"How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a weary world."

— SJRC&D Super Volunteer

KP has been an Earth Team volunteer since December of 2004. He first started helping out the NRCS Hainesport Field Office. Ken Taaffe, then Acting RC&D Coordinator, noticed KP’s aptitude for all things related to computers. Ken requested revision of a few webpages on the South Jersey RC&D website. KP took to this assignment like a fish to water. Within days KP proposed many other needed upgrades to the website and started redesigning the site to make it more attractive and user friendly.  As the sites webmaster, KP added new pages as the Council added new projects. KP also convinced the Council electronic newsletters (i.e., eZines) are the wave of the future. He then composed and sent out two RC&D Council eZines to over 700 individuals at minimal cost. To our knowledge no other Council or Soil Conservation District in the Northeast is using this technology.

Though KP took on the above mentioned tasks by himself, he saw other needs of the Council that volunteers could provide. He recruited an RC&D publicist (See Lance Lindstrom below) to assist with writing news articles for the regular newsletter and the eZines; a volunteer to set up an Access database of RC&D Council contacts (See Server Bayrasli); and a volunteer graphic artist (See Rob Ortiz below) to create a logo for the Council. Besides these volunteers, KP worked with volunteers validating weather station data, those entering data into Microsoft Access, and a volunteer photographer. In the past year KP worked with six other volunteers, who logged hundreds of hours on different projects.

Perhaps KP’s biggest accomplishments were in the areas of water conservation. The South Jersey RC&D operates a system of 22 research quality weather stations that creates daily reports to our website. These weather stations measure rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation. This data is summarized in reports that assist farmers and homeowners with irrigation water management and watershed managers in stormwater modeling. One water company, United Water, uses a modified irrigation scheduler that KP created, to tell its customers when to water their lawns. United Water has reported water savings of 500,000 gallon per day for one program.  KP managed four of these programs in 2007. The water savings is likely in the millions of gallons per day!!  KP also monitors the RISE System of weather stations, performing needed repairs to the weather stations and the computer programs that run the system. KP has also installed a new weather station.

Another forte of KP is his marketing eye. He recognized that RC&D needed more eye catching brochures early on and has produced our RC&D, the Team Habitat, and the Tour des Farms TriFolds.

To recognize all of KP’s accomplishments, the New Jersey Earth Team selected him as the 2006 Earth Team Volunteer of the Year and nominated him for the National Earth Team Volunteer of the Year award.

Lance has volunteered as the RC&D Publicist since late 2005. He wrote and edited our 2006 Newsletter, wrote the Flood Protection: Southern NJ Wake-Up Call and has contributed to numerous webpages. Besides this work he helped design our Council’s contact database, assisted with photos, and staffed the South Jersey RC&D Council display at the 2006 Earth Fair in Burlington County. Lance continues to help with editing tasks.

Lance works full time for Bristol-Myers Squibb editing technical papers. He is an avid bicycler and enjoys fine wines when he has time to unwind.

Joan has been a long time volunteer for the Earth Team. She first helped out by tallying the Earth Team Volunteer hours for all of New Jersey. As a matter of fact this help is still recognized on the New Jersey Volunteer Gallery!!

Joan frequently assists with administrative tasks other volunteers are not willing to tackle. The SJRC&D contact database was designed by Server and Lance but never would have come to fruition without Joan. Joan spent hundreds of hours collecting and validating data. Definitely an arduous task! Yet she continues to smile and never complains. Just attacks the task with vigor.

More recently, she has been a tremendous help to the South Jersey RC&D council in a number of ways. She has mailed numerous mass mailings for the Council. She also helped Ken organize his office when he moved to its new location in Columbus.

Let me tell you, . . . THAT was a task!!

She also was Ken's assistant for organizing the Council's first Tour des Farms. Joan mailed over 100 hundred letters to potential patrons along with a mass mailing to colleges and university.  Joan rode the three tour routes in a car and typed up the Route directions. At the event she organized the snacks table and the silent auction.

Many thanks Joan! We couldn't do it without you!!

Becky has been volunteering for the South Jersey RC&D Council for a few years. She has helped create and staff displays, take pictures, performed field work, and many other tasks. She came up real big, though, when we agreed to help mark out the route for Tour des Farms.

Becky and Ken, the RC&D Coordinator, spent over ten hours on Friday, the day before the ride, spraying route markers on the 13, 25, and 50 mile routes. Next year, Ken pledges to get more help with the marking!!

Becky is a recent graduate of Stockton State College with a degree in Environmental Studies and has worked in this field for the past few years.

Thanks for all your help, Becky!!

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Maura is a recent addition to our corps of volunteers. Responding to the VolunteerMatch.com request in early 2007, she assists the development of newsletters and eZines by writing articles, desktop publishing, and editing copy.  Maura also performs research used for the above mentioned articles.  More recently her photographic talents have become invaluable.

Maura snapped dozens of photos during our inaugural Tour des Farms event. She also interviewed countless riders, Council members, and volunteers.  Her work comprises a major portion of both our Tour des Farm photo gallery and the “Looking Back” article and web page.

Maura:  Thanks again, the photos are priceless.

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Julia is a new volunteer for the Council assisting at its “First Annual” Tour des Farms. She assisted with registration, the silent auction, and the snack table. Julia is a long time USDA Farm Services Agency employee. As the Council is housed in the same office as the FSA, Julia heard about the upcoming event and asked if she could help. We said “Come on down!!”

Julia enjoyed her time helping out so much that she’s already signed up for next year’s event.

Thanks again for your help!!

Caroline Ringo also assisted with the registration table and the South Jersey RC&D display at the 2007 Tour des Farms.  She also took photographs at the event.  Although this may be first time recognition, Caroline is no stranger to RC&D. Husband Kent has been on the Council since inception in 1976.

Caroline and Kent have a long time interest in Orienteering, a map and compass hiking sport.  They were founding members of the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association which has been in existence since 1967 and holds events in parks throughout the area. Through Orienteering, Caroline has vast experience on how to conduct a thorough, expedient registration.

Thanks Caroline. What a Starr!!

Where is the World is Rob? — Rob Cermak lived in Middlesex County, New Jersey when he started volunteering for the Earth Team, but volunteered for the South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council in Hammonton. You might think that is a long commute, but it involved no commute whatsoever! Rob does his volunteering on his computer over the phone lines. Rob managed the RC&D website from 1998 to 2005. In addition, he is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of RISE System of weather station on the web.

Steve Quesenberry, former South Jersey RC&D Coordinator, says, "Rob has done a remarkable job automating the Internet experience for our customers. In 2004, in our work with United Water Toms River, we had over 120 days of data processing and report delivery without a single failure. Our reports arrived at the TV, radio stations, and newspapers in time for their broadcast and press runs every day."

Rob has been available to answer all questions concerning data quality and other Internet concerns, even when he travels. Rob has been instrumental in assisting the Council to develop the remaining web site with his vast computer programming knowledge and quick wit.

But back to the question, "Where is the World is Rob?" Well, the photo above was taken in Fairbanks, Alaska! That's where Rob now works for the University of Alaska as a Systems & Software Engineer — and volunteers for us in New Jersey.

Stay Warm, Rob!!

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Rob is a professional graphic artist who answered the Council’s ad for someone with graphic design experience to help us design a new logo. Bob was not the first person to answer this ad. Other had tried to help out but did not have that special eye for what makes a logo attractive. Bob, though, has that talent. Within days he had a mockup and a month later we were using our new logo.

Thanks Bob! Good luck with your business!

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