CHERRYFIELD — Velma Orcutt of Cherryfield, an administrative assistant for Down East Resource Conservation and Development, has been chosen as Outstanding Earth Team Soil Conservation Service Employee of the Year for the Northeast Region in 1993.

Orcutt accepted the award at a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service on March 15, at the Black Bear Inn at Orono. She was honored for being an effective leader of the Earth Team volunteer program in Maine. The award is given annually to one federal SCS employee in the 13 northeastern states.

Dana F. Nelson, Down East RC&D coordinator for the office in Cherryfield, received an Outstanding Performance Award for FY93. It is the highest rating given by the SCS. He also was recognized for 25 years of service with the USDA Soil Conservation Service.

Individual awards were received by Amy Mathews of Cherryfield for contributing more than 500 hours to the Down East RC&D program and to Harriet Perry of Addison for contributing more than 170 hours of service.

Mathews, a graduate of the travel and tourism program at Beals Business College in Bangor, became interested in the Earth Team program when she learned of Down East’s efforts to help the Maine Forest Service with its national convention. Mathews is developing a Down East convention planner with information received from the national convention.

Perry began working with Down East RC&D more than three years ago, focusing her efforts on the area recycling program. She is still serving that program.

Down East RC&D also received awards for having the most “balanced earth program in Maine for fiscal year 1993.” Down East also received the Outstanding Group Award for Fiscal Year 1993 from the Down East Tourism Committee. More than 800 hours were volunteered during the year by group members who worked on convention details for the National Association of State Foresters Convention.

The Down East RC&D Tourism Committee helped the Maine Forest Service sponsor the convention in September 1993 in Bar Harbor.