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Deschutes Land Trust Awards Volunteers of Year

Deschutes Land Trust awards Volunteer of the Year honors to two volunteers at annual meeting.

Volunteer of the Year: Martha Lussenhop. Photo: Jan Hansson.

The Deschutes Land Trust honored its outstanding volunteers for their dedication and participation in conserving land in Central Oregon. Volunteer of the Year awards were presented at the Land Trust’s annual membership meeting to two local volunteers: Dave Breuer of Bend and Martha Lussenhop of Sisters.

The Land Trust’s Executive Director Brad Chalfant noted “we are so proud to have such passionate, dedicated volunteers who contribute so significantly to local land conservation. These folks are integral to  our success.” 

Dave Breuer has been a Land Trust volunteer and member since 2005. Dave donating time in a variety of ways including helping the Land Trust conduct the annual monitoring of a vast conserved forest near Crescent, OR. His professional background in forestry helped Land Trust staff get the work done efficiently and quickly. Dave has also found time for many other Land Trust projects from building fences to installing banners.

Martha Lussenhop has been a Land Trust member since 2000 and a volunteer since 2005 when she moved to Sisters. Martha lives adjacent to the Land Trust’s Indian Ford Meadow Preserve and has logged many hours cleaning trails and pulling weeds, and helping in the Land Trust office. With frequent trips to Bend, Martha often helps out weekly becoming a valuable extension of the Land Trust staff.

“It’s good to have a volunteer activity that has an impact on my immediate environment. Since I can’t directly help the far corners of our planet, it is satisfying to ‘act locally’ to help sustain the health of plant, animal, and human communities,” said Martha.

Martha and Dave are shining examples of the countless volunteers who donated more than 3,300 hours to the Land Trust in 2007-2008. Thanks to those volunteers and to Patagonia by Pandora's Backpack for donating this year's volunteer of the year awards.

About Deschutes Land Trust
The Deschutes Land Trust works cooperatively with landowners to conserve land in Central Oregon for wildlife, scenic views, and local communities. Since 1995, the Land Trust has protected more than 7,200 acres.

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