Portland, Ore. - Rich and Linda Crooks, volunteer interpretive hosts at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM), Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) on the central Oregon coast, have been awarded the BLM’s national “Making a Difference Lifetime Achievement Award," for contributing more than 7,000 hours of service at the Yaquina Head ONA. A national ceremony will be held in Washington, DC on May 24 at 10 a.m. Rich and Linda will receive their award at the BLM’s State Office in Portland, OR, and they will participate in the Washington DC ceremony via video connection.
Yaquina Head ONA extends out from the Oregon coast, one mile into the Pacific Ocean. Standing 93 feet tall at the westernmost point of the basalt headline, the lighthouse has been a bright beacon of the night, guiding ships and their supplies along the west coast since the light was first lit on Aug. 20, 1873. For the last 18 years, Rich and Linda have done it all. They were some of the first staff to provide guided lighthouse tours to thousands of visitors. As live-on-site hosts, Rich designed the “host neighborhood" that now offers three trailer pads, which are occupied by volunteers year-round. Linda handmade historically accurate lighthouse keepers’ wives costumes, and repaired countless others over the years.
As interpretive hosts, the Crooks serve the public and assist to preserve the public lands and resources of Yaquina Head. They provide visitor safety and resource protection messages in the tide pool area; encourage youngsters to become Junior Rangers; help visitors experience the thrill of watching the fastest birds in the world dive, catch prey and raise young; and answer thousands of questions from visitors a year.
In addition to volunteering at Yaquina Head ONA, the Crooks volunteer with the Oregon State Parks at nearby Yaquina Head Lighthouse. With this record of public service to both federal and state public lands, the Crooks are remarkable and in an exclusive category of volunteerism.
For more information about BLM’s Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area go to: https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/yaquina.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
