Heroes of Conservation: June 2007

Paul Rohde, St. Louis, Mo.
Making a Career out of River Protection

After serving as an education lobbyist and a weekend volunteer for Ducks Unlimited in Chicago, Paul Rohde turned his avocation into his vocation when he became the president of the Midwest Area River Coalition (MARC) in 2005. "When your work is something you're passionate about, your day doesn't end at five," says Rohde, an avid duck hunter and angler. In 2007, MARC merged with Waterways Council Inc., and Rohde's new job was creating a coalition of conservation and commercial groups that would lobby Congress to authorize spending to restore 105,000 acres of habitat along the Upper Mississippi River. Rohde is currently working with conservation groups, state governments, and members of Congress to get the funds appropriated for the restoration.

Kathy Davis, Charleroi, Pa.
Volunteering for Pennsylvania Wildlife

When Kathy Davis retired as a disabled veteran, she went right to 
work preserving the fish and wildlife she grew up hunting in southwestern Pennsylvania. "A friend invited me to a Citizens' Volunteer Monitoring Program with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection," she says. "Two weeks later I was a water-quality instructor." She also does volunteer conservation work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission. In addition to conducting water-quality surveys, Davis teaches groups how to identify macroinvertebrate organisms and to monitor the health of streams. She is researching epizootic hemorrhagic disease and works to introduce youth and senior citizens to the outdoors.

Edward Sobieranski, Fredricksburg, Va.
Conserving Station to Station

As an active-duty Marine for 22 years, Edward Sobieranski brought his passion for the outdoors to wherever he was stationed. In Hawaii, for example, he organized beach and lagoon cleanups. In 2002, Sobieranski, now a range safety manager with the Marine Corps, began working with state and federal government environmental agencies to conserve land on the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., so veterans wounded in combat could hunt whitetails and turkeys. In addition to his work with the Quantico Injured Military Sportsmen Association, Sobieranski volunteers with the National Wild Turkey Federation, gathering data to contribute to the improvement of turkey habitat.

See Previous Heroes from:

Finalists Gale Dupree John Walther Bob Capron Nancy Craft Gordon and Terri Southwick Les Monostory Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Howard Kern William Edwards Derek Fong Billy Sandifer Mark Taylor Jon Hillmer Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Hod Kosman Chad Pregracke Andy Batcho Jim Tripp and Sandra Millan-Tripp Dale Rollins Charles Lane Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Brian Maguire Joan Vernon Philip Babe Harlan Kredit Chris Scalley Robert Miles Previous Months November September August July June May April March February
Finalists Paul Morrow Jim Cummins Jeff Olson Ronnie Luster Steve Simmons Chris Tompkins Previous Months September August July June May April March February January