Volunteers are mission critical to The Nature Conservancy, and we are so fortunate to have such a great group of incredible, dedicated folks.
In 2021, one volunteer’s contributions toward our mission rose above the rest. We are proud to announce that the 2021 Volunteer of the Year award goes to Jenna Rovegno for her work as a Lands Team Volunteer!
Jenna was nominated by Isaac Hansen, TNC Conservation Transaction Specialist
Jenna has volunteered for The Nature Conservatory since 2009 and contributed 500-plus hours! She shared that the reason she joined TNC was because her values aligned with TNC’s mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Jenna has been putting energy into a massive project updating the management plans for preserves across Washington. Management plans paint a picture of how our stewardship work touches down on the lands we currently own and describe the unique characteristics of each place. A well-crafted management plan can be useful for stewardship practitioners, decision makers, local partners, neighboring landowners, and many more. As the TNC team prepares to update these plans, Jenna paves the way by utilizing her expertise in technical copy editing to carry over the content from existing management plans into the new template. Jenna has already worked through the plans for 13 preserves all over the state (each plan being 30+ pages of varied, technical content) – a massive gift of time and effort that is streamlining the update process significantly.
In all of this, Jenna has demonstrated an attention to detail, drive for results, and can-do attitude that is outstanding. She has been volunteering for TNC for many years…and this year is no exception, with Jenna putting in 120 hours during 2021. We are truly grateful for Jenna’s excellent work, and look forward to continuing on this important project.
Honorable Mentions
Competition is stiff for the volunteer of the year at The Nature Conservancy’s Washington chapter. With hundreds of active volunteers every year, it’s always a tough decision to pick only one volunteer. As an honorable mention, we would also like to acknowledge “super volunteer” Leah Zarin. Leah is a long-time volunteer for the Transactions Team, and her dedication as a volunteer was especially appreciated on a project researching tax strategies for TNC preserves.
Thank you, Jenna, Leah, and all of the volunteers who help us achieve our mission every day!