Long-time Forest Service volunteer honored with award
Local resident and long-time Forest Service volunteer Kit Dickey was awarded the Dr. David L. Paulsmeyer Memorial Award for Excellence in Service on Nov. 13 at the annual dinner and awards ceremony honoring Deschutes National Forest volunteers.
Discover Your Forest, in partnership with the Deschutes National Forest, is committed to recognizing and celebrating outstanding volunteer service and presented Ms. Dickey with the prestigious Paulsmeyer award for her exemplary performance and mentorship.
The Dr. David L. Paulsmeyer Memorial Award for Excellence in Service Award is named after the beloved former volunteer Dr. David L. Paulsmeyer, better known as “Ranger Dave,” who nurtured the spirit of community with his commitment to service.
Dickey began volunteering on the Deschutes National Forest in 2007 and in 2008 was instrumental in the development of the Allingham Trails Maintenance training session that takes place each year on the Deschutes National Forest.
She later co-founded the volunteer group, Sawyer’s With Attitude to Spare, commonly referred to as SWATS, in 2010. This well-trained crew clears and maintains trails weekly during forest field seasons and who serve on both the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests.
Along with coordinating the SWATS work crews, Dickey also recruits, trains and mentors new participants. When not volunteering for the Forest Service, Dickey can be found volunteering in her community at such places like the Tower Theatre or on numerous advisory committees and strategy groups.
“We are able to deliver a better recreation experience for the public because of the many hours of time Ms. Dickey and the SWATS volunteers donate every year,” said Lisa Machnik, recreation staff officer for the Deschutes National Forest. “We are grateful for the time and expertise she brings to her work on the national forest and are proud of her for achieving this prestigious award.”
In partnership with the US Forest Service, Discover Your Forest provides free educational programming for over 9,000 school children annually throughout the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests. In addition, Discover Your Forest supports over 2,500 volunteers in the Deschutes National Forest and interacts with over 250,000 visitors per year.
