Cooperative Living August 2017 - 18

From left, Association Board Chairman Larry Howdyshell, Dorse Counts, Maureen Counts, REC President & CEO Kent Farmer and Bob Johnson
at the March 17 Unsung Virginian Award Ceremony.
Counts also led installation of
numerous water bars - long pieces of
wood angled across steep sections of
trail and held in place by long metal
spikes that serve to divert rainfall and
reduce erosion.
Johnson says of his friend's
dedication, " The reports I send to PATC
and the Park Service note that Dorse is
in the woods nearly every day of the
year, removing blow-down trees and
litter. He's chalked up an average of 20
hours a week for many years now. "
John Storke, chief of maintenance
for the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania
National Military Battlefield, says that
volunteer effort is crucial to help
handle the more than 500,000 people
who visit Fredericksburg-area
battlefields each year.
" I estimate that our volunteers
provide the equivalent of 15 full-time
staff, " he says, adding, " Boy Scouts and
other groups are a big help on
weekends, but Dorse's consistent
leadership really helped us prepare for
the influx of visitors we received a few
years back, during the Civil War
sesquicentennial. "
A few years ago, Counts' abilities
attracted the notice of the Germanna
Foundation, a nonprofit organization
in Orange County seeking to preserve
the heritage of original German settlers
in the area.
16 | Cooperative Living | August 2017
'Dorse designed and led
construction of seven
pedestrian bridges, one of
which replaced a large CCC
bridge that had washed out
following a huge rainfall. The
replacement was built on
land and dragged into
position on sturdy electric
poles - donated by REC -
and laid horizontally across
the creek. The poles are held
in place by metal cables that
help prevent the bridges
from being washed
downstream during a flood.'
- Bob Johnson,
friend and volunteer
" Dorse and I were approached by
foundation representatives for help
to improve access to historic sites in
their 179-acre Siegen Forest, "
Johnson says. " Dorse ended up
designing, clearing and marking
four historic trails that allow visitors
to experience the beauty of the
Rapidan River. "
Counts' skills have also benefited
area youth. He recently supported Teen
Challenge of North Central Virginia by
upgrading three buildings at the Beauty
for Ashes Women's Shelter and has led
several Eagle Scout projects at the
Wilderness Battlefield.
The Unsung Virginian Award honors
outstanding citizens for services
rendered to the Commonwealth
without thought of personal gain,
but Counts' wife, Maureen, shares
how such selflessness can provide
unexpected benefits to the dedicated
volunteers.
" Dorse and Bob saved each other's
lives through their volunteer work, "
she begins.
Maureen explains that as part of
Johnson's recovery from open-heart
surgery a decade earlier, he was
instructed to get regular exercise.
This prescription led him to meet
Counts and become active in trails
preservation, and Johnson has
remained healthy ever since.
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Cooperative Living August 2017

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