The Stewardship Awards ceremony recognized six achievements for restoring, protecting and managing the environment at the Haig-Brown Festival on Sept. 22.
“There are so many amazing projects happening right now to restore, protect and steward our environment that it just didn’t feel right to not recognize the amazing work that is happening in our community,” says Sandra Parrish, the museum's executive director. “The awards ceremony gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on the individuals and the impact they have in the community.”
This year, the Stewardship Awards were awarded by a committee that was established after the City of Campbell River determined it could no longer manage the production of the awards. Local organizations and governments that steward these areas, including the Museum at Campbell River, Greenways Land Trust, We Wai Kai First Nation’s Guardian Program; and Wei Wai Kum First Nation’s Guardian Program, made up the Haig-Brown Festival Environmental Stewardship Awards committee.
Wei Wai Kum First Nation’s Guardian Manager Daniel Hurry and We Wai Kai First Nation’ Guardian Manager Shane Pollard were on stage to introduce Awards Emcee Janis La Couvee, a Greenways Land Trust Board member.
Here's what the awards committee wrote about the 2024 Stewardship Award recipients:
John Elson and Chris Round: Air Quality/Alternative Transportation - This past year, Elson and Round received $10,000 from the BC Cycling Coalition. This funding supported the hiring of a contractor to run the Bike Valet service at every Farmer’s Market, Canada Day, and other community events. The project also provided work for a person with housing insecurity to help with the bike valet. Elson and Round hope that this project will transition to a city-led bike valet service next year and beyond. More than just safe cycling, Elson and Round’s efforts are focused on reducing CO2 emissions and their impacts on climate change.
Iris Rayburn: Pesticide Free/Urban Agriculture - Rayburn led the garden located at the Wei Wai Kum First Nation Health Centre up until her retirement earlier this year. She organized plantings, kept the garden weeded and watered, harvested the garden's produce, and distributed the garden's bounty to community members. Rayburn has worked hard to maintain, grow, and upgrade the garden to be a centre for nutritious, hyper-local, fresh fruits and veggies for anyone passing by or visiting the health centre.
April Rykers: Habitat Protection/Creation - Rykers is a super-volunteer who brings her hard work ethic and bright personality to countless volunteer events and work parties for Greenways Land Trust's Conservation Team and Simms Creek Streamkeepers. Rykers puts in the time, working very many volunteer hours every year, counting fish at the Simms Creek fish fence, including record numbers of cutthroat trout this past Spring.
Sue Moen: Waste Reduction - Moen is a leader in Campbell River, advocating for the public to be wiser about our waste, and in our choices of how we deal with it. At community events throughout the year, Moen organizes composting stations for event participants to use and minimize the downstream impacts of community gatherings. Moen has also been a great advocate for Greenways' backyard fruit gleaning program, which with help from volunteers like Moen, helps to prevent backyard fruit from going to waste. As co-manager of the Campbell River Farmers' Market, Moen is a longtime advocate for local food security and for minimizing the negative environmental effects of our food systems.
Sheldon Moon: Youth Special Recognition - Moon spent this summer as a very hardworking summer student on Greenways Land Trust's Conservation Crew and backyard Fruit Tree Project, and joined Greenways and the Wei Wai Kum Guardians in tying eelgrass shoots as part of the Mill Pond restoration project in the Campbell River estuary. He volunteers his time at RainCoast Farm, which is focused on regenerative agriculture and soil health. Moon is a former Robron Centre student and is working to transition to North Island College to further his education.
Terri Martin: Environmental Excellence - Over the past 17 years, Martin has served as the city’s environmental champion and is a transformative leader in our community, consistently demonstrating an unwavering commitment to upholding the highest environmental standards. Throughout his career, Martin has been a steadfast advocate for wildlife, biodiversity, and conservation, often serving as a lone voice for these critical issues. His exceptional knowledge, dedication, and integrity have guided numerous initiatives, ensuring that environmental considerations are never overlooked, even in the face of competing interests. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping much of the City’s environmental policy, setting a standard for excellence that will influence our community for generations to come.
