Rutland volunteer wins CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award

Michael Smith, whose vision and leadership turned a largely forgotten, bedraggled forest into a 300-acre city park crisscrossed by one of the nation’s top trail systems, received the 2011 CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award today at a Statehouse ceremony.
The award, named for famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom, includes a $2,500 cash award to support continued improvements in the park.
‘Michael Smith has not only devoted his life to making Pine Hill Park accessible and enjoyable to thousands of people, he has done it in a way that highlights its importance as an environmental oasis in the middle of an urban center,’ CVPS Executive Chairman Bob Young said. ‘Michael, much like Meeri Zetterstrom, has educated thousands of Vermonters about the importance of preserving natural spaces for future generations.’
A team of CVPS employees with environmental responsibilities selected Smith from 18 nominees. Committee members were moved by Smith’s long-term commitment, energy and determination.
‘There are so many parallels between Michael and Meeri,’ Young said. ‘Their goals were different, but Michael and Meeri both made the betterment of our environment and the opportunity for others to enjoy it their central focus in life.’
Smith originally biked and hiked in the park with his dog Rembrandt while creating some of its earliest trails, however conservation efforts began in earnest in 2002, after a proposal was made to put a road through the tract to facilitate development of nearby land. Smith led the successful opposition to a city easement, and later the creation of the Pine Hill Partnership, a non-profit group that has worked with the city to protect and formalize the property as a true park.
Smith has devoted thousands of hours to the effort, designing and pickaxing the 16-mile sustainable trail system. He has designed and constructed bridges across sensitive areas, and created interpretive information about the forest. In the process, Smith has educated thousands of schoolchildren and adults about conservation issues while using volunteer labor for virtually all of the improvements.
‘Michael doesn’t just take them up there and put them to work,’ said Cindi Wight, recreation director for the City of Rutland, who nominated Smith for the award. ‘He first shares his passion and why we all need to work to make our communities better through volunteering. He explains why trails are important to communities, and that what they are doing is making a difference in this community.’
‘I am both honored and humbled to accept the award on behalf of all the anonymous souls who have labored with me these many years to make Pine Hill Park such a special place,’ Smith said. ‘Having seen the list of exemplary nominees and their causes, I was amazed to learn that I had won. There are a great many people and organizations working hard to make Vermont a better place, and I’m very grateful to be recognized in this way.’
Tim Upton, CV’s environmental affairs manager, said Smith’s story was inspirational. ‘Oftentimes people see a problem and wish ‘someone’ would do something about it,’ Upton said. ‘Smith is that ‘someone,’ who first helped preserve the park and then set about improving it. Along the way he inspired a movement, with the end result being a spectacular, accessible natural area at the heart of the City of Rutland.’
The CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award is presented annually to honor a significant contribution to Vermont’s environment. Zetterstrom inspired CVPS and countless Vermonters through her dogged efforts to protect and restore Vermont’s osprey population. Her two-decade effort was a key part of a successful campaign to return ospreys to Vermont’s waterways and skies, which culminated with their removal from the endangered species list in 2005. CVPS announced the creation of the CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award late in 2009, just months before Zetterstrom passed away.