Dave Lacey

2016 River Steward of the Year

In 2016, Dave received our River Steward of the Year award for his tireless work to rally his community to protect his homewaters of Hunter Creek from the threat of industrial nickel mining in it's headwaters. Over the last three years, Dave has worked to build community support throughout southwest Oregon to protect Hunter Creek, Pistol River, and the neighboring North Fork Smith River and Rough and Ready Creek a tributary to the Illinois River from industrial nickel mining.

Through Dave's local leadership, and in partnership with other area groups, the Wild Rivers Campaign has sent more than 30,000 comments to the Forest Service and BLM in support of protections from strip mining, as well as rallied local people to public comment meetings in Gold Beach and Grants Pass where nearly 500 people in attendance all voted in favor of increased protections for the clean water and wild rivers of southwest Oregon!