Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation and Encino Energy Donate New Dive Suits to the Joint Rescue and Recovery Dive Team
June 4, 2021
Encino Energy’s Community Partnership Program and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation made donations to support the Joint Rescue and Recovery Dive Team of Dover and New Philadelphia, in their commitment to protecting the residents of Tuscarawas and surrounding counties.
Encino Energy and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation were asked to provide funding for new dive suits for the Dover and New Philadelphia Joint Rescue and Recovery Dive Team. The funding for these dive suits will be used to assist the team in their efforts to adequately and efficiently conduct rescue and recovery searches in the area.
“Originally we used our personal sport diving equipment and responded to water rescues and drownings in Dover, New Philadelphia, and the surrounding townships. As the years have gone by the team has grown substantially in number and quality of equipment, and our response area has grown to all counties that touch Tuscarawas County. This includes Harrison and Carroll counties,” said Brooks Ross, Captain of the Dover Fire Department. “With the assistance of Encino Energy and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation, the new dive suits will help ensure the safety of many Ohioans in Tuscarawas and surrounding counties. We are grateful for the commitment to community improvement between the two and we look forward to continuing to work on ways we can partner together.”
The majority of calls for assistance in the past couple of years have been to Tappan Lake, Atwood Lake, and Leesville Lake. With the collective donation, the Joint Rescue and Recovery Dive Team will be able to have more hands-on deck for search and rescue missions, even when lake temperatures dip below freezing.
“Our mission here at the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation is to help provide resources that enhance facilities, programs, and conservation efforts on or adjacent to the Districts lands and waters,” stated John Hoopingarner, MWCF President of the Board of Trustees. “In partnering with Encino Energy, we are able to provide first responders with the equipment necessary to ensure that folks can have a safe time within the watershed, which is vital to that mission.”
Encino’s Community Partnership Program continues to deliver on their commitment to investment in long-term, sustainable projects that accentuate environment, health and safety in the areas in which the company has drilling operations.
“This project is personal to us because we have landowners, employees and contractors who work around these lakes,” said Hardy Murchison, Co-Founder and CEO of Encino Energy. “Our company is committed to being an outstanding corporate citizen within our community and we are thankful to be in a situation in which we can work with community-minded entities, such as the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation, to provide assistance to those who lay their lives on the line in securing the safety of others.”
About the MWCF
The MWCD Charitable Endowment Fund was established in 1996 as a component fund of the Stark Community Foundation to provide donors an opportunity to make tax-deductible contributions to support the mission of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). Due to generous public support of the fund in its first five years, representatives of the MWCD decided to establish a separate foundation. In February 2001, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation (MWCF) was officially incorporated and deemed a publicly supported charitable organization by the IRS. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that can provide contributors with a wide array of charitable giving options.
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| Members of the dive team demonstrate dive suits and equipment |
