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DAF Day is October 8th!
DAF Day is coming up on October 8th, 2026! Make sure you are all caught up on how Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) work so you can maximize your charitable giving. Consider supporting the Buckeye Trail this DAF Day to help protect, maintain, and preserve our trail for generations to come.

Call for Nominations: The James Sprague Buckeye Trail Adopter and Builder Award

Our Volunteers deserve to be honored for their hard work, and we need your help!

Volunteers and partners are the lifeblood of the Buckeye Trail Association. Volunteers and partners give thousands of hours of their time and energy to help build, maintain, protect and promote the enjoyment of Ohio’s 1,454 mile BT. Our volunteers deserve to be honored for their hard work on-trail and off-trail and we need your help to highlight all types of volunteers and partners around the state to thank them and encourage others to follow their leadership.

The deadline to nominate a volunteer or partner is July 1, 2026. The awards will be presented at a Virtual Awards Ceremony the week of August 24.

Questions? Contact the Awards Committee Chair at Awards@buckeyetrail.org

Nomination Form Awards Categories

This week’s spotlight award category is The James Sprague Buckeye Trail Adopter and Builder Award!

The James Sprague Buckeye Trail Adopter and Builder Award

This award is presented to person(s) who have exhibited superior service to their adopted segment of the Buckeye Trail and/or work on the Buckeye Trail Crew. These individuals maintain their segment so that it is always ready and a pleasure to hike. They maintain their records and report hours, travel, and any problems to their supervisors.

Jim Sprague has held many significant roles over a career with the BTA. Initially recruited by BTA President Emily Gregor, Jim began maintaining a segment of the BT. Jim has been the BTA State Trail Coordinator, an accomplished member of the Cartography Team, BT Maintenance Supervisor, President of the Board of Trustees, and notably for this award creator of the Buckeye Trail Crew in the early 1990’s. Jim has inspired a spirit of quality, hard work and acknowledgment for all volunteers who invest in building and maintaining the BT.

Past Recipients

2025 Richard Morgan
2024 John Mark Hall, Tim Murphy, Russ Flesher, James “Sunny” Sunyak
2023 Ann Furste, Terry Blackstone
2022 Dale Wical, John Necik, Lori Luken, Mark Anstaett
2021 Preston Bartlett, Andy Hagat
2019 Susan Stover, Debbie Zampini

Author

Randall Roberts, Janelle Olix

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