Upper Delaware Council honors River Valley Awards recipients

The Upper Delaware Council on Sunday honored those whose work protects the environment, preserves history and promotes a sense of community in the Upper Delaware River Valley.

The council’s 36^th annual awards dinner and ceremony celebrated a diverse group of individuals, agencies and organizations who collectively have improved the quality of life in the Upper Delaware through their volunteerism, innovation, passion and dedication to educating the public.

More than 130 attendees at the dinner, held at the Central House Family Resort in Beach Lake, Pa., heard from the keynote speaker, Nathan Reigner, the Pennsylvania state director of outdoor recreation.

Reigner outlined the psychic and economic benefits tied to outdoor recreation, which can include amenities such as trails, rivers and lakes.

He said better qualities of life are linked to recreational opportunities. He noted that areas with those kinds of assets are attractive to workers looking for places to live as remote work has made such flexibility possible.

Referring to the Poconos and Northeastern Pennsylvania, he said, “People live here because the living is good.”

Laurie Ramie, the UDC’s executive director, provided colorful and detailed introductions of the honorees, outlining their achievements and contributions to the Upper Delaware.

A highlight of the ceremony came with the award presentation to 12-year-old Ian Pammer, who was recognized for his dedicated interpretive work for the Delaware Company and Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History.

In his remarks, Pammer thanked his parents for driving him to the ceremony.

The honorees included:

• Meg McGuire, the founder, publisher and editor of Delaware Currents, which McGuire started in 2015. The site is the only news outlet dedicated to covering the entire 330-mile Delaware River and four-state watershed. McGuire was being honored for her work as the founder of her independent online watershed news source and as producer of the video, “A Flight Along the Delaware River: Our History, Our Watershed.”

• Distinguished Service Award: John Conway of Barryville, N.Y., for his Upper Delaware River Valley historical expertise, programs, publications, guided walks, bus tours, and collegiate instruction and for his contributions as co-founder and president of The Delaware Company and role as the longest-serving Sullivan County historian for 31 years.

• Partnership Award: Long Eddy Fishing Access Site Improvements, honoring the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Town of Fremont, Sullivan County, National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, and Delaware Highlands Conservancy, for completing this long-planned upgrade.

• Community Service Award: Tess McBeath of Hortonville, N.Y., for benefiting the Town of Delaware during her 26-year tenure as town clerk, annually battling against litter, securing funds for town improvements, and helping local non-profit organizations in the fields of youth, families, health care and veterans.

• Volunteer Award: Jane Luchsinger of Narrowsburg, N.Y., for donating her time and talents to the Town of Tusten as a citizen deputy supervisor, Conservation Advisory Council chairperson, and grants administrator, as well as to the Narrowsburg Chamber of Commerce, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Western Sullivan Public Library, Tusten Social, Growing Older Together, Tusten Repair Café, Beautification Committee and more.

• Cultural Achievement Award: Professor Paul C. King of Yankee Lake, N.Y., and the New York City College of Technology, as the pre-eminent John A. Roebling scholar, historian, author, consultant, and lecturer on Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct and early 19th century technical innovations, both regionally and nationally.

• Recreation Achievement Award: Paddle for Pride by the TriVersity Pride Center of Milford, Pa., for organizing an Upper Delaware River raft trip from Staircase Rapids Access, N.Y. to Matamoras, Pa., on July 27 with inclusive and advanced educational programming by the National Park Service for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies.

• Special Recognition Award: Ian Pammer of Bethel, N.Y., for the 12-year-old’s exceptional volunteerism at Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, presentation abilities and “revolutionary” initiatives.

• Special Recognition Award: Beverly Sterner of Milanville, Pa., for creating and moderating the Upper Delaware Community Network since 1999 as a valued online resource to share news, events and recommendations.

• Special Recognition Award: Lisa Glover of Honesdale, Pa., for researching, making, and donating to the Upper Delaware Council a “Big Eddy Narrows” map poster displaying the Delaware River’s deepest and narrowest point.

• Oaken Gavel Award: Aaron Robinson, Shohola Township representative, for his 2023 UDC leadership as the organization’s chairperson.

For a more complete summary of the honorees, see the UDC’s award program.