Award Outline

Concept:
To recognize citizens within the community (Grey – Bruce) who in some way have made a significant contribution toward the welfare of the natural world through stewardship, restoration, protection or other actions deemed beneficial to natural habitats or species.

Structure:
Each year an award would be made to a person, group or business deemed worthy of recognition. Names would be submitted annually to the executive for consideration, and selection of a recipient.
If, in any year, there is no nomination for the award, or there is no candidate deemed deserving, then an award would not be given in that year.

Award:
A certificate would be given to the recipient, on behalf of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists and a framed, or plaque-mounted image, appropriate to the project. The certificate would name the individual(s), and the action to be recognized. The award would be made at the OSFN AGM (family and the press invited).

Benefits:

• raises profile of the Club as an active community body
• places emphasis on proactive conservation
• provides positive publicity and recognition to individuals who undertake actions on behalf of the environment

Recipients:

2009 – The Burr Family
(for postponing haying until after nestling Bobolinks in their hay field fledged)

2011 – Lorne Smith
(for his years of work establishing & maintaining Bluebird boxes & trails)

2013 – Dennis & Gwen Lewington
(for their years of conservation work with Eastern Bluebirds, fledging over 2000 young, and their recent donation of land to Ontario Nature which will become the ‘Sauble Dunes Nature Preserve’)

2014 – Bill & Lyn O’Keefe, O’Keefe Grange
(for their dedication to the collection, propagation and preservation of
heritage apple and pear varieties, preserving our history and our future)

2015 – Friends of Oliphant Coastal Environments
(for their dedication to the preservation and protection of the special habitats and ecosystems of the Oliphant shoreline and commitment to the education and building of community respect and understanding of a natural heritage that is unique in its rich biodiversity and beauty)

2015 – Don Kennedy
(for his ongoing dedication to the protection of the endangered Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) since their return to the shores of Sauble Beach on Lake Huron in 2007, and his outstanding contributions to the Piping Plover Recovery Program. His early morning leadership and guidance has been instrumental in the successes realized since 2007)

2016 – Mike Pickup
In recognition of your ongoing dedication to the celebration, promotion and appreciation of the birds of Bruce County through your four area birding books, your involvement in the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, the Friends of MacGregor Point Park, the Bruce Birding Club and the Saugeen and Owen Sound Field Naturalists. These efforts have made a significant contribution toward the welfare of the natural world.

2017 – Bill Moses
In recognition of your ongoing support of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, the Bruce Trail Club, the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority Inglis Falls Arboretum and the Nature Conservancy of Canada through your long-time volunteering, stewarding and writing; your related promotion of the planting and preservation of native plants, and your dedication to guiding the completion and publication of
The Vascular Plants of the Bruce Peninsula.”

2018 – Caframo

2019 – Lloyd Lewis
In recognition of your vision, courage, and team-building in the creation of NeighbourWoods North in your newly adopted home of Owen Sound. The way you perceived the need, and the opportunity, for an Urban Forest nurturing programme, and then sought out the support of the OSFN and the community for this important work, demonstrates your ability to dream. Inspired by the success of Toni Ellis with NeighbourWoods in Elora, you then followed through to bring that dream to fruition in Owen Sound, inviting others in the community to share not only the dream, but its ownership and rewards. Above all, the trees in the ground and the exciting plans for future projects ensure a beautiful legacy of which you, and all who have supported NeighbourWoods North, can be justly proud.

2021 – Bob and Marie Knapp
In recognition of your innumerable selfless contributions to community and to conservation in Grey and Bruce Counties over the past five decades, including: the successful campaign to save,  for public use, what became Hibou Park, telling that story in a book and initiating the Friends of Hibou; your long-time active support of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, offering talks, field trips, hospitality, and your support of such organizations as Ontario Nature, the Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy Canada; your socially conscious activities on behalf of the Family Y, MS Society, Mental Health initiatives, and your writing; building trails for hiking and skiing, teaching kayaking to future explorers, and building bridges – literally and figuratively. You both offer a magnificent example of conservation and caring, while always continuing to learn.

2022 – Beth Anne Currie
In grateful recognition of your life time love of nature and conservation of flora and fauna around you; from your early involvement in Junior Farmers and 4-H, your care of community flower boxes; for generating momentum for the green roof and Living Wall movements; for your contributions to the field work for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas,
Grassland Birds Monitoring and Christmas Bird Counts; for outstanding volunteerism as a presenter, field trip leader and Director of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, a Land Steward for the Bruce Trail Conservancy, Rankin Resource Group Director, Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy Director; Past Chair of the Sustainability Project and Chair of the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory. For your boundless energy, inspiration and contagious enthusiasm as a champion for Nature

Audrey Armstrong and Willie Waterton
In recognition of Willy’s outstanding career and retirement as a photojournalist, creating photographs with the aim to commitment and responsibility to protect our natural world; and in recognition of Audrey’s teaching career including work with the Monarch Teaching Network, connecting numerous children to the wonders of the natural world; for your hiking and paddling through our region’s natural spaces using your experiences to promote conservation efforts for these areas; for contributing numerous hours to the OSFN on programming, stewardship arrangements, Board membership and numerous
Board activities; and for taking on the monumental task of updating the Club’s publication, The Orchids of Bruce and Grey. You are both a magnificent example of conservation and caring and the enjoyment of always continuing to learn.

2023 – Lynne Richardson

Lynne’s valued work with the Grey Bruce Bird Records Committee; her dedication to the Piping Plover programme at Sauble Beach, and with Stewardship Grey Bruce; the tremendous workload associated with with the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas; a longtime supporting member of the Ontario Federation of Ornithologists (OFO); leading birding events for OSFN mainly at the Loree Forest, and at Sauble Beach, in addition to her 18 years as the Club Secretary creating first class documents for the club, as well as her work with archiving for OSFN.

Also, in her many years of work with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, no doubt she was also doing her best to protect Nature in whatever ways she could.

2024 – Judy Duncan
OSFN would like to award Judy Duncan the Conservation Award acknowledging her countless hours doing citizen science to further the research and compilation of information. This dedication supports the benefits of this work to educate the interested public.

She’s out walking the fields,roadsides and fence rows collecting data for the Grassland Bird Survey. She’s a contributor to Wildlife Preservation Canada being a leader in her area. She participates and contributes data compiled for the Breeding Bird Atlas. Also by raising substantial amount of money, that is donated back to the OSFN,Judy participaties in The Great Canadian Birdathon and Birds Canada. She has lead groups for both the Huron Fringe Birding Festival and the Bruce Birding Club.
Judy may not be the most vocal of our members but is always willing to share her knowledge,willingly participates in our outings and is an ever present member of our Club. OSFN is pleased to recognize this more than worthy member for the OSFN CONSERVATION AWARD.