When it comes to the environment, one person can make a difference — but two is better.

Scott Reed and Art Manley were fond of the environment and worked to preserve the natural beauty of areas of North Idaho while also working to keep public access to those areas. One of their favorite places in Coeur d'Alene was Tubbs Hill, and without Reed and Manley, it might not be enjoyed by all as it is today. Also, McEuen Park might be a shopping center and the beach at North Idaho College would be made up of condos with no public access.

Because of their many accomplishments in conservation and preservation of the local environment, the city of Coeur d'Alene, as read by Mayor Steve Widmyer, proclaimed July 1 as Art Manley-Scott Reed Day and a tribute was held in honor of the men Friday at McEuen Park in Coeur d'Alene with hundreds of friends and family in attendance.

"This is an incredibly important day to recognize that when people do things like that, they may have passed away, but they'll always be here through their legacy," Tony Stewart, secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations who was also a longtime friend of both men, told The Press Friday. "It becomes a true, tremendous model for young people that, 'You can do things too. You can make a difference. And when you're not here anymore, look what you have left for others.'"

Manley's great-granddaughter, Brittani Hass of Coeur d'Alene, stood near the stone that held a plaque in memory of Manley after she and her family, including her own son, Luke, pulled the cloth off and revealed the tribute that read: "In honor of Art Manley. In recognition of his lifelong efforts to establish parks and protect natural areas for public use. His first love was Tubbs Hill. He walked it daily and was determined to keep it public for future generations."

"It's really neat because one of the fondest memories I have of my great-grandfather is, anytime he would talk about Tubbs Hill, he would show me his slide pictures — I just loved that," Hass said.

Manley, a former Idaho state senator, was a founding member of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance and the Four County Natural Resource Committee. Manley and Reed both helped the city acquire land for public use, including Tubbs Hill. He promoted public access to Fernan Lake and helped plant the original Freedom Tree in 1972, which was replaced in 2014 during the building of McEuen Park. During Friday's tribute, the Powell Brothers of Coeur d'Alene supplied the music — and one instrument they played was a harp guitar made from the original tree.

Manley's influence spanned beyond the Coeur d'Alene area, such as the part he played in convincing former Sen. Frank Church to protect Upper Priest Lake from development, which remains untouched today. Manley died in 2004 at the age of 88, but is remembered for spending his life as a public servant and conservation advocate.

And he loved huckleberries, or anything made from huckleberry. But his wife, Margaret, who attended Friday's tribute said she didn't like the berry all that much. As she took a nice long sip of huckleberry lemonade, she noted she couldn't really taste the huckleberry in it.

"It's amazing that he lived to be 88 after having a heart attack in his 50s," Margaret said. "I attribute part of that to all the huckleberries."

Reed's daughter, Tara Woolpy, said her father was able to watch McEuen develop from the window of his downtown office. She said it's one of the most amazing things he was able to see before he died. She said the tribute to Reed and Manley is "wonderful and well deserved."

"They did so much for this community," Woolpy said. "They were amazing men — they were persistent and dedicated."

"And they were great partners in these causes," Stewart added.

Before Reed died last year at the age of 87, he spent six decades as an attorney, protecting natural and public areas like Tubbs Hill, Sanders Beach and Lake Coeur d'Alene. Some of his environmental successes include acquiring a loan from a national nonprofit for the City of Coeur d'Alene to purchase Tubbs Hill, which is now a 165-acre natural area so many locals and out-of-towners enjoy every day.

Reed served as the attorney, at no cost, for the "Save the NIC Beach Committee" from 1972-1976. Stewart said Reed never charged for such ventures because of his dedication to the environment and public use. Every time Stewart walks by and sees so many people enjoying the beach he thinks, "you have no idea how close it came that you couldn't be here." Reed and his wife, Mary Lou, were also founding members of KEA, along with Manley and Stewart.

Reed wrote the book on Tubbs Hill — literally. His plaque, which was unveiled by his family, read: "In honor of Scott Reed, whose passionate efforts helped save Tubbs Hill for the public. In his book, 'A Treasure Called Tubbs Hill,' he wrote: 'The surest way to preserve and protect property is public ownership,' and 'Tubbs Hill belongs to all of you.' His work helped make it so."

Scott Reed's son, Bruce Reed, said his mother and father came to Coeur d'Alene one day in 1955, took a swim in the lake and never left.

"They wouldn't have wanted all this attention," Bruce said about his father and Manley. "But saving Tubbs and McEuen was the work of their lives and they helped Coeur d'Alene understand how much they treasured this place."

The two stones holding the plaques will be placed one at each end of the Tubbs Hill trail.