Welcome to Skagit County

August 22nd, 2003

LITTER CREW CHIEF TO RECEIVE ENVIRONMENTAL HONOR

BELLEVUE -- Laura Kahn of Mt. Vernon will receive Washington's highest environmental honor Tuesday for her outstanding service supervising litter crews for Skagit County's Community Litter Cleanup Program.

Ray Hellwig, the northwest regional director for the Department of Ecology, will present Ecology's Environmental Excellence Award at a meeting of the Skagit County Board of Commissioners.

"Laura's crew is one of the most efficient in the state," said Hellwig. "Under her leadership, Skagit County has cleaned up more miles, acres, and illegal dumps and collected more material than nearly all other counties in Washington."

Kahn has been with the litter program since it was created by the county in 1998 with funding provided by Ecology. She has overseen the cleanup of 4,164 miles of roads, 3,185 acres of public land, 1,752 illegal dumps, and the removal of more than 1.75 million pounds of litter from public areas.

She has brought together the county's Solid Waste Division and Sheriff's Office and the Washington State Department of Corrections as active participants in the litter program, ensuring its success. She is especially respected for motivating the offenders who serve on the litter crews, often with life-changing results.

"The big winner in all of this is not just the improved beauty and health of Skagit County's environment, but the 'new' inspiration and motivation the offenders themselves exhibit after spending time on Laura's crew," said Gary Sorensen, who manages the county's Solid Waste Division. "She has truly had a positive effect on many of their lives."

Offenders typically serve 90 days on a litter crew, working four ten-hour days a week.

"The quality of the work her crew performs is exemplary and it is astonishing to see the before and after reflection of the work which they perform," said Charles Wend, a community corrections supervisor for the state corrections department. "Laura manages to help each participant to understand the impact of their choices upon themselves and the community at large."

"I would love to clone Laura so that all my work crews would have such a positive impact on cleaning the environment and instilling a work ethic," said Polly Storie, a programs deputy at the Skagit County Jail.