Sisters wildlife volunteer receives governor’s award
Norma Funai leads a tour at Rimrock Ranch. Photo: JW Visuals.
A Sisters woman was awarded a 2009 regional Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Award for her work with the Deschutes Land Trust.
Norma Funai, 80, a retired school teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area, started working with the land conservation group in 1997.
She helped the organization in many ways, from doing bird surveys on the trust’s land to leading wildlife tours.
“I felt it was a worthwhile organization to volunteer for, and they needed someone to lead tours on their property,” Funai said. “With my teaching background, it made so much sense for me.”
The Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Award is given to people who have volunteered more than 10 years of service to the community.
Funai will be officially honored at a lunch with the governor and the other regional and statewide recipients on Friday.
“Central Oregon is a place that has attracted a lot of folks from elsewhere, and people don’t know the region, the landscape, the wildlife, the vegetation,” said Deschutes Land Trust Executive Director Brad Chalfant.
“Norma has a remarkable gift to share with folks of all ages, and in doing so she has helped connect a lot of people to this place we call Central Oregon. ... She’s helped people really sink their roots in Central Oregon and learn about the wildlife, how the watersheds work, how natural areas are managed.”
Chalfant said Funai helped with the land trust’s success.
“She knows how to speak to people, to develop that connection for folks,” he said. “She doesn’t speak down to anyone. She has a genuine, engaging, warm personality.”
The Deschutes Land Trust was founded in 1995 to save land for wildlife, scenic views and local communities. It has protected more than 7,200 acres, according to information from the group.
Funai was surprised to hear she was being recognized for her help.
“This is just a wonderful thing for me to do to keep active and out of doors and share my knowledge with people,” she said.
She plans to keep volunteering her services to the organization.
“When you get to be my age, you take it a little slower. But I’m going to continue to work,” she said.
