The SRI Foundation, on behalf of the Passport in Time Program, Receives U.S. Forest Service's Windows on the Past Award
by Terry Klein, Executive Director, SRI Foundation
October 26, 2016
(From left to right: Michael Kaczor, Federal Preservation Officer for the Forest Service; Robert Bonnie, UnderSecretary of the US Department of Agriculture; Terry Klein, Executive Director of the SRI Foundation; Tom Tidwell, Chief of the Forest Service; Townsend Anderson, Executive Director of HistoriCorps; Robert Stanton, Former Director of the National Park Service and current member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation - Photo Courtesy of Dominic Cumberland, Office of Communications Forest Service)
MORE ON PASSPORT IN TIME RECEIVING U.S. FOREST SERVICE’S WINDOWS ON THE PAST AWARD
On October 12, 2016,
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell presented the agency’s Windows on the Past award to two programs
– the agency’s Passport in Time (PIT) and the non-profit HistoriCorps. The SRI Foundation, which hosts the PIT Clearinghouse,
accepted the award for Passport in Time. This award event was part of the
national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
The SRI Foundation is honored to
receive this award, and wishes to acknowledge the great partnership we have
with the Forest Service. This partnership has been critical to the success of
this incredible volunteer program. In particular, we want to acknowledge Will
Reed, National Passport in Time Program Manager, for his dedication to the PIT
program. We could not have done it without you, Will! And thanks to Jill
Osborn, who served as the National Passport in Time Program Manager before
Will. Jill was instrumental in laying the foundation for the PIT program.
We also want to acknowledge two
SRI Foundation staff - Matthew Dawson, PIT
Clearinghouse Program Manager, and Stacey Chambliss, Volunteer Coordinator.
Matt and Stacy currently run the PIT Clearinghouse. They have done an excellent
job managing the Clearinghouse over the past several years, and worked hard to
improve the PIT website, e-newsletter, and added the full range of social media
to the PIT program. Thank you Matt and
Stacey! We also want to acknowledge Carol Ellick, who expertly managed the
Clearinghouse for many years when the Clearinghouse was run through Statistical
Research, Inc., and then the SRI Foundation.
Matt and Stacey took over the management of the Clearinghouse after
Carol and her husband, Joe Watkins, moved to Washington, D.C. for their next
adventure.
And, much gratitude to all of the
PIT Project Leaders! Without you, this Program would not be possible. And
finally, thanks to all of the PIT volunteers! You have contributed so much to
the conservation and preservation of our nation’s cultural and historical
heritage! And speaking of PIT volunteers, we would like to close with a quote
from a recent comment we received from a volunteer who participated in our
longest running PIT project, in the Lolo National Forest in Montana:
PIT is
absolutely the best volunteer program in the United States. Volunteers learn archaeology and preservation
techniques; get invested in “ownership” of these national gems; and then become
the stewards of historic sites for the rest of their lives. Perfect balance
from beginning to end!
Thanks
to everyone! This award is for all of you!
Terry
H. Klein, RPA
Executive
Director
SRI
Foundation