BASED ON A MAY 4th ISLANDS TRUST MEDIA RELEASE
The Islands Trust has received nominations for six individuals and one organization under the 17th Islands Trust Community Stewardship Awards Program.
Nominations honour activities that include land conservation, trail network development, forest restoration, community service, collaborative stewardship, public outreach and education, and advocacy work.
“The award program provides an opportunity to honour and celebrate individuals and organizations for their outstanding contribution to the stewardship of the islands and waters in the Trust Area,” said Islands Trust Council chair Peter Luckham. “This year, the impact of the work of the nominees and the quality of the projects in which they have been involved are impressive,” he added. “They are especially noteworthy as much of the featured work continued through the pandemic.”
“The scope and breadth of their commitment and effort are an inspiration to all of us,” he added.
Nominees are as follows:
Individual Nominations
• Keith Erickson, Galiano Island: Twenty Years of Ecosystem-Based Land Stewardship;
• Jeanine Georgeson, Galiano Island: Leadership in Collaborative Stewardship;
• Will Husby, Bowen Island: Thirty Years of Environmental Stewardship;
• Kees Ruurs, Salt Spring Island: Fourteen Years of Community Service;
• Chris Straw (Posthumous), Gabriola Island: Advocacy Against Freighter Anchorages in the Salish Sea;
• Ruth Waldick, Salt Spring Island: Building Lake Maxwell’s Watershed Resiliency and Forest Fire Resilience.
Organization Nominations
• Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery, Salt Spring Island: Creation of a Sustainable Cemetery that Protects Forested Lands
For approximately 20 years, the Islands Trust’s Community Stewardship Awards program has recognized remarkable and inspiring award nominees and recipients who demonstrate leadership in preservation and protection of the Islands Trust Area. In reinstating the program in 2022, Islands Trust Council has updated the program to better align with Trust Council’s Reconciliation Declaration and amended the program to be offered once per elected term.
The Islands Trust Council will select the recipients of the award during its quarterly meeting in June 2022. Visit www.islandstrust.bc.ca/csa to learn about this year’s nominees and past recipients.