Today the Sierra Club Susquehanna Group announced that Master Gardener Sarah Hodder was awarded the 2025 Lynda Spickard Environmental Award.

Award recognizes Hodder’s dedication to Confluence Park

The Lynda Spickard Environmental Award has been given out since 2005 in honor of Sierra Club member Lynda Spickard, who died in 1999. Lynda was an inspiration for her dedication to the environment, and the award is given each year in her honor in recognition of local environmental advocates who have made a significant difference in our community.

This year’s award went to Master Gardener Sarah Hodder for her work in leading volunteers to design, plant, and take care of the Confluence Park Pollinator Garden in Binghamton. Sarah is also a staunch advocate and community educator, guiding people in the set up and maintenance of nest boxes to help Eastern Bluebirds successfully raise young. The inscription on the award, which is a hand painted stone created by a local artist, reads: "Recognizing Master Gardener Sarah Hodder for her years of creation and care dedicated to the Pollinator Garden in Confluence Park where she and her volunteers don't mind getting their hands dirty while promoting pollination and beauty."

The Susquehanna Group, along with the the million-plus-member national Sierra Club, advocates for the exploration, enjoyment, and protection of wild places and habitats, and responsible use of our planet’s resources. The Group covers Broome, Chenango, Delaware & Sullivan counties, as well as parts of Tioga & Otsego counties.

To read more about the Sierra Club Susquehanna Group and the Lynda Spickard Award, visit https://www.sierraclub.org/atlantic/susquehanna/about-us.