Holly Morgan, Timber Management Assistant on Catahoula Ranger District, Kisatchie National Forest, received the Distinguished Service to Forestry Aware for 2002, during the Louisiana Society of American Foresters convention in Alexandria on September 18.

Mrs. Morgan is secretary of LASAF, and has been active in several forestry education projects locally and nationally during the past five years. The award was presented by Bill Wieger of Alexandria, a prior DSF award winner. His presentation address outlined Mrs. Morgan's career and contributions to forestry.

Making the presentation, Wieger said, "Our recipient is a graduate of Oklahoma State University in 1978, where she was a member of Xi Sigma Pi, and active in student government.

"Her career began with Continental Forest Industries at a Georgia location for four years, followed by a transfer to Continental's Winnfield operations, and evolving to responsibility for the area west of the Red River, and then eventually, employment by Stone Container for a couple of years. Subsequently, she spent two years in arboriculture with Trees, Inc., in the Houston area, and in 1990, she began a career with the U.S. Forest Service. Her current position with USFA is Timber Management Assistant in the Catahoula District, Kisatchie National Forest, based at Pollock.

"She lives in Natchitoches, is married and has two children, a boy 11 and a girl 9. She is a long-term member of SAF and LFA, and serves on the board of Twin Valley Conservation Development, and of the Central Louisiana Girl Scout Council.

"Her selection for Distinguished Service Award recognizes her efforts and accomplishments beyond education and employment, and has a lot to do with communications and concerns about what information is being supplied to school kids about the local environment. Having kids in school, she is very attuned to what is dispensed as environmental information.

"Several years ago, Holly decided that it was urgent that teachers be supplied with the straight story about forestry and other key elements of the environment.

"As a member of the Twin Valley Conservation and Development District, she was able to secure two major grants to enable the production of an excellent video of several chapters, dealing with key aspects of local forest environment, plus an accompanying workbook for sixth grade classes.

"She recruited SAF members to distribute the packages of video and workbook to every sixth grade class in the state.

"Her efforts at communication also include her key roles in the Forest Awareness Weeks held in Grant and Natchitoches parishes. She talks to school classes, and helps to organize workshops for private landowners in eight parishes.

"In SAF, Holly has been on several program committees, including this one, and in particular was the chair for the 2000 annual meeting which celebrated the 100th anniversary of SAF. She has been communications chair for the past two years, has established the LASAF website, and has completed the collection of historical photos that were displayed at the 2000 meeting into a CD which is available for purchase.

"She is also responsible for the recent initiative for a position statement regarding federal forests. Holly has receives several previous awards which have recognized her contributions including the SAF Sparkplug Award, the National Resources Conservation Service recognition as one of the top ten conservation promotions in the country for the video-workbook package, presented at the national NSCS convention in Utah, and the Southern Regional Foresters Conservation Education Award."

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