Hamilton’s environmental heroes honoured
Friends of Rural Communities and Friends of the Eramosa Karst share Environmentalist of the Year award
Hamilton’s Environmentalists of the Year Award winners have been announced. The awards recognize people, schools, businesses or organizations working to protect the planet. This is the 34th annual event and the awards will be handed out June 5.
The Dr. Victor Cecilioni Award for the Environmentalists of the Year: Friends of Rural Communities Everywhere (FORCE) and Friends of the Eramosa Karst (FOTEK)
“In my memory, we haven’t had a time when two groups have won the Cecilioni Award,” said Environment Hamilton co-founder Don McLean. “It’s not that usual for efforts to protect green space succeeding.”
Friends of Rural Communities Everywhere ( FORCE) is recognized for its decade-long battle against quarry construction in Mountsberg, north of Burlington. St. Marys Cement started construction of the Flamborough Quarry in 2003 and three local residents — Graham Flint, Mark Rudolph and Jan Whitelaw — formed FORCE. They mobilized citizen support and Flint quit his job to dedicate himself fully to FORCE. Eventually, they raised $1 million to support a lawyer, scientists and other experts to help oppose the quarry. In March, St. Marys announced it was giving up the project.
“Large organizations should not be able to come into communities and disturb things,” Flint said. “There are common-sense negative impacts with these projects. They’re socially and environmentally intrusive. That’s what galvanized this community.”
Friends of the Eramosa Karst (FOTEK) is noted for its preservation of the Eramosa Karst lands in Stoney Creek. The natural structures of the rocky area include caves, sinkholes and springs. Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources designated it an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest in 2003 because of its large number of unique karst features. Brad Gautreau and others founded FOTEK in 2007. They lobbied the provincial government to have the area protected. And i n February, the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area was expanded when the province leased the area to the conservation authority.
Gautreau said receiving the award was a great end to a long story: “FOTEK is a community grassroots organization. We simply wanted to make the park better and enhance the environmental integrity of it. It made sense.”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert Edmondson
Edmondson is receiving the award for his 38 years of service to conserving natural areas. He started with Conservation Halton as a wildlife biologist and, over the years, committed himself to numerous conservation initiatives. He was involved with the Cootes to Escarpment Park System, the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan and the Courtcliffe Park Restoration.
Brenda Axon, manager of Watershed Planning Services with Conservation Halton, nominated Edmondson. She said he was involved in acquiring 3,330 acres of natural areas for Conservation Halton, and, in her view, his greatest achievement was protecting so much environmentally sensitive land. Awards of Merit Elysia Petrone is active with the Hamilton 350 Committee on cli- mate change and the System Change not Climate Change caucus of the Hamilton Chapter of the Council of Canadians.
Horizon Utilities Corporation is recognized for its renewable energy technologies, promotion of energy conservation and evaluation of its annual performance based on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit.
The Windermere Basin Wetland Creation Project restores the ecology of Windermere Basin, a formerly contaminated area in the southeast end of Hamilton Harbour.