The Nature Canada Awards represent our heartfelt tribute to the onerous work and dedication of those superb people. All of our winners have confirmed themselves to be forces of nature, for nature!
Charles Labatiuk Volunteer Award: Maggie Mileski, Ontario
Maggie Mileski receives the Charles Labatiuk Volunteer Award from Nature Canada Govt Director Emily McMillan.
Maggie Mileski started volunteering at solely 8 years outdated with the Haldimand Fowl Observatory, the place she was mentored in chicken banding to trace chicken species throughout their migration in fall and spring. Since then she has volunteered each season and now mentors different volunteers in this system in addition to elevating consciousness through weblog posts about migrating birds in southwestern Ontario.
Along with her work with the Haldimand Fowl Observatory, she has been concerned with youth applications by means of A Rocha, a nationwide group centered on environmental stewardship. She has helped with plantings to advertise native species in addition to being part of teaching programs centered on insect populations. Maggie has additionally organized neighborhood bake gross sales to boost funds for the Hamilton Conservation Authority and volunteered in quite a few neighborhood clean-ups by means of the Metropolis of Hamilton.
Nature Canada Volunteer of the 12 months Award: Deborah Simpson, British Columbia
Deborah Simpson, Nature Canada Volunteer of the 12 months
Deborah Simpson is a member and devoted volunteer for NatureKids BC, one of many provincial companions for Nature Canada’s NatureHood program. Naturehood connects youngsters, households, newcomers, and marginalized communities to close by nature—and in that spirit, Deborah has guided others to find, defend and restore nature in Canada for over 7 years. As the principle Volunteer Membership Chief for the Vancouver Membership of NatureKids BC, she has led and arranged over 100 explorer days for households within the Decrease Mainland. Not solely does she encourage households to like and shield nature, however she additionally mentors different volunteers to do the identical!
All through her volunteer work, she has created numerous neighborhood connections, constructing relationships with different non-profit organizations, stewardship teams and neighborhood applications. By these connections she is deepening the sense of neighborhood belonging and constructing a stronger sense of place with the households she is interacting with. Many of those households are new to the Vancouver space and have found and skilled Canadian nature at one of many Explorer Days that Deborah has organized.
Deborah additionally volunteers numerous hours with the Marine Biology Part of Nature Vancouver, specializing in educating and fostering curiosity in close by marine life and coastal habitats by means of a speaker collection and nature walks. She can be one of many lead organizers of the yearly “Wonders of the Salish Sea” occasion, which options instructional talks and seminars to teach and join people to the biodiverse and fragile habitat of the Salish Sea.
Conservation Accomplice of the 12 months Award: Fowl Pleasant Regina, Saskatchewan
Members of the Fowl Pleasant Regina crew with Nature Canada’s Conservation Accomplice of the 12 months Award, posing with the newly unveiled official chicken of Regina portray (Black-capped Chicadee). From left to proper: Elaine Ehman, Jordan Rustad, Angela Tremka, Lacey Weekes, Margaret Skeel.
Fowl Pleasant Regina is working onerous to make town of Regina a protected haven for wild birds.
As an authorized metropolis below Nature Canada’s bird-friendly certification program, the Metropolis of Regina has labored with Nature Canada’s companions—together with Nature Saskatchewan, Nature Regina, and lots of different neighborhood organizations—to attain bird-friendly standing.
The town has applied chicken pleasant insurance policies and actions to assist birds thrive in Regina, together with:
- Establishing a “no-roam” by-law for cats to cut back the affect of cat predation on wild chicken populations
- Defending pure areas akin to Wascana Centre, a 2,300-acre city park which helps 276 species of birds
- Partaking the neighborhood of Regina by means of instructional initiatives akin to celebrating World Migratory Fowl Day and The Get Outdoors! Membership
Nature Canada is grateful for the unbelievable work Fowl Pleasant Regina has executed to guard our chicken populations.
Conservation Accomplice of the 12 months Award: Calgary Local weather Hub, Alberta
Steering Committee volunteers (from left) Rob Miller, Heather Addy, Calgary Local weather Hub Director Jared Blustein, and Permaculture Designer and Challenge Supervisor Heather Morigeau pose on the centre of their newly planted mini-forest at Bowness Group Affiliation, Calgary, July 2024.
The Calgary Local weather Hub is a volunteer-led group and a Canadian chief in tree fairness (which promotes equal entry to bushes and forests for all communities). They’ve held neighborhood workshops on the topic and developed a tree fairness rating to assist prioritize metropolis areas in want of elevated tree cover. The Hub’s tree-planting information is being translated into the languages predominantly spoken in neighbourhoods with low tree fairness. This fall, they planted a little forest in one in all these neighbourhoods to assist enhance the realm’s tree cover and lift consciousness about community-led tree planting.
Study extra about tree fairness at Nature Canada.