2002 Environmental Stewardship Award

ST. CLAIR RIVER WATERWAYS FOR WILDLIFE
PRESENTS THE 2002 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARDS

The St. Clair River Waterways for Wildlife Project, a regional project of the Wildlife Habitat Council, presented the 2002 Environmental Stewardship Awards. The awards were created to recognize habitat enhancement projects throughout the St. Clair River Basin and are offered in three categories: educational, corporate and community.

The program recognized 20 different awards nominees for their habitat enhancement efforts. The evening reception, held in Sarnia, Ontario, shared the achievement and hard work of many partners working towards improving the amount and quality of habitat in the St. Clair River Basin. The education category recognizes the work of students, teachers, and parents who have demonstrated a strong commitment to habitat improvement and awareness. The corporate category highlights efforts to improve habitat and establish community partnerships. The community category recognizes excellence in private landowner stewardship, volunteer leadership and conservation program development. Corporate sponsors of the awards were BP, Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, Ontario Power Generation, and Terra Nitrogen.

Earth Learning Adventures Inc. based in Port Huron, Michigan, was presented with the award in the educational category. Their environmental education course, Earthkeepers, introduces important scientific concepts and relationships between species to hundreds of fourth grade students throughout St. Clair County, Michigan. The students spend one week in the fall and spring exploring the natural habitats at Goodells County Park. The group has expanded upon the learning opportunities at the park by creating a wildlife garden to benefit birds, butterflies and people.

Suncor Energy Foundation Nature Way, the winner in the corporate category, provides recreational opportunities and enhances wildlife habitat at a stormwater management pond. A pedestrian bridge was constructed to link the neighboring trail system to the Wawanosh Wetlands Conservation Area. Diverse vegetation and wildlife habitats will be established in the area using a naturalized, low maintenance approach, including planting native trees, wetlands and a prairie. The Suncor Energy Foundation helped to fund the project through a $100,000 millennium legacy gift to the Sarnia-Lambton Community.

The winning entry in the community program category was the Sydenham Field Naturalists a registered non-profit organization whose members enjoy, as well as preserve wildlife and natural history. The Naturalists volunteer to help plant and maintain prairie wildflowers and grasses at numerous sites throughout Lambton County, Ontario. Their exemplary commitment and volunteer stewardship is a key resource needed to tackle the future challenges in natural area restoration and management that currently face the region.

The work of private landowners illuminates how the private sector can complement the conservation programs of government agencies. Outstanding habitat programs on private property recognized at the awards program show how the individual landowner can make a difference. For instance, Ron Stahl, a private landowner in St. Clair County transformed an abandoned gravel and sand quarry into a wetland complex of four lakes ranging from 4 to 20 acres in size. In Ontario, Bill Tennyson retired 13 acres of intensive agricultural land and created riparian habitat and a wildlife corridor for the benefit of the wildlife. This project has the added benefit of improving water quality and quantity through the reduction of non-point source pollution and soil erosion.

A special lifetime achievement award was presented to Bertha Daubendiek of the Michigan Nature Association (MNA) for 50 years of dedication to preserving natural areas throughout Michigan. Daubendiek and MNA together have established 10 nature sanctuaries in St. Clair County and nearly 160 statewide. MNA is the leader in Michigan in preserving habitat for endangered, threatened or rare species.