A local conservationist has earned provincial recognition for her work with the Couchiching Conservancy.
Tanya Clark, development co-ordinator with the Severn-based organization, won the Emerging Land Trust Leader award at the Ontario Land Trust Alliance’s annual conference earlier this week in Prince Edward County.
The award recognizes individuals 35 years of age or younger “who have made outstanding contributions to the land trust community at the local and/or provincial level in a professional capacity,” the organization’s website states.
“It’s nice to be recognized for your work and all your efforts,” said Clark, 34.
She began working for the conservancy eight years ago, a part-timer whose main focus was fundraising. She then became a full-time staff member and she now looks after fundraising, communications, outreach and more.
It’s been a rewarding experience.
“I’m a person who really appreciates time spent in nature, so to have the opportunity to protect it is really important,” she said.
One of the ways to protect the environment is to educate people about it, and that’s what Clark and volunteers have been doing for five years through the conservancy’s Passport to Nature program, which takes people on educational tours through nature reserves in the region. Her work on that initiative helped earn her the Emerging Land Trust Leader award.
It has been such a success at the local level, the program went national. The first year of Passport to Nature Canada just wrapped up, with it having been offered by nine other organizations, including those in British Columbia and New Brunswick.
“It’s a great way to engage people and raise awareness,” Clark said.
Young citizens are increasingly taking up the environmental cause, and an award honouring them for their efforts can only help, she said.
“More and more organizations are looking to get more young people involved, so recognizing the way they contribute is important.”
Find out more about the Couchiching Conservancy here.
