The Back Country Horsemen of Washington awarded Diana Putney and her late husband Gary Putney, the state organization’s coveted Life Time Achievement Award for their work in developing the network of trails in the Putney Woods.

Diana accepted the award for herself and Gary at the state organization’s annual general meeting in Ellensberg on March 21.

Gary Putney, founder of the Island County chapter of the Back Country Horsemen, worked continuously from 1980 until November 2006 to expand the original logging roads on what was then Department of Natural Resource property into a network of trails. He also worked tirelessly to maintain them, and it was his vision to create a trail system open to everyone on Whidbey Island for non-motorized use. Currently, the trails are utilized regularly by equestrians, mountain bikers, hikers, runners, bird watchers and dog walkers.

During his lifetime, Putney was president of the Island County Back Country Horsemen for many years, as well as on the state organization’s board of directors.

During this time, Diana assisted her husband in the trail development and held every office in the Island County chapter of Back Country Horsemen except the presidency. Currently, she is the club’s volunteer coordinator, and she has a particular interest in mentoring young equestrians. She is the leader of the Whidbey Wranglers 4-H club, in which her granddaughter Kacie Hanson is a participant, and was formerly the 4-H club’s leader when her daughter Erin Hanson was a teenager.