Friends of Pool 9 hosts volunteer appreciation dinner


Nancy Wortman, pictured above with her husband, Darrel, was selected as the Friends of Pool 9 2014 Volunteer of the Year. Submitted photo.

The Friends of Pool 9, Upper Miss Refuge, Inc. held its annual dinner and meeting at the New Albin Community Center Saturday, September 27th. Approximately 120 members and guests enjoyed an evening of good dining, conversation and fund raising for Friends of Pool 9 activities and events.
Nancy Wortman and her committee organized the event; this is the third time she has chaired the dinner and silent auction. Auction items ranged from paintings, signed prints, food baskets, get-away weekend packages and a wide variety of items donated by area businesses and individuals. The catalog of items for the silent auction listed 121 items for bidders to review.  The dinner was catered by Mike Conway and his Milty’s staff.  
Larry Quamme served as emcee for the evening and introduced special guests Rich King (Fish and Wildlife Service McGregor District Manager) and wife, Lori, Sabrina Chandler (FWS Complex Manager, Upper Miss Refuge), Matt Cole (Lansing Plant Manager Interstate Power/Alliant Energy), Lane Peters (Genoa Plant Manager Dairyland Power Cooperative) and wife, Shannon, Dennis Bahr (Waste Management, Prairie du Chien, WI) and wife, Irene, Doug Aloisi (Manager Genoa National Fish Hatchery) and Darla Wenger (Administrative Assistant GNFH). He also thanked Rick McDonald (Jackson Street Press) for his continuing financial support of the Otter’s Tale newsletter.  
The Class of 2014 Board of Directors (Jerry Boardman, Bruce ReVoir, and John Verdon) were re-elected to serve another three-year term. Bob Seeley and Lisa Welsh were elected to fill the vacated seats of Don Walsh and Dan Porter on the Board.  President Bruce ReVoir reviewed FOP9 activities for the year and thanked the cooperating agencies (FWS, DNRs, USCOE, GNFH, ACCB), the Board of Directors, and FOP9 members for their assistance and hours of volunteering this year. He stressed that Friends of Pool 9 is now approaching 23,000 hours of volunteerism on the refuge in it’s ninth year of existence.
Rich King introduced Sabrina Chandler and also complemented FOP9 volunteers for their thousands of hours donated to the Refuge. He recognized individual members that had reached the 100, 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 hour levels of volunteerism.
Nancy Wortman was recognized as the Friends of Pool 9 Volunteer of the Year. Committee Chai, John Verdon commended Wortman for “being involved in many events over the years including the clean-ups, Mississippi River Adventure Day, the annual meeting and fund raising for FOP9.”  He stated, “she has worked silently, largely alone in the background for Friends of Pool 9. Her special skills and expertise came to the surface in 2012, in 2013 and now in 2014. She has accumulated hundreds of hours over the last three years in planning the annual dinner and silent auction.  As a result she has raised literally thousands of dollars for programs and activities of Friends of Pool 9. We’re all very appreciative of her level of commitment and want to thank her as the 2014 Friends of Pool 9 Volunteer of the Year.”