Anasazi Heritage Center recognizes volunteers

Dolores – On Sunday, November 19, 2006, the Anasazi Heritage Center held its annual volunteer recognition ceremony to commend four volunteers who donated their time, efforts and expertise this past year.

Bill and Sue Hensler received the first BLM Colorado “Volunteer of the Year” award because of their extensive volunteer history, having worked 12,334 hours at the Anasazi Heritage Center, saving BLM over $220,000 in staffing costs. 

In 2003, the couple also received the Department of the Interior’s “Take Pride in America” award by Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton.  The Hensler’s have volunteered tens of thousands of hours at the Heritage Center.  There they have greeted about 70,000 visitors at the front desk, worked with several hundred school groups, gave curation tours, reviewed and edited museum education curricula, provided museum shop assistance, tracked and reported visitation numbers and volunteer hours, and recruited volunteers. 

Heritage Center staff rely on the couple to help in many other areas and with other volunteer events.  They also offer assistance in a tangible manner.  In 2003, the Hensler’s loaned the BLM their own personal exhibit to share with the public in the museum's special gallery.  The Struggle of the Clay: Pottery of Mata Ortiz was a phenomenal collection of outstanding vessels combined with a unique and captivating personal story of the artists.

Overall, in 2006, 130 volunteers donated a total of 10,983 hours in areas including visitor information, working with school groups, developing and presenting public programs, running the museum store, cataloging artifacts, assisting with various projects in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and helping with various tasks associated with maintaining the facility and grounds.  In May, the Heritage Center volunteers also were awarded with the prestigious “Making a Difference” national award for their exceptional service contributions.

At the same ceremony, volunteer, Kim Gerhardt, received the new Colorado BLM “1,500 Hour Service Award.”  Kim Gerhardt began volunteering at the Heritage Center in 1999 and has since contributed more than 1,711 total hours of her time – the equivalent of more than $30,800 in salary/benefits - assisting various programs at the Heritage Center, including geological artifact analysis and classification, creating educational materials, presenting information for the public, and staffing the public information desk.  Kim has developed and conducted tours about local geology and archaeology and its relationship to southwestern Colorado.  She has presented this program to groups, associations and individuals throughout the area and beyond.

Local resident, Catherine Allen was awarded with a “Take Pride in America” Certificate of Appreciation for volunteering over 2,000 hours at the Anasazi Heritage Center since 2000.  As a front desk host, Allen greets museum visitors, answers their questions, and orients them to sites in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.  She also has been instrumental in the museum’s research library where she conducts literature searches in the database for researchers, manages library circulation, organizes the collection, and helps staff the library on a weekly basis.  Allen also processed and organized many book donations to the Center that are available to the public. 

The Anasazi Heritage Center, located 3 miles west of Dolores, is a museum for interpreting the history and culture of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Trail of the Ancients, and the Four Corners region.  The Center’s films, exhibits, and educational programs explore archaeology, local history, and Native American lifeways.  The museum houses over three-million artifacts and includes a hands-on Discovery Area, permanent exhibits, and numerous changing special exhibits.

The Center is always seeking new volunteers to contribute their own unique skills, abilities and knowledge.  If interested, please contact Marissa Karchut at 970-882-5621 for more information.

 -BLM-