Two locals received the annual Wallace and Peggy Carroll Vigilance Award on Saturday.

The awards were presented by the National Committee for the New River.

The Winston Salem Journal reported Ashe County Chamber of Commerce member, Kim Hadley, was named the N.C. Volunteer of the Year.  Hadley created the committee's Web site, designed the organization's newsletters and is mainly responsible for the public face of the organization.

State Senator, Steve Goss of Watauga County was named Legislator of the Year.  Goss helped the New River committee, the High Country Conservancy and the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust in their ongoing efforts to protect Pond Mountain in Ashe County.

The New River Committee has protected nearly 5,000 acres of land crucial to the New River's water quality and natural values.  The Committee has also restored more than 66 miles of river and stream banks.