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Department of Ecology News Release - December 11, 2002
02-223
BELLEVUE - Wade and Tania Holden of North Bend, co-founders of Friends of the Trail, today received Washington's highest environmental honor.
Ray Hellwig, the northwest regional director for the Department of Ecology, presented the Holdens with Ecology's Environmental Excellence Award at a meeting of litter-program coordinators from nine Puget Sound counties and cities.
The Holdens have been instrumental in removing millions of pounds of illegally dumped material from public lands in northwestern Washington since moving to North Bend from Texas 10 years ago. Appalled by the amount of refuse dumped along the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River and other areas, they began volunteering to remove the rubbish.
In 1996, the Holdens established Friends of the Trail (FOT), a non-profit foundation dedicated to eliminating garbage from natural areas and preventing illegal dumping. FOT works under contract for county solid-waste divisions, which in turn are partially funded by Ecology from the state litter tax paid by industries such as grocery stores. The organization also receives private foundation funding, and the Holdens continue to contribute volunteer hours and personal funds to the cleanup effort.
"Wade passionately takes on some of the more difficult obstacles we encounter in keeping our public lands clean," said Matt Zybas of the Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division. "He always sees things through to the end. He is truly an asset to Snohomish County in helping to maintain public lands that are clean and available for all to enjoy."
"Wade is energetic, straightforward, and innovative in his fight against littering and illegal dumping," said Polly Young of King County's Department of Natural Resources. "He is highly effective in leveraging community resources in the battle to keep Washington beautiful, and the results are impressive. Without Wade, we wouldn't be addressing the gaps as well as we do."
Wade Holden coordinates the FOT's field work and routinely finds and properly handles toxic and other dangerous material. He arranges recycling options to avoid landfilling the large quantity of appliances, scrap metal and tires that are common at illegal dumps. He even has enlisted helicopter support from the Army Reserve to remove vehicles and other garbage dumped in hard-to-reach places.
Tania leads FOT's ongoing efforts to obtain the grants and contracts that provide financial support for the cleanup work. She keeps the organization's records, prepares reports and puts out a newsletter.
"Through their combined strengths, efforts and determination, Washington's environment is in better shape and public lands are far cleaner for all to enjoy," said Hellwig. "They are very deserving of the Environmental Excellence Award."
Contact: Larry Altose, public information, 425-649-7009. Pager: 206-663-1785For more information: http://www.friendsofthetrail.org/
Ecology's Litter Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/
Washington Litter Hotline: 866-LITTER-1
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
