Santa Fe — Community leaders earned awards and recognition Friday, June 19, for their efforts in preserving the natural beauty of the nation’s oldest capital city at a ceremony at the Bishop’s Lodge in Tesuque.

The not-for-profit volunteer program Keep Santa Fe Beautiful, which is dedicated to environmental education, litter awareness and prevention and beautification programs, threw the annual award ceremony, recognizing the work of individuals and businesses.

Santa Fe residents Rick Martinez and Deanna Einspahr, longtime participants in semi-annual community clean-up days, were named Keep Santa Fe Beautiful’s 2009 Individuals of the Year. Los Alamos National Bank was recognized as Business of the Year.

“Fidel Gutierrez and his staff at Los Alamos National Bank have demonstrated their commitment to Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and our mission of beautification and litter reduction. We are pleased to recognize LANB with this award,” said Gilda Montaño, board member at large and coordinator.

The award reception was held to thank the hundreds of volunteers, businesses and organizations that support and contribute various environmental programs.

“Keep Santa Fe Beautiful’s success has always been driven by the support we receive from citizen volunteers and businesses who share in our goals and our vision,” Montaño said.

The organization also sponsors the Adopt-a-Median program to landscape city street medians, the annual Keep Santa Fe Beautiful Golf Classic, the Keep America Beautiful Waste-in-Place program in local schools and the Otra Vez: Trash to Treasures program.

“Without these vital partnerships we wouldn’t be able to increase awareness of litter prevention, beautification, source reduction,” Montaño said. “And the many programs we support.”