Omsteads win local conservation prize
Union Gas also recognized
John and Shannon Omstead and Union Gas became the first recipients of awards from the Essex Region Conservation Foundation last week.
The foundation, which is the fundraising arm of the Essex Region Conservation Authority, handed out its new conservation foundation awards for philanthropy at its annual meeting March 7.
John and Shannon Omstead were given the Clifford Hatch Conservation Foundation award for epitomizing the spirit of the foundation. The award is named after Clifford Hatch who donated his farm to the foundation in 1995 and the money from the sale of the land helped in the acquisition of the Chrysler Canada Greenway.
The Omsteads have donated $ 220,000 to the foundation. They donated $100,000 in 2002 to help acquire and restore what would become the 87acre Hillman Marsh Shorebird Habitat in Leamington.
And for the last 12 years they have sponsored the conservation authority’s Education in Nature program which enables more than 10,000 students annually to learn about conserving the natural environment and why it is so important.
John Omstead, who is the foundation’s president, said as a father he wants to leave his children a cleaner, greener environment and as a business owner he sees that a healthy environment is “increasingly critical” to attracting and keeping young professionals in the area.
Omstead is the owner of John O’ Foods in Wheatley and the former president of Family Tradition Foods, located in Tecumseh.
The conservation award for outstanding corporate contribution went to Union Gas for its $10,000 Centennial Signature Grant to support the Nature in Education program.
The hands-on course that teaches students about habitats, water and wildlife is taught at Hillman Marsh, Holiday Beach and in classrooms.
Union Gas gave the grant in 2011 to mark its 100th anniversary in Ontario and the company has also sponsored and provided volunteers for a number of conservation authority events.
Richard Wyma, the foundation’s executive director, said the awards were started to recognize the overwhelming support the foundation has received from its supporters both locally and provincewide.