WAMPUM, Pa. — Volunteers with the Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail Association were honored nationally for their service on the trail.
The recipients were honored during the annual North Country Trail Community Celebration, held earlier this fall, in Chestertown, New York. They received recognition locally during the Wampum chapter’s November meeting.
Lifetime achievement
Dennis Garrett, of Darlington, Pennsylvania, received the Thomas L. Gilbert Lifetime Achievement award, which recognizes volunteers who have “provided 15+ years of true dedication, exceptional service and outstanding contributions” to the growth and success of the North Country Trail Association. Garrett, a North Country Trail Association Board member, was a foundational member of the Wampum chapter and under his leadership, the group grew from about 30 members to a network of more than 200 volunteers, community organizations and landowners. He was also recently awarded the National Park Service’s Hartzog Award for Enduring Service.
Distinguished service
Richard Ostheimer, of Youngstown, received the association’s Distinguished Service award, which is given to volunteers who dedicate eight or more years of exceptional service. He has been a member of the group since 2007 and has helped move several miles of the trail off-road. Ostheimer maintains several miles of Trail at Beaver Creek State Park and has been involved in many large projects, including leading a group of 40 high school students to build a mile of trail over a week. He was a member of the Enon Valley Bridge Crew who designed and built 17 footbridges over two years on 2.5 miles of new off-road North Country Trail. He is also a Triple Crown finisher.
Other awards
William Smith, of Brighton Township, Pennsylvania, received the Trail Builder award, which recognizes a volunteer who has spent three or more years of trail planning landowner negotiations, layout and design or construction that resulted in new trails or facilities.
Tony Keiser, of Wexford, Pennsylvania, received the Outstanding Private Landowner award. Keiser and his Misingwa Land Trust bought land in Lawrence County to help secure trail access for a new off-road section of trail and spearheaded efforts to preserve and restore the historic Watt’s Mill Bridge, which was turned into a pedestrian-only bridge adjacent to the North Country Trail trailhead.
Several volunteers also received awards from the National Park Service for volunteer hours:
• 10,000 hours — David Brewer, Canfield, Ohio
• 2,500 hours — Carol Wright, Center Township, Pennsylvania
• 200 hours — Yvette Jester, Columbiana, Ohio
• 100 hours — Joel Oravitz, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
The Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail Association is responsible for building, maintaining, protecting, and promoting the North Country Trail from its connection with the Buckeye Trail in the historic village of Zoar, Ohio to Alpha Pass at McConnells Mill State Park in Pennsylvania. The North Country National Scenic Trail is the longest in the National Trails System, stretching 4,800 miles across eight states from North Dakota to Vermont. Contact the Wampump Chapter via email at wampumncta@gmail.com or follow the chapter on social media to join up with its diverse group of volunteers.
