Annual Awards

SMLA Award Descriptions and Prior Years Recipients

The Melvin S. Johnston Citizen Volunteer Award is named in honor of Melvin Johnston, the founder of the Smith Mountain Lake Association (the SMLBA), real estate broker, land developer, and philanthropist. This award is presented to one or more people who have made the greatest contribution to the quality of life at Smith Mountain Lake either during the prior calendar year or over an extended time period. The winner should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

• Made an impact on SML environmental issues
• Made significant improvements to water safety
• Exhibited effective management of lake maintenance issues
• Implemented projects/ programs within the Smith Mountain Lake Association
• Demonstrated leadership
• Exercised lake and/or community stewardship

SMLA-WSC Award Descriptions and Recipients

Karl Martin Water Safety Award annually recognizes an individual, business, or organization for their outstanding contributions in advancing safety on the waters of Smith Mountain Lake. 

The Smith Mountain Lake Clean Stream of the Year Award recognizes land owners or managers whose actions have improved water quality in a stream monitored regularly by the Save our Streams staff. Nominees will have implemented significant environmental efforts to upgrade riparian conditions supporting clean water and will have made a major contribution, often including unremunerated costs, to the overall water quality of the lake. Primary goals are to encourage other land owners and managers to increase efforts to enhance stream water quality and also to make the public aware of the positive outcomes of SMLA’s overall water quality program. The SOS team chiefs and trainers are those eligible to nominate a stream for the award. The selection committee, chosen by the Save Our Streams (SOS) coordinator, will consist of the SOS coordinator; a member of the Lake Quality Council; and one other SOS trainer/team chief. The winner should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria

• The stream will be one that is regularly monitored by our Save our Streams staff;
• The committee will consider a nominated stream based on its record from the previous calendar year;
• The stream will have received a water quality score of nine or above on a scale of one to twelve during the previous year, both fall and spring;
• Successful efforts to improve the stream’s water quality (e.g., creating riparian buffer zones, fencing out livestock access, cutting back on fertilizer use in surrounding fields, etc.) should be equally weighted with the raw score;
• A stream will not be eligible to receive the award in consecutive years;
• The committee will be authorized to make the final decision, which will be passed through the LQC to the SMLA Board for action.