30th Annual Conservation Awards - Celebrating Watershed Heroes

2011 is a very special year for LSRCA. Not only are we hosting our 30th Conservation Awards ceremony, but we're also celebrating 60 years of excellence in conservation!

In celebration of our 60th anniversary, LSRCA is recognizing our critical partnerships with community members and groups as well as our municipal and other government partners, which help us to realize our vision of A Watershed for Life.

While we're paying special tribute to our invaluable partners to commemorate our 60th anniversary, annually, for the last 30 years, LSRCA has been recognizing the great things that are happening in our watershed - through the work of local watershed heroes.

The Conservation Awards are our opportunity to honour the citizens in our watershed who are demonstrating that by working together, one step at a time, we can find a true sense of balance in our watershed, where human needs can be satisfied without sacrificing our natural environment.

Symbolizing the nature of a "regular" hero, LSRCA has brought together its own team of "Watershed Heroes." Our heroes are regular every-day creatures who work together to improve our environment, just by doing what they naturally do! Our heroes are Becca, a pileated woodpecker, Spike, a pumpkinseed fish and Ollie, an earthworm.

Award categories and winners for 2011

Honourary Watershed Hero

The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation

Water Conservations

Awarded to individuals and groups who have completed a project that improves water quality and wildlife in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Examples: restoring wetland habitat, minimizing runoff, planting buffer strips, etc.

Heroes:
Clublink Corporation, Highland Gate Golf Club & Highland Green Condo Corporation, Aurora
The Town of East Gwillimbury
Loretto Maryholme, Georgina
Musselman's Lake Residents Association, Whitchurch-Stouffville
Del Coin Holdings, Oro-Medonte

Soil Conservation Award

Awarded to individuals and groups who have completed a project that improves soil, vegetation and wildlife in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Examples: planting cover crops, windbreaks, reforestation projects, etc.

Heroes:
Suncor Energy Foundation, Earth Day Canada and the Town of East Gwillimbury
Richard and Margaret Causton, Uxbridge
Road House & Rose Funeral Home, Newmarket
McClelland & Slessor Funeral Home, Barrie
Innisfil Funeral Home, Innisfil

Education Award

Awarded to individuals and groups who have delivered an innovative environmental education program or service to schools, students, or the community at large.

Heroes:
Mark Stabb, Uxbridge
Kids for Turtles Environmental Education, Orillia
Tom Fowle, Uxbridge
Ontario Stewardship Rangers - Newmarket Team
Jennifer Howard, Innisfil

Media Recognition Award

Awarded to individuals and groups who have provided significant media coverage of issues of environmental significance in the Lake Simcoe watershed.

Hero: Johanna Powell, Publisher, Lake Simcoe Living magazine

Volunteer Recognition Award

Awarded to individuals, businesses, corporations or community groups for volunteering their time to assist LSRCA with events and/or projects in the watershed.

Heroes: Howard & Christine Eldon, Holland Landing

Conservation Award of Merit

Awarded to individuals and groups who demonstrated leadership in conservation by implementing or financing the most significant environmental projects of the year within the Lake Simcoe watershed.

Hero: Tuan Yeap, Uxbridge

Ernie Crossland Young Conservationist

Awarded to individuals and groups that are 30 years of age or younger and are involved in a significant leadership role in a conservation project or with a conservation-based group or organization. The work completed must be volunteer work and not part of a paid position.

Hero: Jeff Howard, Innisfil

George R. Richardson Conservation Award of Honour

Awarded to individuals and groups who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to improving the environmental health of the Lake Simcoe watershed. As this is a lifetime achievement award it can only be presented once to an individual or group.

Hero: David Tomlinson, Aurora

The awards ceremony

The 2011 awards ceremony is being held on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at Madsen's Garden & Greenhouses in Newmarket. If you have any questions about our heroes or the awards ceremony, please contact Dana Eldon, Community Relations Specialist by email at d.eldon@lsrca.on.ca or by phone at 905-895-1281 ext. 242.