Essex Region Conservation Honours Award Winners

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Seven organizations and individuals were honoured with Essex Region Conservation Awards for their contributions to creating a sustainable future of the Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island region.

Winners included:

• Quinlan Farms – Conservation Farm Award for their commitment to sustainable farming through Best Management Practices that protect soil health.
• Harrow Early Immigrant Research Society (HEIRS) – John R. Park Homestead Award for 50 years of preserving and encouraging research into local history, artifacts and buildings in the Harrow area and the greater Windsor/Essex region.
• Mike St. Pierre – Education Award for 30 years of inspiring student and school-wide stewardship, environmental consciousness, outdoor education and experiential learning across the Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board.
• Pelee Island Butterfly Sanctuary and Teaching Garden – Education Award for engaging hundreds of learners of all ages about the importance of pollinator and habitat conservation and protecting endangered butterfly species.
• Friends of Ojibway Prairie (FOOP) – Volunteer Award for more than 30 years of undertaking protection, restoration, and education for the Ojibway Prairie Complex, and advocating for its inclusion as a National Urban Park.
• ENWIN Utilities Inc – Environmental Achievement for numerous sustainability priorities, including the conversion of one of its fleet vehicles to an electric vehicle, the introduction of the Green Button program to support energy savings, and incentivizing customers to switch to e-billing to reduce the operational carbon footprint while supporting tree planting.
• Collavino Family – Environmental Achievement for the donation of 150 acres of wetland habitat to create the Collavino Conservation Area.
• Ashley Gyori – Dennis Chase Staff Award for her dedication to protecting the community from natural hazards in a manner that is conscientious, hard-working, thoughtful and extraordinarily kind to permit applicants, her colleagues and the broader community.

In accepting their award, the Collavino family also announced a donation of $100,000 to the Essex Region Conservation Foundation to support the ongoing management of this important wetland and assist with the creation of laneways, parking and trails to allow the public to enjoy in the future.