2025 SHTA Volunteers of the Year
November 25, 2025
November is a month of reflection, a time when we can look back at the past trail maintenance season to see all the wonderful and impressive work SHTA volunteers have accomplished. It’s a month of gratitude, an opportunity to say “Thank you!” for your dedication and hard work.
Each year, we look for volunteers who have done something a little extra (or a lot extra) for the Trail, and we nominate them for North Country Trail Honor Awards. But inside the SHTA, we call them our Volunteers of the Year!
This year, we found a theme taking shape among our nominees – community building. This year’s honorees help build the SHTA volunteer community by welcoming others and sharing their enthusiasm for working on the Trail. They create an environment where everyone has a great time working together to care for the Trail they love.
This year’s awardees are:
- Joe Baker
- Beth Kaszynski
- Monica Shoberg
And here are those stellar folks.
Above: Joe Baker, second from left, leading a Duluth Saturdays trail crew. Photo by Chloe Eckstein
Joe Baker started volunteering by coming to projects, but very quickly adopted a section of the trail and then became a certified sawyer. From the very first time Joe joined a crew, his enthusiasm and enjoyment around trail work has been obvious. By taking on the role of Volunteer Crew Leader, Joe is able to share that enthusiasm with others. His excellent leadership and teaching empowers other volunteers to have fun while maintaining the Trail, so they keep coming back. When Joe helps us recruit new volunteers at tabling events, the enjoyment he finds on trail helps get other folks enthused, too. Joe helps build the SHT volunteer community at every event he’s a part of. Thank you, Joe!
Above: Beth Kaszynski, third from left, during trail clearing in May. Photo by Hayley Mattila
Beth Kaszynski, adopts a section of the trail with her husband George. But it’s not just adopting. Beth is always game for anything, whether it’s helping haul gear to an event or hauling trash out from the Trail! But what she does for the Trail goes far beyond the work she does. Beth always has a smile for everyone and her frequent laughter is infectious, helping all of us have a great time together. No matter what project she works on, she makes every effort to welcome people and create community. She engages new volunteers to help them enjoy the work, take pride in what they do, and feel a part of our community. I know that any new volunteer that goes out on the Trail with Beth will be coming back for more. Thank you, Beth!
Above: Monica Shoberg, front row far right, with the Cascade River Loop All-Femme work party. Photo by Arhely Bermudez
Monica Shoberg reached out to SHTA in 2022 to see if her guiding business, Unruly Women, could work together with SHTA to host some all-femme work parties on the Trail. And the idea took off! We started out with one weekend, and three years later we’ve almost tripled offerings, and there’s always a waitlist. Monica not only comes along on those weekends to join in the work, she makes sure that everyone is welcome and feels empowered by the project. She helps recruit and coordinate the events, and even brings some swag to share with the group. In addition, she adopts a campsite on the Trail. Thank you, Monica, for bringing Unruly Women into partnership with SHTA, and in doing so, helping to build up the SHT community.