NANPS Founders Conservation Award Recipients

2019 The City of Richmond Hill
2018 The Riverwood Conservancy Located in Mississauga Ontario
2014 Mesa Community College – Red Mountain Campus Located in Mesa Arizona, the Red Mountain Campus was constructed with minimal disturbance to surrounding desert habitats.  From the outset, the ecological imprint of the buildings was kept small. After construction, disturbed areas were planted with native species and signage was installed to educate visitors on the importance of these plants. A cienega (or desert spring or marshy area) was also planted in the center of campus. Even the buildings are named after native desert plants! View the following thank you from Red Mountain Campus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pyh-X8h33A&feature=youtu.be
2013 Carole Sevilla Browne As a managing editor and creator of web sites, workshops, and team blogs that promote Ecosystem Gardening, Carole has made significant and valuable contributions to the education and understanding of the importance for stewarding and wildscaping of residential properties.
Bill and Louise Ford Bill and Louise Ford for their restoration of open wetland in which endangered flora and fauna now flourish, and in recognition of the tremendous  work and planning that went into protecting the natural heritage of the area.
2012 Sharon Keogh and David Acomba Sharon Keogh and David Acomba for their instrumental role in the restoration and stewardship of the historical Ontario landscape of Mount Ararat overlooking Rice Lake, providing an important link to Catharine Parr Traill’s literary legacy and invaluable record of native flora in the 1800s.   www.traill.ca
Bronx River Alliance Bronx River Alliance for its ongoing commitment and activities to restore native plant habitat along the Bronx River and its 23 mile Greenway corridor.  The Bronx River, once plagued by pollution and neglect, now provides New York city residents continuous access and new opportunities to rediscover their river. www.bronxriver.org (YouTube video)
2011 The Meduxnekeag River Association The Meduxnekeag River Association, Woodstock, New Brunswick was honoured for the preservation of 53 hectares (over 132 acres) of watershed lands, their educational and advocacy work, and their current project restoring the Red Bridge gravel pit. www.meduxnekeag.org
Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy for their work to maintain and manage a system of nature reserves on the Niagara Escarpment including the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. They have been highly successful in this endeavour preserving almost 3,300 hectares (8,151 acres) in 102 reserves to date. www.escarpment.ca/
High Park Stewardship Program and High Park Nature High Park Stewardship Program and High Park Nature for supporting Toronto’s efforts to maintain the health and sustainability of the city’s west-end 54 hectare (135 acre) park, control invasive plants and restore the black oak (Quercus velutina) savannah.  www.highparknature.org/
2010 The Council of Canadians The Council of Canadians for its instrumental role in raising public awareness about water conservation through the Blue Planet Project. www.canadians.org/
The Town of Markham  The Town of Markham for its commitment to preserve, restore and expand native habitats through its Trees for Tomorrow program and through policies promoting woodlot preservation, public planting s and wildflower gardening. www.markham.ca/
LEAF LEAF, Local Enhancement and Apprecation of Forests, for its important work promoting the planting and protection of native trees and shrubs in backyard habitats, thereby supporting biodiversity for all living things within the urban ecosystem. www.yourleaf.org
2009 Friends of Ojibway Prairie for the Ojibway Prairie Nancy Pancheshan, president of Friends of Ojibway Prairie for the  Ojibway Prairie Complex in Windsor acepted the award on behalf of the Friends www.ojibway.ca/foop.htm
Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team Andrew MacDougall from the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team accepted this award for the group’s work to  save this important endangered west coast habitat. www.goert.ca/
Walpole Island Heritage Centre Walpole Island Heritage Centre
2008 Ontario Vernal Pools Society Scott Samson accepted on behalf of the Ontario Vernal Pools Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving ephemeral wetland ecosystems.
RiverSides Emily J. Alfred for  RiverSides, another environmental non-governmental organization, which is doing work protecting our waterways. 
2007
2006 Paul O’Hara Richard Woolger Naturalized Habitat Network Paul O’Hara- botanist, landscape designer and owner of Blue Oak Native Landscapes, for his advocacy of native flora and for inspiring our spiritual connection to nature by urging that we ‘listen to the land’. Richard Woolger- for his dedication and innovation in propagating native ferns and other woodland species. Naturalized Habitat Network- a nonprofit community-based organization dedicated to establishing and nurturing wildlife habitat in Essex County and Windsor, for encouraging the use of native plants and other environmentally sustainable practices within home landscapes.
2005
2004 The Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Association: A2A www.a2alink.org A2A is an international landscape initiative, extending from and including Algonquin Park in the north to Adirondack State Park in New York State, the two largest parks in eastern North America. In the A2A area the greatest biodiversity of plant species in Canada can be found, which in turn support wide a diversity of animal species. A2A is a bold vision. . . A vision of ecological linkages in the natural landscapes, which come about, not by creating parkland and reserves, but through local land owner initiatives and community partnerships. Our motto is “Connect with Respect” – which derives from our vision of working with private landowners, who own about 60% of the land in the A2A region. We partner with a wide range of groups, which we enable to do conservation work to enhance and protect wildlife habitat.
2003 Save the Oak Ridges Moraine Coalition: STORM www.stormcoalition.org Other winners for 2003: Mathis Natvik Carolyn King Debbe Crandall accepted the award on behalf of STORM. Save the Oak Ridges Moraine Coalition (STORM) is a coalition of 25 citizens’ groups and individuals whose focus of concern is preserving the ecological integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine. founded in October 1989. One of Ontario’s largest moraines, the Oak Ridges Moraine extends 160 kilometres from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the Trent River system in the east, and is on average 13 kilometres wide. The Moraine stands out as one of the most distinct landscapes of southern Ontario. Recognizing the problems presented by multi-jurisdictional governance (26 area municipalities and nine regional and county upper-tier municipalities) along its 160-kilometre length, STORM’s major goals were to seek legislated protection for the Moraine and ecosystem-based land-use planning that acknowledged the fragility of watersheds and headwaters regions. In the process of working cooperatively, STORM and its member groups have established a relationship of mutual support and the sharing of information and resources that has been applied at both the local and regional levels. STORM participates in environmental, land use planning and policy issues and acts to safeguard the Moraine from inappropriate development which would have profound cumulative and irreversible impacts. STORM Coalition is committed to continuing its advocacy work to ensure that the entire 160-kilometre Moraine is protected in perpetuity through strict implementation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan policies.
2002 The Cascades Conservation Partnership www.cascadespartners.org The Cascades Conservation Partnership, a coalition of the Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, NW Ecosystem Alliance, The Seattle Audubon Society, Pacific Crest Biodiversity Project, The Alpine Lakes Protection Society, and the Washington Trails Association, was formed the to purchase 75,000 acres of checkerboard timberlands. This land, presently owned by private logging companies, contains almost all of the old-growth forest still in private hands in this area of the Northwest. Some of these trees are over 800 years old, a truly irreplaceable resource. Land purchased by the Partnership is donated to the United States National Forest under various designations that will restrict logging and development. Populations of rare species being protected under this plan include: Clustered lady’s-slipper, Mountain lady’s–slipper, Silene seelyi, Fuzzytongue penstemon, Thompson’s chaenactis, Victorin’s Grape Fern, Western ladies tresses, and little grape fern. The Partnership has also teamed with the Washington Native Plant Society to lead hikes into the lands for the purposes of public education and of expanding botanical lists of the properties. Since May 2000, the Partnership has purchased approximately 18,500 acres in the Central Cascades by raising over $44 million.
2001 Peter Carson Mary Gartshore Peter and Mary are well known in the Ontario conservation movement. In addition to their many many accomplishments and involvement in countless organizations and initiatives, they operate one of Ontario’s finest native plant nurseries, Pterophylla, and are restoring a 24 hectare prairie near Walsingham, Ontario.
2000 Nelson Maher Nelson Maher has inspired many people with his extensive knowledge of the ferns of Ontario, and has shared his wisdom through publications and as a regular nature walk leader. He has been the catalyst for Grey-Bruce County in Ontario becoming known as a centre of fern biodiversity and hence a destination for ecotourism.
1997 Larry Laws Andy and Sally Wasowski Chris Czajowski Prairie Restoration Authors Writer
1996 Norris Denman For his decade of outstanding writing in Wildflower magazine. His unique blend of solid science and folksy style have made Norris one of Wildflower’s most popular writers.
Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society In Victoria B.C. for their successful efforts to educate the public and preserve Garry Oak habitat on Vancouver Island
City of Windsor, N.S. For their exemplar work in the regreening of public and private property, and school grounds, with native plants, using an ecosystem community involvement approach.
1995 Rosemary Gaymer Sue Meades City of Toronto Parks Department Education Education Restoration
1994 Jim Rainer Doug Larson Rouge Valley Association Education Education Conservation
1993 Lorrie Otto Phillip Fry Conservation Landscape
1992 Manitoba Naturalist Society Alex Wilson Bill Granger Conservation Writer Conservation
1991 Bernard Jackson Perry Peskin John Ambrose Education Writer Research
1989 Jack Sanders Donald and Joan Gunn Writer Education
1988 Allan Anderson Robert Dorney Irene Smith Living Prairie Museum Propogation Restoration/writer Education Education
1987    Joan Ward-Harris Dora Howarth Katherine Dunster Dr. Lillian Langstaff Park Tom MacMillan Author/artist gardener landscaper/artist landscape/education parks advocate