By Paul Servis

The Northern Neck of Virginia is extremely fortunate to have dedicated professionals working to improve, maintain and protect our many wildlife areas. As we visit and enjoy these places that we love, we must not forget the incredible energy that is need to develop and keep them in wonderful condition. In the short few years that I have been associated with NNAS I have observed some incredible men and women working hard to support our natural areas.

Greg Toussant and Rebecca Wilson worked side by side with Tom Gregory and his NNAS Team as they cleaned up after Hurricane Isabel at Hickory Hollow, and then they went on to take care of all the other centers for which they are responsible.

When we were building our boardwalk into Cabin Swamp, once again Greg and Rebecca were there lending full support. One day when I was helping to carry locust logs down the trail to Cabin Swamp, as I was grunting and groaning under the load of a log, I looked up and saw Rebecca with a log on one shoulder and her tool box in her other hand. She made it look so easy. Greg’s great strength sure did come in handy many a time while clearing trails and building the board walk. Working with Greg and Rebecca is a pleasurable experience because of their enthusiasm and dedication. It is apparent that they love what they do.

Hickory Hollow is still in need of some trail work because of some trees weakened by Isabel decided to come down. Once again Greg and Rebecca will be wielding their chain saws expertly and all we have to do is carry away the debris. Watching sawyers work is fascinating. They have the ability to read the trees that have fallen in tangles and make their cuts without binding their saws, while dropping trees where they want them to fall. On one day at Hickory Hollow, Rebecca brought a friend Neil, along with his saw. Greg, Neil and Rebecca cut trees faster that we could clean up the logs and limbs. It was a day off for Neil so he and Rebecca spent a romantic day sawing away. This strategy worked because Neil and Rebecca are now husband and wife.

If you were to ask Greg or Rebecca, they would probably tell you that they are just doing their job. We all know that it is much more than that ! NNAS is fortunate to have their support and we thank them very much!