Submitted photo.
Several area residents have been acknowledged for their contributions to environmental health in the St. Clair Region.
During its annual general meeting last week, the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) presented four community members with conservation awards.
Bob Walsh was recognized for donating his time to aid SCRCA biologists locate at-risk nests of endangered spiny softshell turtles in the Sydenham River.
“Bob’s altruistic nature, passion towards the safeguarding of biodiversity and the longevity of an endangered species within the SCRCA watershed has been vital to the success of the authority’s Captive Hatch and Release Turtle program,” the conservation authority said in a news release.
Mary Tizzard also received an award for contributing nearly 1,000 volunteer hours conducting maintenance and project work at conservation areas throughout the St. Clair Region.
“During that time [Mary] has helped staff with the maintenance of the authority’s trail systems, general site clean-up, and tree, shrub, and pollinator habitat planting,” SCRCA said. “She also helped construct new boardwalks at both Coldstream and Clark Wright conservation areas.”
Also awarded during the meeting were Chris and Vivian Crump, who have completely reworked their family’s farm to favour environmental sustainability. In 2019, they installed a grassed waterway, a rock chute, and a series of wetlands to improve local habitats and prevent soil and nutrients from entering local waterways. Since then, they have also planted over 3,000 trees on their property, and have adopted rotational grazing and cover crop practices.
SCRCA’s annual general meeting was held in Point Edward on March 10 and was the first in-person AGM since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.