Hall of Fame Award recipients announced

Marie Lee, Jim Herron and Bill McKee are the recipients of the 2006 Colorado NPS Hall of Fame Awards. They were honored for their efforts and commitment over the years to protect the state’s water quality.

Lee, coordinator of the Grant Reporting Tracking System (GRTS) for U.S. EPA Region 8, has worked alongside the Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program since 1992, providing assistance to Region 8 states. The GRTS was originally intended to track nonpoint source grants and projects but morphed over the years to be the "total accountability tool" for the NPS program nationally.

States are required by their grant agreements to enter data into the GRTS, a task that has increased in complexity as the system has changed. Lee’s depth of knowledge of GRTS, as well as databases in general, has made her a valuable asset. A national expert in GRTS, she provides training to the states in Region 8.

Herron, environmental protection specialist with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, where he has worked since 1980, is the second recipient. He has served on the Colorado Nonpoint Source Council and has guided many successful projects dealing with mine remediation and acid mine drainage control. 

Herron has performed scientific investigations involving mine waste sampling, mine drainage sampling and mine characterization.  He is nationally known for his design and construction of mine drainage remediation projects, and has been very active in the development and adaptation of low-cost, low-maintenance methods to treat acid mine drainage.

McKee received his award at an event celebrating his retirement on Aug. 1. He was the watershed coordinator for the Upper Colorado River Basin at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and worked closely with the Colorado Nonpoint Source Program.  He served as NPS coordinator from 1996 to 1997. 

According to McKee, who worked for the Colorado Water Quality Control Division for nearly 28 years, the biggest change he experienced was the emergence of nonpoint source issues as an area of concern; prior to that, the main focus was on point sources.

Laurie Fisher, former Colorado NPS coordinator, and Loretta Pineda, program supervisor for inactive mines with the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, provided information for this story.