Photo by Rob Harrison
On Saturday, October 24th, Friends of the Forest Sedona gathered to celebrate its accomplishments over the past 12 months. From a high-level view, 263 active volunteers contributed over 36,200 hours of their time to the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. This volunteer workforce provided the equivalent of 17.5 full-time employees and saved the Forest Service more than $1.2 million in compensation. While impressive, these numbers are four percent less than the previous year, primarily because volunteer activities were severely reduced during the Pocket Fire and the government shutdown in October/November 2025.
Annually, Friends of the Forest recognizes a handful of volunteers with special recognition awards, also known as Rock Awards. This year, FOF awarded the following:
Special Recognition Award 2026 –
Janie Agyagos for the 1,100+ hours given to educating and supporting FOF and the Wildlife, Fish, Range, and Plants team.
Agyagos’s transition from being a Forest Service employee to an FOF volunteer has been seamless and invaluable. Her willingness to support the Forest Service’s work and educate both FOF volunteers and the public demonstrates her love for all living things.
Heart of the Friends Award 2026 –
David Terrell for sharing his commitment, grace, and heart with all of FOF.
Terrell is a “regular” during Preventative Search and Rescue shifts at Dry Creek, works with the Cultural Resources team doing site recordings, fixing fence lines, and pretty much anything else that is asked of him, including leading the ad-hoc tech team last year. He always has a kind word, ears that listen, and a smile that conveys his warmth.
Distinguished Volunteer Award 2026 –
Rod Cashin for continually being a valued leader and volunteer across several committees and stepping up for tasks when requested.
Cashin’s unassuming nature and sense of humor translate into an approachable volunteer and hard worker who doesn’t seek an audience. His commitment to FOF means he’s willing to help when and where needed, and his talents go beyond his dedicated work with Trail Maintenance and Construction and signs.
New Volunteer of the Year 2026 –
Ben Spencer for making an immediate impact with FOF, sampling numerous committees to find the right ones for him.
This year, Spencer volunteered 314 hours of his time to Cultural Resources, Graffiti Removal, Trail Ambassador, Trail Maintenance and Construction, Wildlife, Fish, Range, and Plants, and Visitor Information Services. He stepped in to be “the man behind the curtain” within VIS and helped represent the team at this year’s New Member Event. Spencer is the epitome of a valued volunteer, and FOF is lucky to have him as member.
Volunteer of the Year 2026 –
James Fleetwood for generously volunteering his time and talents across multiple committees and willingness to jump in when needed.
Since Fleetwood joined FOF in late 2024, he’s given hundreds of hours across most committees, including Air/Water, Motorized Environmental Restoration, Preventative Search and Rescue, Trailhead Beautification, Trail Maintenance and Construction, Wildlife, Fish, Range and Plants, and several special projects. He loves being outside and sharing his talents and gifts with those around him.
President’s Award 2026 –
Rob Harrison for his talent and self-motivation to improve our technology infrastructure and for working his magic behind-the-scenes.
Harrison’s technical assistance has gone far beyond maintaining FOF’s website. He has worked with all members of the technology team to not only ensure our systems are running properly but to enhance the user experience. He is also willing to throw out ideas, problem solve, and seek new ways to elevate a volunteer’s experience with FOF.
In addition to the Rock Awards, committee-specific recognitions were also given, with the following volunteers receiving certificates:
Audie Brinkmeier, Matthew and Susan Cable, Dave Kennedy, and Don Worfolk for their multiple years as regularly scheduled docents at Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site
Brian Carlson and Ben Spencer for being new docents taking on regular shifts at Palatki Heritage Site. Additionally, Spencer’s work on the Elden Pueblo mapping project (in the Flagstaff District) was recognized.
The Visitor Information Services team gave the following certificates:
Bart Bartlett – for genuinely engaging those visitors who otherwise would not ask for help, and informing them with kindness, compassion, and respect
Steve Beiser – for being engaging, informative, kind, and considerate
Sam Blom – for all the dad jokes, kindness, and welcoming demeanor
David Minor – for always being professional, knowledgeable, and efficient
Barry Webb – for being knowledgeable, approachable, and always happy to help
Two additional certificates were awarded to Trail Ambassador volunteers Rhett Atkinson, for hiking the largest number of unique trails, and Les Gerloff for submitting the greatest number of trail damage reports.
If you would like more information on how you can join one of the largest all-volunteer organizations that supports the National Forest Service, please visit www.friendsoftheforestsedona.org.
Author, Melissa Pontikes
Serving Sedona, written this week by Melissa Pontikes, Friends of the Forest, appears Wednesday in the Sedona Red Rock News.