York Conservation District Announces Winners Of Annual Conservation Awards

The York County Conservation District held its annual Conservation Awards Picnic on August 12, at Rocky Ridge County Park to present their 2021 Conservation Awards. 

Each year a committee selects individuals and businesses in York County to recognize for their stewardship and commitment to conservation efforts. 

Award recipients were presented with a signed, limited edition framed print by Millicent Neill Decker while guests enjoyed a catered picnic dinner. 

This year’s recipients were:

-- Outstanding Partnering Organization: Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Ted Evgeniadis.

The Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is dedicated to improving the ecological health of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed and the Chesapeake Bay. Ted, as LSRK, has hosted various creek cleanups, the Susquehanna River Plastic Purge, Greener Codorus (vegetation control along the Codorus Creek), the Dam Bridge Challenge, water quality monitoring, and other river-related events in the Lower Susquehanna Watershed. Additionally, he has advocated for clean water, protective policies, and enforced regulations. 

-- Watershed Stewardship Award: Cindy Pizziketti

Cindy just passed over 1,000 volunteer hours with the Master Watershed Stewards (MWS).  This includes volunteering for buffer plantings, participating in the Greener Codorus Initiative, assisting with water quality monitoring, educating the public, and organizing MWS, LSRK, and WAY events.  

She is a rock star volunteer, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Cindy spends much of her retirement promoting conservation through her dedicated volunteer work and involvement with various watershed stewardship projects throughout York County. 

-- Outstanding Stewardship Award: Glenn Hope Care Farm/Glenn Hope Agricare, Aimee Morris.

As founder and director of Glenn Hope Care Farm, Aimee strives to bridge the gap between healthcare and natural healing environments. They embrace “Green Care'' philosophies on the farm, which is a term that is used to describe psychological, educational, and physical interventions that involve using plants, animals, and a natural environment to heal the human mind, body, and spirit. 

Glen Hope Care Farm provides a unique employment program designed to help returning veterans re-enter the workforce. When Aimee founded Glenn Hope Care Farm, she concurrently founded Glenn Hope Agricare which is their for-profit entity that focuses on farming operations and production. 

In 2021, Glenn Hope Agricare successfully completed an Exelon Habitat Improvement Project in cooperation with YCCD.

The York County Conservation District has been serving York County residents for 73 years.

[Posted: August 17, 2021] PA Environment Digest