Danny Tatum of Tallulah Gorge State Park recently received the Search and Rescue Career Achievement Award from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Awards were presented during a conference co-hosted by Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites and the park system.

Tatum has been a member of the DNR Search and Rescue Team since 1990, holding such positions as north central squad medical officer, high angle team squad leader and northeast squad leader.

As the current SART chief, Tatum manages five squads across Georgia and 84 team members. He has been involved in numerous large-scale searches.

Tatum is currently the park manager at Tallulah Gorge State Park, and he also supervises Moccasin Creek and Black Rock Mountain state parks in Rabun County.

Brian Richardson from Moccasin Creek State Park received the Ranger of the Year Award from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Richardson was selected for his leadership role in maintaining Moccasin Creek State Park after reorganization resulted in seasonal closure and smaller staff.

Moccasin Creek State Park is located on Lake Burton. After being closed for winter season, the park reopened Saturday. To learn more, visit GeorgiaStateParks.org/moccasin creek.