tony Forsyth, Don Russell, Dave Seabrook, and Mike Viafore. A plaque with the names of the Hall of Fame volunteers will hang in the Stream Team office.

Thank you to the many groups, individuals, and organizations who helped make 2007 such a successful year!