McBride Honored For Volunteer Service

NEWS RELEASE
USDA Forest Service -- Northern Region


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Date: September 7, 2009
News Contact: Rose Davis, Regional Media Liaison 406-329-3472

MISSOULA, Mt. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is presenting the President’s Volunteer Service Award today to a Montana man. Jon McBride is being honored with the Gold Level service award for over 4000 hours of volunteer work on National Forest System trails in seven regions of the agency.

McBride is a former Forest Service smokejumper, veteran Navy pilot and retired as Chief Pilot from an energy company ten years ago. Since 1999 he has served as coordinator for the National Smokejumper Association (NSA) Art Jukkala Trails program. Jukkala started the trails program with 18 veteran jumpers as volunteers and after his death in 1999, McBride took the leadership role for the trails program.

The NSA’s trail program led by McBride accomplished 130 projects with over 1000 NSA volunteers including improving trails, renovating guard stations and lookouts, and maintaining and building corrals and fences over the past eleven years.

Jon McBride’s efforts in successfully leading this program involve coordinating with individual forests and foundations, planning and organizing crews, assuring volunteers met Forest Service standards in their work and even planning their menus and arranging to feed groups of volunteers.

Jon McBride will be honored with the Gold Service level pin, a letter from President Barack Obama and an appreciation plaque during the 5:00 p.m. opening reception for the Forest Service Reunion on September 7th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula. Presentation of the award is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

###