Exceptional Merit Award Winners

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful

	Exceptional Merit Award Winners "The judges felt these entries deserved special recognition...." Government/Beautification & Landscaping City of Piedmont Driving into the City of Piedmont from the south on State Highway 4 these days is a real treat. An Oklahoma Department of Transportation tree grant, mixed with creativity and some hard work, has resulted in an entrance into town that is improved, enhanced and embraced by all who see it. Forty-five trees and 63 shrubs, all selected for their heartiness in central Oklahoma, now make a lasting impression on people passing through, or, as the judges said, the beautified entrance is “a nice counterpoint to prairie landscape and it should accomplish ‘memorability’ for visitors to Piedmont.” With the city providing weekly maintenance, the Kiwanis Club keeping the area free of trash and debris, and the Chamber of Commerce planning to add some windmills, it’s safe to say that THE CITY OF PIEDMONT IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE WINDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS IN OKLAHOMA! Government/Environmental Improvement OKLAHOMA SCENIC RIVERS COMMISSION One of the greatest natural treasures of our state is the Illinois River and its basin waterways which attract about 100,000 visitors – and their litter – each season. For years, the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission has recruited and coordinated area agencies, environmentally-minded groups and hundreds of volunteers for a massive cleanup effort to help make this treasure sparkle. Using creative prize incentives, imaginative promotional materials and effective media communications, the OSRC not only attracts hundreds of river cleanup volunteers, but also prepares them and later follows up with them. The river-cleaning events are a sparkling clear example of solid teamwork that reinforces a sense of personal responsibility for the environment. The judges called this “a classic solution to an ever-present problem” and urged the OSRC to “keep up the good work!” For annually removing tons of litter, we call the OKLAHOMA SCENIC RIVERS COMMISSION ANNUAL ILLINOIS RIVER CLEANUP GOOD NEWS FOR OKLAHOMA’S WATERWAYS! Non-profit Organizations/Beautification & Landscaping THE TREE BANK We can thank The Tree Bank for a living legacy of nearly 50,000 trees valued at more than eight million dollars. By taking on 70 to 90 new projects a year since 1987, The Tree Bank and its partners have had a dramatic impact on the landscaping and beautification efforts of public lands throughout Central Oklahoma. By making trees available to individuals and organizations for planting in public places, The Tree Bank has forged partnerships with groups ranging from correctional facilities and the Air National Guard to schools and the Girl Scouts with what the judges hailed as “impressive results.” Among those results are 60 “Leaf It To Me” school arboretums and taking a lead role in a municipal partnership with four communities whose trees were devastated in the big May 1999 tornado. Also noted by the judges is the organization’s strong educational component which includes booklets, manuals and newsletters. There can be no doubt that THE TREE BANK HAS BRANCHED INTO GOOD NEWS FOR OKLAHOMA’S PUBLIC LANDS! Non-profit Organizations/Environmental Improvement ARDMORE TIGERS QUARTERBACK CLUB Imagine leaving your seat at a football stadium and not seeing any litter around you. That goal is being successfully met by the Ardmore Tigers Quarterback Club and volunteer stadium groundskeeper, Mita Bates, with their litter-free events. Volunteers passed Keep America Beautiful litter bags down each row at the start of the fourth quarter at football games, the fans easily bagged their own trash with the filled bags gathered later for large commercial bins. The judges cheered the project as “a great idea that should work anywhere.” In fact, the fans have so embraced the concept of litter-free events that a recent band contest was added to the mix and litter bags now are taken to “away” games to let Tiger fans police their seating area before leaving. For setting an example that leaves others astonished, and for dreaming of taking this project statewide, THE ARDMORE TIGERS QUARTERBACK CLUB IS GOOD NEWS FOR OKLAHOMA’S ENVIRONMENT! Individual Achievement/Beautification & Landscaping DWAYNE THEINER Calling Hooker’s Dwayne Theiner “remarkable and memorable,” an Arkansas judge of our competition went on to ask, “What kind of fuel does Mr. Theiner run on? I’d like a couple of gallons for every volunteer in our state!” Dwayne’s love of landscaping has led him to quietly lend his strength and skills to every project of the parks committee in Hooker. For years, he has tirelessly transformed eyesores into inviting gardens and parks with his creativity and his hard labor. It wasn’t long ago that the locals – ashamed by the years of neglect – denied the town even had parks, although it did. Now Hooker’s thriving parks truly are something to brag about. DWAYNE THEINER IS MOTHER NATURE’S VERY SPECIAL FRIEND AND GOOD NEWS FOR BEAUTIFUL PARKS IN OKLAHOMA! Individual Achievement/Education & Promotion KIPP CRUTCHFIELD Nine years ago, Ardmore’s Kipp Crutchfield – along with fourth graders and several adult volunteers – began transforming a bare strip of land at School into an educational garden of learning and beauty. Today, that garden has become an outdoor classroom and it is transforming how teachers teach science throughout nation. Not only is the school’s garden a regular stop on Adrmore’s Spring Garden Tour, it has led to fourth grade classes planting trees and 10,000 bulbs a year throughout the city. Kipp also has added composting and recycling elements and led countless statewide workshops. Last November, Kipp’s work was recognized in Washington D.C., with the Environmental Education Teacher Professional Development Award. Our judges said, “How fortunate Oklahoma, Ardmore and the students in her classes are to have Ms. Crutchfield.” Keep Oklahoma Beautiful agrees that KIPP CRUTCHFIELD IS GOOD NEWS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN OKLAHOMA! Youth/Mixed Ages ALVA FFA For the past six years, the 100-member-strong Alva FFA has worked as the heart and soul of the Alva Tree Board, making an impressive impact on the community. The FFA students not only have planted and mulched over 500 trees, they also have planted several hundred seedlings and received grants for an additional thousand. For Arbor Day, the students were responsible for the program held on the North West Oklahoma State University campus. They made flyers for the celebration, conducted media interviews, and planted a survivor tree from the Oklahoma City bombing. This past year, they established a tree farm with over 500 seedlings successfully potted and growing. The judges called it “a very strong and successful program which deserves much praise.” We’re proud to say THE ALVA FFA IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT TAKING ROOT IN OKLAHOMA!
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