- Tags:
- Volunteers,
- Land Stewards
Lee Sarapas, middle, accepts his award from Volunteer NH board members Greg Lange and Ally Snell. (Photo: Dan Farrell Photography)
In October, Leonard “Lee” Sarapas was presented with the 2024 Volunteer Service Award at the Spirit of NH Awards held at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Active, knowledgeable, and humble, Sarapas has served as the land steward for the Lamprey River Forest in Epping since 2018 and the Jennings Forest in New Durham since 2023.
In this role, he sets a high standard for regularly and thoroughly monitoring his assigned properties and submits clear and useful monitoring reports detailing his observations.
“Lee has brought a wealth of knowledge to his position,” said Land Steward & Volunteer Coordinator Laurel Swope-Brush. “So much so that we have used his reports as examples to train incoming land stewards.”
Beyond his monitoring duties, Sarapas has guided tours at the Conservation Center, assisted with Christmas tree planting at The Rocks, and has participated in the sign making workshop, the Invasive Plant Response Team, Monadnock Trails Week, nearly every staff-led workday in 2023, and, more recently, joined the Seed Seekers program in partnership with the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery.
“Lee carries himself with professionalism, a get-to-work attitude, and a deep passion for the mission of the Forest Society,” Swope-Brush noted. “And for these and many more reasons we’re extremely proud of him being recognized with this year’s Volunteer Service Award.”