Volunteer Celebration at the new trail re-route in Dale Ball South, Oct. 28, 2014
A total of 75 individuals volunteered on at least one of over 30 city trail work events arranged by SFCT in 2014, including members of the Trails Alliance of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society as well as 26 students from the Masters Program (arranged via Santa Fe County’s Volunteer Coordinator), the Santa Fe Waldorf High School, and the Academy for Technology and the Classics. Together the volunteers contributed 664 hours of city trail maintenance, construction, or assessment work during these work days.
City trail work has been a wonderful group effort in 2014. Outstanding individual volunteers were recognized at a celebration on Dale Ball Trails in late October. They include the following, with final updated tallies for 2014:*
City Trail Volunteer Champion: Steve Washburn, 20 city trail work days. Steve was presented with an authentic piece of an unidentified flying object found at La Tierra Trails (no photo available).
City Trail Volunteer Champion, Runner-Up: Margaret Alexander, 17 city trail work days. Margaret also earned an authentic UFO fragment from La Tierra Trails.
City 
Trail Volunteer Champion, 2nd Runner-Up: David Wilson, 16 city trail work days. David was presented with a broken shift lever found on a trail job, testimony to the rugged beauty of our city trails.
City Trail Volunteer Champion, 3rd Runner-Up: Manny Maes, 14 city trail work days. Manny received a rusted Borden Condensed Milk can with “Elsie the Cow” prominently intact on the label, found in the meadow above the Green Gate, Dale Ball Trails.
City Trail Volunteers, Special Recognition (also logging over ten work days): Mike Eau Claire and Henry Lanman, 11 events each.
Ringer of the Year: Anna Hargreaves, 10 city trail work days (including especially hard labor at the rockpile)
Rookie of the Year: Bret Luboyeski, 7 city trail work days (plus 2 Atalaya days)
Rookie of the Year, Runners-Up: Joey Mascarenas (7 city trail work days, including heavy lifting) and Kimberly Henning (6 city trail work days, plus good snacks!)
Step-Master Award*: Mike Mellon (5 city trail work days) (*Shared w/ Mike Eau Claire)
Most Under-Rated Spouse: Tina Lanman (5 city trail work days)
“More work days than you can count on one hand” Award: Russell Fory (5 city trail work days, 1 Atalaya Day) – recruited while hiking in Dale Ball Trails South
“Can barely count the work days on one hand” Awards: Ken Howard (5 city work days), Ray Eldridge, Jane Prouty (4 city work days each), Lynn Lown (3 city, 1 Atalaya) and Peggy Rudberg (2, 2).
International Volunteer of the Year: Juan Alonzo of Madrid, Spain (3 city work days plus two field trips).
“Just Passin’ Through” Award: Todd and Bev Van Santen of Sacramento CA, for their help on the Dale Ball Re-Route.
And thanks to all the rest of the volunteers as well, we hope to see you again for more fun in 2015!
