Sara Dupre and Dan Beck, front row, far right, represented DPI, along with Wayne Pennington, also honored for his work with the Community Emergency Response Team.

Celebrating Success and the Spirit of Volunteerism

July 2025

In a time of political divisiveness and conflict, it is vital to celebrate the contributions of community volunteers who bring us together and make our community a better place to live. These motivations drive not only the individuals who bring their own time and energy to community projects, but were also the inspiration for the City of Ivins recognizing the incredible contributions of local organizations during its National Volunteer Month in April.

The Desert Preservation Initiative (DPI) was among those honored, for “remarkable volunteer spirit, a cornerstone of our community’s identity.”  DPI President Chuck Warren was quick to point out that although his name is on the certificate presented, “the honor belongs to the cohesive, supportive, team motivated by our mission and the vision to make our community safer from fire and restore native plants in the washes.”

Evidence of DPI’s growth and success includes:

  • Some 35 projects of tamarisk removal completed, driven by a carefully researched, scientific, and documented process, with 3500 hours of volunteer labor dedicated to removal projects alone. This process includes meticulous monitoring of removal sites to ensure regrowth is eliminated and restoration and replanting of 17 native trees in the Kayenta and Wisteria Way washes, so far.
  • A growing network of partners and friends, including community, city, county, regional, and state officials as well as the support of artists in the Southern Utah Woodturners who create art pieces for sale in Gallery 873.
  • Strong local support from Kayenta developer Terry Marten and consistent approval of requests for tamarisk removal by the Architectural Control Committee and its Landscaping Sub-Committee. 
Chuck Warren talks about the work of DPI in a video, produced by Ivins Inspired, shown at the City Council meeting.

As reported in the June issue of Travel and Leisure, Utah has the highest rate of volunteerism in the nation, with more than 44 percent of the population actively volunteering, contributing to its being among the happiest state for retirees and among the top five happiest states in the U.S. Those statistics reflect the work of Ivins Inspired, which supports residents in their desire to help by publicizing volunteer opportunities for a wide variety of groups on its website and spreading the word about what local groups do.