River Steward Award
PRN’s annual River Steward Award recognizes and celebrates the most exemplary river stewards–heroes with stories that we all need to hear.
This year’s River Steward Award goes to Callie Ramirez.
Callie is a sophomore at St. Charles East High School and was nominated by her teacher Annemarie LaGrassa. Below is a highlight of Callie’s work protecting the Fox River:
Callie participated in the school’s GeoAdventure Club that focuses on outdoor science, conservation, and stewardship. As an 8th grader, Callie started her own club called the Fox River Helpers that meets from April to November to clean up debris along the shoreline of the Fox River. Her group has grown over the last three years with volunteers collecting hundreds of pounds of trash from the river and its surroundings.
Callie has been an inspiration to her peers and other young members of the community. She is a gracious and motivated leader with a deep devotion to keeping our river clean and motivating others to get involved.
Each year, the staff and board of PRN are thrilled to honor that dedicated person who exemplifies what it is to be a steward of our rivers. Thank you, Callie, for protecting our rivers and being an inspiration to the next generation of river stewards!
Hear Callie’s Words About Her Work for the Fox River!
“The Fox River is so incredibly special to me. I decided to take action because there are too many people who have little to no care for the environment. Nothing can change if no one tries, so I thought I would try.”
2022 River Steward Callie Ramirez
Volunteer of the Year Award
The PRN Volunteer of the Year award holds a special place in our hearts because of the dedication it takes to earn it. This year’s winner is not one person but many, and the fight they took on over a decade ago exemplifies what it means to volunteer time to a cause that benefits everyone.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year award goes to Stand Up To Coal.
The fight against Sunrise Coal and the long-proposed Bulldog mine in Vermilion County began over a decade ago when the company began buying coal leases under farmland between the towns of Homer, Allerton, and Sidell. At the time, local citizens banded together to form Stand Up To Coal, and in collaboration with PRN and other groups like Eco-Justice Collaborative, Heart of Illinois Sierra Club, and Citizens Against Longwall Mining, organized a grassroots effort opposing the mine.
Fighting this mine required a multi-pronged strategy and years of community involvement, public outreach and education, and attending agency meetings. Thank you, Stand Up To Coal, for your dedication and maintaining the fire in your bellies to see this fight through to its happy conclusion… We stopped Bulldog mine!
