The Award WinnersThe Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Dan Bissonnette Henry Kock Brenda Lorenz Dolf and Anne Wynia |
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photos provided by recipients |
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| Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
EXETER
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The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority of Exeter was the first Conservation Authority established in Ontario. The ABCA has worked diligently for 60 years to protect and restore the special places, plants and animals in their watershed. This group of dedicated professionals has worked with local residents, governments, and organizations to protect the unique Ausable Gorge, plant thousands of trees, and restore riparian areas. Education is another key focus for this organization, which manages the longest-running residential outdoor conservation education program in Ontario (Camp Sylvan). The ABCA has been a catalyst for government, municipal and landowner partners to jointly devise and implement strategies for watershed improvements and protection. |
| Dan Bissonnette
WINDSOR
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Dan Bissonnette of Windsor is a passionate, yet practical, advocate of naturalizing habitat, starting in your own backyard. He has emerged as a leading environmentalist in his home region, and has inspired many others through his public speaking, broadcasting, lectures and workshops. He founded the Naturalized Habitat Network Organization in 2001, and since then, this grass-roots community group has become a major force for change in the Windsor Essex region. He developed a one-day workshop based on his Naturalized Habitat Landscaping course, and has taken it to several locations in Essex, and to Sarnia. He was one of the major driving forces in the salvation of Marshfield Woods, through development and leadership of the Marshfield Woods Coalition. He has also designed and developed two native plant arboreta, one near Wallaceburg, and one in Leamington. Dan’s passionate dedication to the natural world is an inspiration to all who come in contact with him. |
| Henry Kock
GUELPH
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Henry Kock of Guelph was an unforgettable figure on the conservation scene. With his long stride, bushy beard, and passion for native plants, and in particular the American Elm, Henry traveled hundreds of kilometres to study natural areas and collect native plant seeds. He touched thousands of lives with his message promoting the protection of natural landscapes and naturalized gardening. As a University of Guelph Arboretum Horticulturist, Henry was responsible for designing and planting several of the Native Plant sections of the Arboretum, developed good propagation techniques for native plants, and held hundreds of workshops on native plants and how to grow them. He also helped to spearhead the Guelph Organic Conference, was instrumental in setting up the Elm Recovery Project for the disappearing American Elm, lectured and held workshops all across Southern Ontario, and drafted a book on how to grow native trees. |
| Brenda Lorenz
LAMBTON COUNTY
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Brenda Lorenz of Sarnia has been involved in many causes and projects related to the environment and conservation. As a member of Lambton Wildlife Incorporated, the Sarnia Urban Wildlife Committee, and Chair of the Sarnia Environmental Advisory Committee, Brenda has spent many hours working on projects to preserve or enhance natural areas around Sarnia. She has also devoted much of her spare time to spreading the word about conservation and environmental awareness through various print and film media. For a number of years she helped to run the Lambton Wildlife Inc.’s Young Naturalists Club and was involved in environmental education projects with Centre by the Bay and the Green Communities Project in Sarnia. She provided leadership in the acquisition and promotion of the Suncor Natureway – a naturalized stormwater drainage system to the east of Sarnia, and she has helped to steward several natural properties around Sarnia as a member of the Sarnia Urban Wildlife Committee. Recently she has taken on the role of Regional Director for Southwestern Ontario for Ontario Nature. |
| Dolf and Anne Wynia
SIMCOE
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Dolf and Anne Wynia of Simcoe have both been active members of the Norfolk Field Naturalists for many years, and each has served at least one term as Chair of the club. They have undertaken restoration work on their 25-acre farm, planting many Carolinian tree species. Most recently, they have set aside 5 ha 12(ac) to be planted as the first Forest 2020 project in Norfolk. Dolf and Anne have not only ‘walked the walked’, they have been an inspiration to many others in the community and across the region in the conservation of forested lands. One notable example is their advocacy for the protection and proper management of the St. Williams Conservation Reserve, for which Dolf acted as Superintendent in the 1980s. Dolf is currently a member of the Long Point Region Conservation Authority, and Anne is on the Norfolk Land Stewardship Council. |
