Pony VIPs
On Thursday December 4, a small group of Ocracoke residents met at Gaffers, a local establishment, and were recognized and celebrated for their volunteer efforts through the National Park Service. Mary Doll, the Chief of Interpretation for the Outer Banks Group (which includes the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial) and current Volunteer Coordinator, arrived with Jennifer Pierce, the newly-named Supervisory Interpretor for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, to thank and congratulate the volunteers for their continued efforts in caring for Ocracoke's ponies.
There are currently 16 ponies in Ocracoke's herd, with two permanent National Park Service employees and about a dozen volunteers to care for them. Jocelyn Wright, the Volunteer Supervisor on Ocracoke, has been with the National Park Service since 2008, and Laura Michaels, the Animal Caretaker/Wrangler, has been affiliated with the NPS since 2002. Laura began volunteering at the Pony Pasture in 2002, feeding the ponies three nights week, and in 2008 was offered and accepted her current permanent position.
Mary Doll kicked off the awards part of the dinner saying, "We're very thankful for the work you do." Jocelyn Wright continued by calling each volunteer to the head of the table and spoke about each person's unique qualities and what they bring to the National Park Service. The volunteers who were present and their hours of service for the 2014 fiscal year (October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014) are as follows:
Jeff Morey contributed 103 hours in the 2014 fiscal year and 151 lifetime hours. Susie Hutchinson donated 139 hours during the 2014 year and 307 lifetime hours. Brandon Benecki gave 106 hours during the fiscal year and has 591 lifetime hours. Kara Koziar volunteered for 244 hours during this fiscal year and has accumulated 924 lifetime hours. Sherry Atkinson contributed 181 hours during the 2014 fiscal year and has a total of 2095 lifetime hours. Barbara Adams accumulated 157 volunteer hours this fiscal year and has 4937 lifetime hours. The volunteers who were unable to attend but recognized (for service at the Pony Pasture and other locations on Ocracoke) were Dolores Gilbert, John Gilbert, Amelia Gutierrez, Lou Ann Homan, Lori Masaitis, Jarett Werley, Lynne Berglund, David Collins, Linda Collins, Kimberly Emery, Kim Farr, Carol Hegedus, Steve Hegedus, Keith Knox, and Marsha Ann Luczak.
Awards and certificates were distributed to the volunteers present based on the amount of lifetime hours accumulated since their service began. Jeff Morey earned the Outer Banks Group 100 Lifetime Hours Award, NPS Volunteer Keychain and Pin. Susie Hutchinson earned the Outer Banks Group 250 Lifetime Hours Award, NPS Volunteer Mug. With 500 Lifetime Hours, The Outer Banks Group presented Brandon Benecki with the NPS Volunteer Name Tag. Brandon Benecki and Sherry Atkinson were both presented with an "hours nameplate" to attach to their NPS Volunteer Name Tag. For each 500 hours donated, volunteers earn an additional hours nameplate. For the entire Outer Banks Group, 133 volunteers donated a total of 16, 097 hours during the 2014 fiscal year.
Thanks to this great bunch of Volunteers-in-the-Parks!
For more information about the Cape Hatteras National Seashore or the Ocracoke Pony Pasture, visit the Seashore's website at www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm. You can also learn more at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum and the Ocracoke Visitor Center, which are both located at the southern end of the village.
