National Conservation Award recipients announced
The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is pleased to announce the recipients of its national conservation achievement awards. One of the national award winners has strong ties to the southwest Alberta region
• Doug Clarke Memorial Award, Best CWF Affiliate Conservation Project: Operation Grassland Community, The Alberta Fish and Game Association
• Launched in 1989, Operation Grassland Community engages ranchers and landowners throughout southern Alberta as active conservation stewards of species at risk including the Burrowing Owl, Loggerhead Shrike, Sprague’s Pipit and Ferruginous Hawk. The Alberta Fish and Game Association program helps inform recovery teams to protect and enhance prairie wildlife habitats for these species. Everett Hannah of Lethbridge manages the program, designed to conserve the remaining grassland region, most of which is privately managed.
Stan Hodgkiss Outdoorsperson of the Year Award: Sonya Richmond of Sechelt, B.C.
Sonya Richmond is the creator of Come Walk With Us, a national outreach project to inspire young Canadians to explore and conserve nature. In 2019, Richmond launched an expedition and campaign to explore the Trans Canada Trail. Her goal was to visit 15,000 communities and inspire people to reconnect with nature through citizen science. Richmond and her partner have given more than 100 presentations, published more than 700 blogs and hiked more than 10,000 kilometres. Youth Mentor Award: Todd Hollett of Burin Bay Arm, Nfld.
Todd Hollett has been involved in wildlife education since he was a teenager. He studied fish and wildlands science and management in college. He then worked as a park naturalist before becoming a provincial conservation officer. He has developed school outreach programs and often brings injured or relocated wildlife with him to presentations to help students gain respect for nature. He has also written many articles on science and nature to help readers identify local animals, explore nature and learn about conservation issues.
Past Presidents’ Canadian Legislator Award:
Richard Cannings of Penticton, B.C. • As the Member of Parliament for South Okanagan-West Kootenay, Richard Cannings recently presented two private members bills in the House of Commons, one with the goal of restoring protections to local lakes and rivers in the region, and the other to establish a new Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights. Prior to his election in 2015, Cannings worked as a biologist specializing in birds, taught at the University of British Columbia, wrote books about natural history, and was a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Roderick Haig-Brown Award: Bobbi Rose Koe of Whitehorse, Y.T.
Bobbi Rose Koe is the owner of Dinjii Zhuh Adventures, an outdoor expedition company based in Whitehorse. She also works as a community connector for the Western Arctic Youth Collective, empowering youth to be changemakers through collaborative initiatives and partnerships in their communities. Bobbi Rose Koe is Teetl’it Gwich’in (meaning People of the headwaters) raised in Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. As a river guide and expert paddler, she is a strong advocate for her watershed. She guides through the Gwich’in lense, sharing stories, Indigenous history and culture. WILD Educator of the Year Award: Rob Ridley of Caledon, Ont.
Rob Ridley has been an environmental education teacher since 1987. He has been a CWF WILD Education facilitator - leading Project WILD and
Below Zero workshops - for more than 20 years. He has also been a coordinator of outdoor education programs west of Toronto since 2003, reaching 25,000 students each year. He is a speaker on the value of outdoor learning and co-founder and moderator of the #EnviroEd chat on Twitter. Wade Luzny Youth Conservation Award: Hannah Moran-MacDonald of Kingston, Ont.
Hannah Moran-MacDonald is an environmental biology student at Queen’s University as well as an artist. She is active in many organizations. In 2021, she led a student project to address invasive moths in the Kingston area. The students mapped out areas of concern, wrapped trees on participating private farms and lands, used moth traps to attract them away from foliage and monitored these efforts throughout summer.
Robert Bateman Award for Conservation through Arts: Amy Lynn Hein of Calgary, Alta.
Amy Lynn Hein specializes in botanical illustration, handmade pottery and natural dyes inspired by nature. She is also an educator, blogger, and children’s book writer. Her motivation comes from the idea that small actions can create substantial change. Artistic creation is one of the ways she connects to wildlife and nature. Through art, she hopes to show a positive view of how beautiful the Earth is.
Roland Michener Conservation Award: Mary Asselstine of Schomberg, Ont.
For 35 years, Mary Asselstine has encouraged conservation and stewardship through professional and volunteer work. She is a founding member of the Dufferin Marsh Nature Connection, which provides opportunities for people to reconnect to nature through restoration projects and citizen science activities. She promotes energy efficiency and the preservation of walkable communities, rural landscapes and greenspaces. The long-time community advocate has a Master’s degree in Geography from York University and a passion for the environment and protecting ecosystems. The Canadian Wildlife Federation thanks all the nominators and nominees for helping conserve wildlife and habitat for the use and enjoyment of all. The recipients are featured in the July/August issue of Canadian Wildlife magazine.