Ontario Nature award winners 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the Ontario Nature awards given out at the 77th Annual General Meeting and Conference. Twelve recipients were acknowledged for their contribution towards protecting natural habitats.

Richards Education Award
Jacob Rodenburg has taught outdoor education for the last 20 years and for the last 10 years has been the Executive Director of the Kawartha Outdoor Education Centre, working towards making the centre more sustainable along with Camp Kawartha. He mentored many young naturalists and environmental leaders, making a life-long impression on literally thousands of Ontarians.

J.R. Dymond Public Service Award
Junction Creek Stewardship Committee from Sudbury is dedicated to restoring life to the Junction Creek watershed which runs through Greater Sudbury. This watershed that was degraded by decades of industrial and urban misuse but thanks to the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, Junction Creek is being restored and revitalized for the enjoyment of many within Sudbury

The W.E. Saunders Natural History Award
Bob Curry, spearheaded the book, Birds of Hamilton & Surrounding Areas, that is a significant contribution to the natural history of the Hamilton region. This massive 676 page reference book has the status of some 386 species of birds in the Hamilton study area. The entire process included the creation of a computer database to analyze more than 60,000 bird records from the Hamilton Naturalists Club and cataloguing bird records from various museum sources.

The Lee Symmes Municipal Award
There were two winners: City of Orillia and the Region of Waterloo
ON recognized the City of Orillia and most notably Mayor Ron Stevens, senior City staff and Council for protecting Scout Valley Woods from development threats posed by a proposed sewer trunk line and for creating a conservation easement on Scout Valley Woods.

The Region of Waterloo was recognized for designating two Environmentally Significant Landscapes (ESL) in their Regional Official Plan. These two ESLs embody ON’s vision of a greenway at a regional level:

Laurel Creek Headwaters ESL, linking several important natural habitats and landforms on the Waterloo Moraine.

Blair-Bechtel-Cruickston ESL at the juncture of the Grand River and the Speed River, home to many rare species, close to the cities of both Kitchener and Cambridge.

The Ontario Nature Achievement Award
Audrey Wilson, member of the Willow Beach Field Naturalists lives in Cobourg and has been active in Northumberland County. Well known throughout the province as a naturalist, Audrey's name has become synonymous with natural history, nature study and outdoor education. A respected nature photographer, Audrey is accomplished in the fields of ornithology, entomology and notably the study of Lepidoptera and her work on the Monarch Butterfly.

The W.W. H. Gunn Award
After moving to a farm in the heard of the Carden Plain in the early 1990s with his wife Judy, Lou Probst became incredibly active in a wide range of conservation activities:

Chairing the Carden Plain Important Bird Area Committee

Co-chaired the Carden Nature Festival planning committee, developing the program and arranging volunteer leaders

Served on the Board of the Couchiching Conservancy

Actively participated in the Carden Community Forum, the Integrated Cardin Conservation Strategy, and the Cardin Alva Management Advisory Committee.

Fundraiser for a variety of projects including the Cameron Ranch and Windmill Ranch Alvars.

He and his wife are in the process of donating most of their land holdings to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as an addition to the protected landscapes of the Carden Alvar.

Margaret and Carl Nunn Memorial Camp Scholarships:
These scholarships are presented to individuals between the ages of 10-15, who display promise and interest in natural history interpretation, or education, and who have the potential to take an increased leadership role in club programs:

Cameron Gray: Oakville. A member of the Carden Field Naturalists, he is an active member of the site inspection team for the Turnbull property, Couchiching Conservancy.

Phoenix Jacobs-Parkin: Peterborough. Member of the Adam Scott Intermediate School Birding Club for three years, taking a leadership role with bird identification and a fundraiser for the Baillie Birdathon.

Grace Thornton: Oakville, a member of the Junior Naturalists Club in Hamilton since kindergarten. Dedicated, enthusiastic and an observant participant, she is always eager to learn more and share her knowledge with others.

William Gardiner: Bright's Grove. A leader in the Young Naturalist group at the Lambton Wildlife Inc, participates in the annual Lambton Wildlife Inc. (LWI) trail clean-up events, the annual native plant sale and is a YN fundraiser for the Bluewater Centre for Raptor Rehabilitation.

Photo, left to right: Brigitte Angster-Beckett, Mayor Ron Stevens, Lou Probst, Cameron Gray, Bob Curry, Grace Thornton, Chris Gosselin, Audrey Wilson, Jacob Rodenburg and William Gardiner (in front). Missing from the photo is Phoenix Jacobs-Parkin (winner of the Margaret and Carl Nunn Camp Memorial Scholarship)


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