One of the statements I have made the most in my career with Virginia State Parks is, “I love our volunteers!” Working with them is truly one of the best parts of my job. And they have done it again. Amazing as it may seem, volunteers gave 210,693 recorded hours of their time to your Virginia State Parks in 2022. Individuals, groups, couples and even families worked to create new hiking trails and keep them cleared, sponsor events, help with environmental education, plant and maintain gardens, build new things and repair old, and, to my astonishment, keep bees! These are just a few of their incredible accomplishments. It is my pleasure to introduce some of those outstanding, selfless volunteers to you.

Group of the Year Award

Virginia Tech’s Lambda Iota Mu received the group award for their efforts at Hungry Mother State Park. Their signature project is keeping the popular Molly’s Knob Trail in good condition for hikers. They also keep the flowerbeds clean, split firewood and assist at festivals as part of their mission to support local ecosystems and educate the public.

Friends Groups of the Year Award

Friends of High Bridge Trail State Park was recognized for their high level of engagement with many aspects of park operation, including numerous volunteer projects and efficient fundraising, which has helped the park acquire historic artifact replicas, tractors, bicycle repair stations and junior ranger program supplies, to name just a few items.

Friends of Seven Bends State Park was honored for their many successful projects promoting visitor engagement. These included Women in Nature program, First Day hike, Beats on the Bend concert, and National Kids to Park Day. They have also worked on recruiting new group members and reaching out to community members in a variety of ways, including designing a bilingual (English and Spanish) flyer.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

Owen Waltman was honored for his 25 years of volunteerism on behalf of Pocahontas State Park and the Virginia State Park system. His volunteer contributions are varied and numerous and include work to engage the biking community of the Richmond metropolitan area by developing mountain bike trails at the park, tirelessly advocating for Virginia State Parks, planning and running park events such as concerts, training dozens of new volunteers, and, most recently, serving as the president of the Friends of Pocahontas State Park.

Randy Smith, a longtime volunteer at Hungry Mother State Park, received the award posthumously. Mr. Smith compiled a comprehensive list of bird species found at the park and updated it annually for 10 years. He often led bird walks that drew people in from across the state and encouraged budding ornithologists. A retired teacher, Mr. Smith assisted with programs, field trips and presentations. He will be missed by park staff and visitors.

And the team of James Keith Johnson, Margaret & Kim Kenny received awards for their decades of work revealing the wonders of the cosmos to hundreds of park visitors through astronomy programs at High Bridge Trail, Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historic and James River State Parks. They are also longtime members of the Crewe Astronomy Club.

Exceptional Service Awards

Randy Bagby was recognized for efforts in trail stewardship at Occoneechee State Park. He devoted hundreds of hours to improving the Panhandle Multi-Use Trail, engaged the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists to complete trail days and became a dedicated member of the Friends of Occoneechee State Park, including recruiting new members.

Jack and Theresa Rayburn’s work in 2022 was critical at Westmoreland State Park in helping operations run smoothly despite many staff vacancies. They pitched in to help build an outdoor classroom, led a First Day hike, improved trails, planted wildflowers and performed maintenance duties. They also stepped up to fill a last-minute vacancy in the campground host program and volunteered for a month to greet visitors, maintain campsites and ensure campers had positive and memorable experiences at the park. Adding to all this, the Rayburns donated money to buy plants for a beautiful, educational and ecologically significant pollinator garden to continue their involvement in the Virginia Master Naturalist program.

Significant Achievement Award

Joan Chapman is a volunteer at Seven Bends State Park. She is also the chairperson of the Friends of Seven Bends State Park. In 2022, under her leadership, the group made great strides in outreach and recruitment by developing a webpage with an events calendar, designing and printing a bilingual recruitment flyer, organizing the park’s first outdoor concert and establishing the Friends of Seven Bends Walkers Club.

Interpretation Award

Tracy Rollins, a longtime volunteer at Wilderness Road State Park, was awarded the Interpretation Award for his efforts in historical interpretation since 2001. In character, Mr. Rollins demonstrates candle-making, open hearth cooking, and carpentry of the 1700s. His patient mentorship has helped shape park staff and volunteers into talented historical interpreters.

Campground Host Award

Tammie Haller hosts at Powhatan State Park and at other parks. Ms. Haller consistently goes above and beyond the requirements of her position including advertising programs, cleaning the bathhouse, encouraging proper pet owner etiquette and providing campground patrol. In the words of her nominator, “Tammie is a model camp host and any park where she volunteers knows they are in good hands when she is there. She is an asset to us all.”

We would also like to mention all the runners-up for the 2022 Volunteer of the Year Awards:

• Mike Brostek (Seven Bends and Leesylvania State Parks)
• Suzanne Sparrow (Sky Meadows State Park)
• Don Viles (Hungry Mother State Park)
• April Allen (Staunton River Battlefield State Park)
• The Flora Family (Chippokes State Park)
• Tom Black & Becky Fela (Hungry Mother State Park)
• The Friends of Hungry Mother State Park

Their hard work, time and dedication are greatly appreciated.

Please join me in congratulating these incredible volunteers. Thank you from all of us at Virginia State Parks!

If you would like to learn more about our Citizen Support Organizations (CSOs), Friends Groups, Camp Host Programs, volunteering, or ways to support your Virginia State Parks, please contact your local Virginia State Park. CSOs and Friends Groups are also advocates for Virginia State Parks working side by side with the Virginia Association for Parks.

Click here to fill out a volunteer application. 

You can also email vspvolunteer@dcr.virginia.gov,
call (804) 625-3984 or write to:
Virginia State Parks Director of Community Engagement and Volunteerism
600 E. Main St., 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219