Volunteers and advocates are what makes Hylebos conservation so successful. There are so many talented, passionate people working to make the Hylebos greener and healthier. 2009 featured an impressive group of award winners.

(Please enjoy the slide show located at the bottom of this page.)

Ilene and Francis Marckx Wetland Award
Presented to an outstanding volunteer in honor of the Marckxs, long-time stewards of the West Hylebos Wetlands.

2009 Winner
Ron Larson is one of the Stream Team’s first volunteers as a Salmon Watcher, with nine years of service. Ron has totaled more than 210 hours watching for salmon, including a whopping 30 hours in just the last salmon season.

Innovation in Conservation Award 
Presented to partners practicing innovative solutions that minimize development impacts or maximize habitat restoration in the Hylebos Watershed.

2009 Winner
General Metals has pursued the development of the Karileen project, a 10-acre stream and wetland restoration project that will provide mitigation for past impacts through the Hylebos Superfund Cleanup. General Metals has demonstrated a desire to do much more than what is simply required. They have demonstrated a determination to build a mitigation project that maximizes benefits to the watershed, and to involve the community in choosing, designing, and building a project. The company has also shown a single-minded determination to build the project quickly, and thus create the ecological benefits earlier, often pushing what can be a slow government process.
 
Our staff recommended General Metals for their commitment to creating a high quality restoration project and pushing the envelope of NRDA mitigation projects in working closely with the Friends. While the city of Federal Way has done a great deal to support Hylebos conservation, General Metals’ more closely embodies the innovation this award focuses on.

Lifetime Stewardship Award 
Presented to a long-time advocate and steward of the Hylebos Watershed.

2009 Winner
Thais Bock is one of the area’s pioneering conservation advocates and a birding expert (she authored our Birds of the Hylebos series). She is a contemporary and colleague of Ilene Marckx, having contributed her time and commitment to the early days of preserving the West Hylebos Wetlands. Sharing her knowledge of native birds, Thais has helped nurture and built the network of birders in this area and has contributed to an increased understanding and awareness of the West Hylebos Wetlands and Hylebos Creek.

Golden Hip Boot Award
Presented (occasionally) to outstanding Hylebos advocates who walk the walk as well as they talk the talk.

2009 Winner
Eric Stavney began volunteering for the Friends in 2002 as a water quality monitor and has since worked extensively on the Friends' many habitat restoration projects, contributing more than 150 hours. He joined the board of directors in 2003 and served two terms as president of the board in the years before retiring in 2009. As president, Eric enjoyed helping shape the mission and strategic plans for the organization, as well as developing formal policies for the rapidly growing organization. Eric has been a college biology instructor for more than 25 years.

2009 Ruby Dance Award Winners Slideshow