The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced the winners of the Take Pride in America awards for 2009, and the Lopez Island Conservation Corps came out on top.

TPIA is a program to honor and promote volunteers who work on natural resources. For more than 18 years this program has fostered pride in both national outdoor resources and in the work it takes to maintain them.

The Lopez Island Conservation Corps was honored with the top award for youth groups this year. Started as an eagle scout project by Lopez’s Josh Cook, the LICC has cleaned miles of beach, pulled truckloads of weeds, and built hundreds of yards of walking trails. A crew of ten young people is slated to work two days each week during the summer of 2009, with Cook as the youth leader.

Nick Teague of the Bureau of Land Management has shepherded the group through its inception, finding funding for packs and tools, and keeping the participants engaged with his experience and enthusiasm.

Cook plans to travel to Washington, D.C. on July 16 to receive the award. The LICC was one of only four organizations from the west coast to win the award, from among hundreds of qualified national nominations. Other award winners include Ely Lilly and Company, the city of Kent, Washington, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Interest in the LICC has grown each year, and this summer Cook has recruited more than 30 young people between the ages of 14 and 18 to keep natural resources healthy and accessible.

“The LICC gives youth on Lopez a chance to get outside, learn new skills, and give something back to their community,” Teague said. “We are a 501(c) nonprofit organization, and are working with the Lopez Island Family Resource Center to pursue funding for transportation, stipends for youth leaders, and sending Josh to Washington, D.C. Donations are tax deductible through the LIFRC.”

Besides the LIFRC and BLM, local partners include the San Juan County Land Bank, local and state parks, and the Keepers of the Patos Lighthouse. An orientation was held on June 16 to introduce participants to the packs and tools they will be using, and to cover safety protocols. There is a “tailgate safety meeting” at the beginning of each workday, and time at the end of the day to write in journals and relax. Workdays this summer will be Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call Nick Teague at 468-3754 for more information.