Group honors 23 for improving county forest health

Dianne Stallings
ruidoso news staff writer
Thursday, March 21, 2002 - Twenty-three people accepted awards of recognition for their efforts to improve the health of forest land in Lincoln County, while reducing the fire hazard.

A few more didn’t show for the meeting of the South Central Mountain Resource Conservation and Development appreciation banquet, but will pick up the plaques later. The recipients represent federal, state and county entities, municipal government and private enterprise.

Council Chairman Van Shamblin turned over master of ceremony duties to Stan Bulsterbaum, who also is a member of the Interstate Stream Commission.

He told the audience that the commission’s policy position will include water restoration after its meeting Wednesday.

"I’ve been driving for that and I think we have the votes to pass it," he said. The commission will use groups like the council to guide it on restoration projects with the greatest potential for water yield, he said.

Awards from the council were presented to:

• Barbara Luna, Bill Duemling and Donna Carmichael of the state Forestry Division. They also took home a plaque for Bill Rogge
• Jim Norwick and Dick Williford of the State Public Lands Office in Roswell.
• Thora Padilla from the Division of Resource management and Protection for the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
• Jerry Hawkes, Connie Zipperer, Brian Powers, Matt Reidy and Frank Martinez from the U.S. Forest Service. A plaque was sent with them for Toby Martinez.
• Ruidoso Downs Mayor Bob Miller picked up a plaque for Tom Armstrong, fire chief and head of code enforcement.
• Ruidoso teacher Lois Sprott.
• Lincoln County Commission Chairman Rex Wilson and Mike Nivison, an Otero county commissioner and Cloudcroft village manager, who also took a plaque for Gary Wood with that village's fire department.
• Hollis Fuchs of the federal Natural Resource Conservation Services.
• Ruidoso Urban Forester Rick DeIaco.
• Charlie Bain of Timberon.
• Sherry Barrow and Phil Archuletta, who have developed products and businesses to use small diameter wood cut during thinning projects.

Representatives from the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs were absent.

© 1999-2001 MediaNews Group, Inc.