LICC volunteers working at a campsite on Patos Island.

The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced the winners of the Take Pride in America (TPIA) awards for 2009, and the Lopez Island Conservation Corps came out on top. TPIA is a program to honor and promote volunteers who work on our natural resources. For over eighteen years this program has fostered pride in both our national outdoor resources and in the work it takes to maintain them. As the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne recently said, “During my tenure as Interior Secretary, I’ve been impressed and inspired by the people of all ages who come forward to volunteer. I’m especially proud of the programs’ outreach to our nation’s youth.”

The Lopez Island Conservation Corps was honored with the top award for youth groups this year. Started as an eagle scout project by Lopez’s Josh Cook, the LICC has cleaned miles of beach, pulled truckloads of weeds, and maintained more than five miles of walking trails. A crew of ten young people is slated to work two days each week during the summer of 2009, with Josh as the youth leader. Nick Teague of the Bureau of Land Management has shepherded the group through its inception, finding funding for packs and tools, and keeping the participants engaged with his experience and enthusiasm.

Josh travelled to Washington, D.C. on July 15th to receive the award firsthand, and will soon be relating his experiences in the nation’s capital. The LICC was one of only four organizations from the west coast to win the award, from among hundreds of qualified national nominations. Other award winners include Ely Lilly and Company, the city of Kent, Washington, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Interest in the LICC has grown each year, and this summer Josh has recruited over thirty young people between the ages of fourteen and eighteen to keep our natural resources healthy and accessible. “The LICC gives youth on Lopez a chance to get outside, learn new skills, and give something back to their community,” said Nick Teague. “We are a 501(c) nonprofit organization, and are working with the Lopez Island Family Resource Center to pursue funding for such necessities as transportation, stipends for youth leaders, and sending Josh to Washington, D.C. Donations are tax deductible through the LIFRC.”

Besides the LIFRC and BLM, local partners include the San Juan County Land Bank, our local and state parks, and the Keepers of the Patos Lighthouse. An orientation was held on June 16 to introduce participants to the packs and tools they will be using, and to cover safety protocols. There is a “tailgate safety meeting” at the beginning of each workday, and time at the end of the day to write in journals and relax. Workdays this summer will be Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please call Nick Teague at 468-3754 for more information.