WESTFIELD – The Westfield River Watershed Association is pleased to announce that it has chosen long-time board member Mike Young as the 2014 winner of the Richard A. Waite Award for his outstanding environmental service. The Waite Award, established in 1981, is given annually to a person who helps preserve and improve the local environment within the Westfield River watershed. Richard Waite was a former executive director of the Westfield River Watershed Association.
Since 1999, Mike Young has been a leader of the Westfield River Watershed Association, holding the posts of president, treasurer and secretary. He leads WRWA’s efforts to label storm drains on the streets in the watershed to discourage dumping. He coordinated WRWA’s involvement in the Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Program (ASERP) in local classrooms and has taken on the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program, as well.
Young also volunteers for other WRWA events, including annual river cleanups, the annual River Symposium and Kayak Demo Day. He edits WRWA’s newsletter and updates its website regularly.
He is an associate professor at Westfield State University, teaching courses in astronomy, geology and physics. His academic interests include quarternary geology, geomorphology and archaeoastronomy. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, cycling, canoeing and skiing. He has hiked all 48 of the 4000-foot peaks in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and all 46 peaks of the official list for the Adirondacks, plus the 35 Catskill peaks over 3,500 feet.
WRWA president Brian Conz noted that Mike is an ideal recipient of the Waite Award, bringing his “muddy boots” approach to teaching citizens and his students about the environment and inspiring new generations of watershed stewards.
For more information about the Westfield River Watershed Association, visit www.westfieldriver.org.
