By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is looking to honour some special members of the community with a Conservation Hero Award of Merit at the upcoming 31st annual Conservation Awards in September.
“The Award of Merit is bestowed on individuals, businesses, and community groups or organizations that have contributed voluntarily to enhancing the health of our watershed and local environment during 2021. Any one person, organization, or group that has made a significant impact to improving, restoring, or conserving our environment would be the perfect candidate,” said NPCA spokesperson Erika Navarro.
Established in 1991, the awards celebrate the accomplishments of hundreds of volunteers who give of their time, energy, and resources to make the Niagara Peninsula watershed a better place to live. The ceremony also celebrates members of the community, groups, organizations, and businesses, whose dedication to conservation is evident in all that they do.
While the pandemic made volunteering difficult in many ways, according to an NPCA release volunteers remained engaged while assisting with NPCA’s cultural heritage and outdoor education programs, and community stewardship and citizen science initiatives. Between 2020 and 2021, NPCA worked with 652 active volunteers who logged a total of 12,681 hours and helped plant more than 8,865 trees and 10,584 native wildflowers.
“Our volunteers and partners are the heart and soul of our programs, events, and our communities,” said Kerry Royer, NPCA Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator. “Recognizing their significant efforts has always been important to us and we pride ourselves in the unique and meaningful celebration that is our annual Conservation Awards. While we were unable to host this event in 2021, we look forward to getting together again to celebrate in the way our volunteers and partners truly deserve.”
A perfect candidate for awards consideration will have:
Helped to improve or restore the local environment
Increased our knowledge of natural or cultural heritage
Helped to further the mission, vision, and values of the NPCA
Helped to increase awareness of conservation in the NPCA’s watershed through programming, outreach, and education
Showed innovation in conservation, environmental protection, and/or restoration
“While the Award of Merit can recognize folks who have worked directly with the NPCA, this is not part of the criteria,” said Navarro. “It can be any person, community group, or business that has had a significant impact, regardless of their work being connected to that of the NPCA.”
When asked for a perfect recent example of a conservation hero, Navarro mentioned the late conservationist Mickey DiFruscio of Thorold, who passed away earlier this year at age 95.
“He dedicated his whole life to conservation and 25 years to the work of the NPCA,” said Navarro. “Luckily, we had the chance to recognize him at the 2020 conservation awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Navarro gave some advice on how people can be a conservation hero as part of their daily routine: “Conserving our local environment is everyone’s responsibility and we can all play small but very important roles! One of the easiest ways to be a conservation hero that we like to promote through social media is garbage clean-up hikes. Anyone who hikes, walks their dog, or just likes to take a quick stroll around the neighbourhood is encouraged to bring with them some gloves and a garbage bag. Sadly, you will be surprised of the amount of garbage that can be seen even on a short walk. By picking up a few things along the way, everyone can help!”
The NPCA invites the community to become involved in their recognition process by nominating conservation heroes who have made an impact to receive an Award of Merit. The nomination form, criteria, and rules can be found on the Get Involved portal at npca.com. There is no established limit on the number of awards to be presented, allowing for a greater range of local recognition. The nomination deadline is August 5 at 12 p.m.
