<b>By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b></p><p>

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Jim Lake didn’t begin his career in conservation in hopes of receiving an award, but it’s still nice to be recognized by his peers.<br>

Lake, a longtime conservation advocate in Indiana, especially in the northeastern part of the state, received the President’s Award last month from the Indiana Assoc. of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD).<br>

“It’s like a win-win,” he said. “I would be doing this, anyway. You work your whole life in conservation and work to help it become stronger, and to know people notice is humbling.”<br>

Lake is a district support specialist for the northeast region with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Division of Soil Conservation. His job is to help make conservation districts more effective by assisting them with program planning, obtaining grants and personal development.<br>

“I’ve spent more time in the northeast part of the state than anywhere else,” he said. “I love this area. This is home. Some of the strongest districts in the state are in the northeast. They like to take on new challenges.”<br>

Lake, from eastern Allen County, graduated from Purdue University with a degree in agricultural education. He previously worked with the National Assoc. of Conservation Districts, Purdue’s extension service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. He’s also former director of the Conservation Technology Information Center.<br>

He received the award last month from IASWCD President Jim Droege at the organization’s annual awards banquet in Indianapolis. The award is given at the president’s discretion and there is no submission process or review committee, Droege said.
“In prior years, the president has given the award to someone who has been of past value or assistance to them as president,” he said. “Jim’s name was on my mind. He was always the first person I was thinking about.”<br>

Droege has known Lake for more than a decade, and said his assistance and insight have been invaluable to the association.
“Jim has developed knowledge and expertise and has the ability to work with people,” Droege said. “He’s very easy to work with, and very task-oriented. He’s willing to step up and do that above and beyond his normal routine.<br>

“I have an enormous amount of respect for him, and he’s an asset to the districts he serves.”<br>

Lake played a key role in the start of the district visits program, which gives local SWCDs the opportunity for feedback and self-assessment, Droege said. The program allows for visits to district offices, where staff members are interviewed about various aspects of their jobs and office relations, including communications, professional development and teamwork.<br>

Lake’s boss in the Division of Soil Conservation, Jerod Chew, said Lake has been instrumental in bringing initiatives to the state. For example, he worked to get funding for more staff for a project involving the Western Lake Erie basin, said Chew, assistant director.<br>

“Jim possesses a wealth of conservation knowledge and experience,” he said. “He’s a fantastic asset for our state. The experience that he brings to soil and water conservation districts is obvious.<br>

“He has a great passion for improving water quality, and that permeates through everything he does. I consider him a great conservation leader and mentor.”<br>

The President’s Award is the second major award Lake received in the last year. In July, he was given the Harold and Kay Scholl Excellence in Conservation award at the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s national conference in Tampa, Fla.