Essex Region – Eight organizations and individuals have been honoured with Essex Region Conservation Awards for their efforts in making the Windsor/Essex/Pelee Island region the Place for Life.
“It’s always inspiring to learn more about those who have made tangible contributions to our regional environment,” said Chair Rick Fryer. “There are so many actions being taken to sustain our region as the Place for Life, and it is a privilege to celebrate them.” Winners included:
- Iler Family – John R. Park Homestead Award for her preservation of local agricultural history in our community.
- Jerome Deslippe – Conservation Farm Award for the use of conservation farming practices, and a lifetime of dedication to agriculture in our community. (presented posthumously).
- Peter Berry – Education Award for educating and engaging the community to improve the health of the Detroit River and the lands that surround it.
- Darlene Burgess – Volunteer Award for protecting, raising and releasing Monarch butterflies. As a volunteer citizen scientist, she tracks and reports on the monarch migration.
- Doug Haffner – Environmental Achievement Award for decades of mentoring students, teaching the next generation of scientists, and conducting significant research which continues to support the management of Canada’s Great Lakes.
- Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) – Volunteer Organization Award to celebrate a century of service, including tree plantings, stream cleanups, global sanitation and water initiatives, support of ERCA’s outreach program and creating the Rotary (1918) Centennial Hub.
- Town of Tecumseh – Robert Pulleyblank Award for Municipal Environmental Achievement recognizes the Town’s leadership in protecting Fairplay Woods, tree planting efforts, creating Lakewood Park, innovative solar use and leadership in trail development.
- Vivian Kennedy – Dennis Chase Staff Award for two decades of dedication, conscientiousness, kindness and compassion to colleagues, customers and partners.
ERCA also reviewed the accomplishments of the past year, including the creation of the Place for Life policies, opening the Cypher Systems Group Greenway and the Rotary (1918) Centennial Hub, restoring over 92 acres of habitat and engaging over 12,000 students in outdoor education, and strengthening organizational resilience.
For more information, visit our Resources page.
For more than four decades, Essex Region Conservation has been sustaining and enriching the environment of the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region to ensure it is the Place for Life.
