Alaska Volunteer Honored

Superintendent Paul Anderson on Wednesday, July 29. presented with this year's Harry Hassinger Award for the top volunteer in the entire Alaska region to Kent Miller. Phyllis Hassinger, whose husband is named in the award, traveled 86 miles to the presentation from her 20th season as a volunteer campground host at Wonder Lake.

Miller is an accomplished professional photographer and photojournalism professor at Central Michigan University. During June and August 2008, he traveled to Alaska and donated 19 days of his time to the park. Working 15-hour days on a routine basis, Miller shot more than 14,000 images all told. After further editing and processing, he gave park officials more than 1,400 photographs to use and distribute without restriction. Miller's gift has brought new life to the collection of images that the park uses in web pages and online products, brochures, bulletin boards and ranger programs. Clearly, the impact of his time in the park will be felt for many years to come. A sampling is presented on the park website for view and free download, http://www.nps.gov/dena/photosmultimedia/index.htm

Miller and his university are also entering into a new partnership to send talented Student Conservation Association media interns to work in Alaska each summer. The first, Neil Blake, is currently working hard to complete projects for several park divisions, from a new online video about the park kennels, to documentation of mine reclamation efforts, to subsistence activities at a remote fish camp.