Meet Our Volunteers of the Year in 2021!
We can’t say it enough: our volunteers and donors are the backbone of our conservation work in the West.
On October 13, we celebrated 25 years of wildlife and land conservation and those who have made it possible with a virtual celebration. We gave brief project updates, introduced new staff from the year, honored volunteers, and had a raffle.
We know those who attended will agree with us when we say that the highlight of the celebration was our Volunteer of the Year awards. We cannot thank these volunteers—and all our volunteers and donors—enough for their dedication to conservation in 2021. Get to know them for yourself, and don’t forget to sign up to volunteer or donate if you haven’t yet had a chance!
Overall Sageland Collaborative Volunteer of the Year: Sierra Hastings
As happy in cold autumn water as a beaver building a dam for the winter, Sierra has signed up for more volunteer dates on our Stream & Riparian Restoration Project than we’ve ever seen one person do. She says this work is the best thing she has ever done. We are incredibly lucky to have her on our conservation team. Thank you, Sierra!
"I'm beyond grateful that Sageland and other awesome conservation and education groups offer so many incredible opportunities to get involved."
- Sierra Hastings
Stream Restoration Volunteer of the Year: Brian Pham
Starting on our Stream & Riparian Restoration Project just this year, Brian has already left a big impression. His positivity brightens any long stream day, bringing our volunteers and team together with his passion. Thank you, Brian!
"For me, this project is a project of optimism. It recognizes just how much we've damaged these ecosystems, and then it takes that awareness and turns it into a message of hope - that together we can come together to tackle these problems."
- Brian Pham
Rosy-finch Project Volunteer of the Year: Dave Heldenbrand
Last season, Dave Heldenbrand submitted a large amount of Feeder Counts on the Rosy-finch Project. This is crucial to learning more about this mysterious species and supporting planns for their conservation. He also started a new bird feeder at a local site. Thank you, Dave!
"Environmental work in Utah can be depressing at times. Working with like-minded volunteers and professionals on Sageland Collaborative projects allows me to recharge."
- Dave Heldenbrand
Wasatch Wildlife Watch Volunteers of the Year: Jennifer & Danny Menlove
Between the two of them, Jennifer and Danny uploaded and tagged approximately half of all the images in the Wildlife Insights program as part of our Wasatch Wildlife Watch project. They have also established their own camera site and helped with fieldwork for Snapshot USA. Thank you, Jennifer and Danny!
"We've always been adamant about wildlife conservation, but this project has shown us just how important work like this really is. This is our third year on the project, but we'd happily do this forever!"
- Jennifer and Danny
Plants and Pollinators Volunteer of the Year: Natasha Hadden
Natasha is not only a volunteer on our Plants and Pollinators project, but also a partner that has worked hard to spread the project—and pollinator conservation efforts—to new regions of Utah. Thank you, Natasha!
"As a wildlife biologist and land manager, pollinators were always there, but not always a focal point or sometimes not even considered during a habitat project or survey work. Since I started participating in the Utah Pollinator Pursuit efforts…I now try to intentionally create and integrate pollinator-friendly native plant species into habitat restoration work."
- Natasha Hadden
Amphibians and Habitat Assessments Volunteer of the Year: Josh Carter
A student of film, Josh created a rosy-finch video last winter and spent many hours this summer working on a video for our Boreal Toad Project. Over multiple days, he spent long hours hefting his camera through thick willows with our team looking for toads to film, which is not an easy feat. Thank you, Josh!
"Most people don't realize all the threats wildlife face because of humans, so spreading awareness is essential for us all to make changes. Anyone can make a difference if they want to, even if it's small."
- Josh Carter
Thank you to these volunteers, and all of you who have donated or volunteered in 2021. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!