When I got out of college, I decided to come to Dubuque and work for John Deere Construction Equipment Division.
Then it comes that time that it's time to time to leave.
And after 42 years, I retired and worked a couple of years on honey do list and got that done and found I didn't have anything to do and I didn't feel good about myself because I wasn't contributing anymore.
So I thought, Gee, there's this big preserve right across the street from where I live, and maybe there's something over there I could do.
So I, I walked over and went in and Kaytlan the naturalist, it was on in the office that day, and I asked what she could do, and I said, Hey, I'd like to volunteer if you if you take volunteers before you know, at six years is went by.
And it's been a great experience.
In Iowa, there are 99 counties, 99 conservation boards.
While each has its own unique story and landscape.
Most manage thousands of acres of parks and preserves with a staff that would struggle to fill a school bus.
So we're the Dubuque County Conservation Board.
We have over 20 parks preserves, so we have about 50 miles of trails and 2600 acres of opportunities for people to explore the outdoors.
I believe it's 15 permanent staff members that are employed.
And then the other thing is volunteers.
From monitoring butterflies to woodchipping trails to leading nature courses.
More than 150 volunteers have enriched the Conservation Board's offerings for years.
But Herb and his crew take it one step further.
Before Herb, we didn't have volunteers ever assist with construction related tasks.
Now, when we have a project, the first person we think of is Herb.
Since 2017.
Herb and his crew have built or updated countless bridges, signs, shelters, overlooks, interactive displays, cabins, and the project list continues to grow.
Dubuque countys most southern campground and harbor is at Massey Station and just put in a big new concrete patio.
That patio runs right over to the edge of the river.
Beyond donating their labor, the skills and knowledge Herbs crew provide have saved the county immeasurable amounts of money.
A perfect example is the new bridge in Finlay's landing, replacing a bridge destroyed in a flood.
The new bridge was conceived, designed and besides the steel beam entirely built by Herb's crew.
Nine man Days after that steel structure was set in place.
We had that bridge done, and it's a great asset out there now.
We had to have done that at ten or 15% of the cost that it would have been.
So that's just all dollars that the county gets to save.
I think recently Ive seen that the average volunteer hour for in the state of Iowa is $29.95 an hour.
So when you equivocate that to dollars, I mean, Herb alone has saved tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars for the county Conservation Board system.
I mean, it would look drastically different without volunteers here.
We wouldn't have near the level of infrastructure or the amount of restoration and conservation work happening on the ground.
After thousands of hours and building dozens of projects, Kaytlan secretly submitted Herb for possible inclusion in the 2022 Iowa Governor's Volunteer Hall of Fame.
And one morning, Herb received an unexpected call of his selection.
I was so stunned by it, I wasn't talking.
It was such a humbling experience and an honor that it was something very special.
It is not common to have a Herb in an organization.
There is definitely other counties or other organizations in the area that are envious and some nature because of having somebody so dedicated.
Once you start contributing in a way that it really makes a difference, you just can't beat that feeling.
I'm contributing again.
I'm giving back.
I hope I can do this just as long as I can.