PCSWCD honors 2024 Volunteers of the Year
SANGERVILLE — Each year, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District honors a volunteer that has helped us carry out our mission of building resilient, sustainable farms and forests through education, technical services, demonstration, and stewardship. This year, the 2024 PCSWCD Volunteer of the Year award was awarded to two people, Kim Merritt and Chuck Batdorf of Abbot.
Volunteering efforts for PCSWCD can look like assisting with land maintenance on our over 400 acres of public land, helping with District events or programs, helping to promote our services, or lending a hand for special projects. It’s a unique situation when someone, or in this year’s case, two people, extend themselves to provide help with all your volunteering needs and that is just what they have done.
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR — Chuck Batdorf and Kim Merritt were honored as PCSWCD’s 2024 Volunteers of the Year on Sept. 14 at the East Sangerville Grange.
Kim and Chuck have answered the volunteer call from the PCSWCD since 2019. They attended Law Farm Nature Trail workdays, Kim helped plant PCSWCD’s Educational Apple Orchard, they both helped sort and pack plants for our Tree & Plant Sale, helped with events such as our annual Cider Pressing event, educational programming, and special fundraising events. Kim and Chuck helped PCSWCD prepare for the Educator of Year Award for UMaine School of Forest Resources and also pulled off a successful event at the Law Farm for the April solar eclipse. Kim served on our board of supervisors as an associate supervisor from April 2022 to June 2024. She brought knowledge of agriculture and homesteading to the Board, and served as a liaison between the District and Cooperative Extension and other vital community resources.
PCSWCD presented Kim Merritt and Chuck Batdorf with the 2024 Volunteers of the Year award at the East Sangerville Grange’s benefit lasagna dinner on Sept. 14. Kacey Weber, education coordinator with the PCSWCD, Alan Bray of East Sangerville Grange, and Beth Ruksznis of UMaine Cooperative Extension Piscataquis County all shared how both Kim and Chuck have helped serve their causes in many ways. PCSWCD board and staff members presented Kim and Chuck with a certificate and a potted frasier fir tree to commemorate the honor.
PCSWCD board and staff were grateful for the chance to work with Kim and Chuck over the years and we feel they are so deserving of this recognition. Congratulations to Kim Merritt and Chuck Batdorf for being named the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2024 Volunteers of the Year!