2022 HOMETOWN HEROES MAGAZINE

2022 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May / June 2022 Page 9 in the monitoring program have been used in a two-decade long freshwater mussel (clam) study on Sugar Creek.” Along with Campbell, Dr. Pam Moriearty, Logan County Master Naturalists, 4-H students, local and Lincoln College volunteers have helped monitor Sugar Creek. Campbell said, they “have been most diligent in accomplishing the many tasks for the present comprehensive RiverWatch monitoring program coordinated by the NGRREC (National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.)” Pam Moriearty, local amateur naturalist, said, “Over the last ten years, Dr. Dennis Campbell has supported many nature projects for young people that I have worked on.” This work has inspired Moriearty, who said, “today, when I get discouraged about the future of the planet, I recall the names and faces of the kids we have worked with. When I remember them sowing prairie grass, counting mayfly, larvae in the creek, taking a close-up photo of a tiny moss forest, or trailing behind a working bumblebee, I feel a little better. Then I remember that for every youngster I know about, Dennis has touched the lives of ten, twenty, maybe fifty others.” Another person who has seen his influence on kids is Leslie Starasta, who works with kids in 4-H. Starasta said, “Dennis is so patient with the kids. He willingly stops whatever he’s doing to answer a question, explain something, or share a new discovery. He exudes enthusiasm for the environment and loves to Continue 8