The Countryside Canada Stewardship Recognition Program is a national awards program that recognizes and promotes land stewardship and wildlife habitat conservation in the agriculture community.

The award has raised the profile of agricultural stewardship across the country and has increased public awareness of the need to maintain wildlife habitat and biodiversity.

Recipients of a Countryside Canada stewardship award receive a framed limited edition print of The Awakening, a painting by artist Antony John. Wildlife Habitat Canada, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada founded the Countryside Canada Awards in 2000.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada is the Patron of Wildlife Habitat Canada's National Stewardship Awards.

The 2007 recipients of the Countryside Canada Awards are:

• Roy Greer, Blanshard, Manitoba
• Herb Goulden, Brandon, Manitoba
• Harry Burton, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
• Margaret Glasford, Red Deer, Alberta
• Pincher Creek Watershed Group, Pincher Creek, Alberta
• Joe Gardner, Douglas Lake, British Columbia
• Jeff McCammon, Lac la Nonne Watershed Stewardship Society, Gunn, Alberta
• Elgar Grinde, Holden, Alberta
• David O'Reilly, Oliver, British Columbia
• Christoph and Erika Weder, Rycroft, Alberta
• Bill Fox, Elk Point, Alberta

Roy Greer, Blanshard, Manitoba
Manitoba farmer and conservationist Roy Greer has been the driving force behind an ecological goods and services research project, which is currently underway in the rural municipality of Blanshard, northwest of Brandon. The Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) project pays farmers and landowners to maintain and enhance wetlands, riparian areas, ecologically sensitive lands and natural areas. The purpose is to create and maintain wildlife habitat on a working agricultural landscape.

Greer has used his farm to demonstrate how the incentives offered by the ALUS project can create change on the landscape by altering farmers’ management practices. He has traveled extensively throughout Manitoba and Canada to explain the benefits of ALUS.

Herb Goulden, Brandon, Manitoba
Herb Goulden has had a long and distinguished career as a professional and a volunteer in wildlife management, resource management and conservation. His approach to the stewardship of agricultural lands has always been with the mutual benefit of farmers and wildlife in mind. Colleagues credit this philosophy for many of his conservation successes. For example, Mr. Goulden helped to establish the Manitoba Conservation Agreements Act, which has secured thousands of hectares of wetlands and habitat while compensating landowners at the same time.

Herb Goulden is a board member and vice-chair of the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council and vice-chair of the Farm Stewardship Association of Manitoba. He is also a founding member of the Riding Mountain Biosphere Management Committee. He has been a member of many provincial advisory committees and boards dealing with agriculture, natural resources and sustainable development.

Harry Burton, Salt Spring Island, BC
Harry Burton is an orchardist with a passion for organic farming and for growing heritage apples. For the past eight years, Mr. Burton has focused on conserving and propagating a wide variety of heritage apples. He has hundreds of specimens of apple trees growing on his land. In addition to sharing his considerable knowledge about apple propagation with the public, Harry Burton organizes an annual apple festival on Salt Spring Island that attracts people from across Canada and the United States. Mr. Burton has always worked diligently to raise awareness about the need to preserve heritage apple varieties and to promote organic farming.

Margaret Glasford, Red Deer, Alberta
Margaret Glasford has been a volunteer steward for many years with the Gull Lake Water Quality Management Society and more recently with the Alberta Stewardship Network. She has worked tirelessly to help many newly formed stewardship groups to overcome organizational hurdles and funding challenges. Thanks to her skills and support, these local conservation groups are able to become operational faster and more efficiently. The direct results of Margaret Glasford’s involvement are improved wildlife habitat, healthier riparian areas, improved fish habitat, better water quality and sustainable land management practices. She has been a unifying force in the stewardship movement throughout Alberta.

Pincher Creek Watershed Group, Pincher Creek, Alberta
The Pincher Creek Watershed Group is truly “grassroots” since it began when a small number of neighbouring landowners gathered to remove blueweed from the banks of the creek. For several years the group met every summer to pick and destroy this invasive weed. These environmental efforts resulted in a renewed appreciation of Pincher Creek and the biodiversity that it supports.

The Pincher Creek Watershed Group has since been involved in a series of stewardship projects such as off-stream watering sites, fencing to control livestock and construction of an urban wetland in the Town of Pincher Creek.

Recently, a book about the creek has been produced - Pincher Creek - The Water, The Land, The People. It provides information about the area's geography and local flora and fauna, as well as the historical background of First Nations, settlers, ranchers and farmers.

Joe Gardner, Douglas Lake Ranch, BC
The massive Douglas Lake Ranch in the BC interior covers about 500,000 acres (including leased land). During the 128 years that the ranch has existed, the Douglas Lake Ranch has managed its extensive land holdings and water resources sustainably to create some of the highest quality grasslands in Canada. A careful program of herd management and rigorous protection of the rangeland has resulted in healthy and diverse grasslands, wetlands and forests. Douglas Lake Ranch provides many examples of how sound stewardship on private land can work in the best interests of the landowner, adjacent public lands and wildlife.

Jeff McCammon, Gunn, Alberta
Jeff McCammon is the driving force behind many of the stewardship initiatives undertaken in the Lac la Nonne area of Alberta, northwest of Edmonton. Lac la Nonne is part of the Athabasca River watershed.

McCammon is president of the Lac la Nonne Watershed Stewardship Society (LWSS), one of the first volunteer groups in the province to successfully produce a local state of the watershed report (November 2006). This report will help guide future programs and activities to protect and improve the health of the watershed.

Other LWSS projects include demonstration sites, educational sessions and site assessments. Many of these projects and programs involve multiple stewardship partners. Cottagers, lake residents and farmers worked together to develop the first riparian management demonstration sites in the area. These projects all contribute directly and indirectly to biodiversity conservation and to the promotion of stewardship.

Elgar Grinde, Holden, Alberta
Elgar Grinde is a strong supporter of sustainable agriculture. His 350 cattle are intensively managed under a rotational grazing system throughout the summer. Stockpiled forage is used in the fall and swath grazing and bale grazing are used in the winter and spring. He has reduced his herd's winter feed costs to less than $0.40 per head daily. All 1,800 acres of Grinde's land are intensively managed. The rotational grazing system depends on the growth stage of native grasses and the time of year. The majority of the land is grazed only once during the growing season.

Elgar Grinde's farm is also home to three Ducks Unlimited Canada projects. Grazing is deferred in riparian areas to improve the success of the duckling hatch. Forty acres have been set aside as a permanent aspen reserve.

David O'Reilly, Oliver, BC
David O'Reilly was an active steward of the land, carefully tending his organic farm, even before becoming involved with the local conservation community. As a result of his desire to preserve a balance between farmland and riparian habitat on his property, David O'Reilly registered a conservation covenant on his land in 2004. This was the first conservation covenant registered in the Agriculture Land Reserve of the South Okanagan-Similkameen. It protects 600 metres of riparian habitat along Park Hill Creek, a tributary of the Okanagan River.

O'Reilly has continued to assist the local conservation community by hosting stewardship events and participating in wildlife enhancement projects. His conservation efforts have provided an excellent, motivating example of private land stewardship.

Christoph and Erika Weder, Rycroft, Alberta
Christoph and Erika Weder operate Spirit View Ranch in the Peace Region of Alberta. The natural beauty of their ranch and its abundant biodiversity are impressive. In order for this landscape to thrive, the Weders know they must focus on land stewardship - caring for the water and riparian areas, for soil, vegetation and wildlife.

When it comes to sustainable agriculture, the Weders “walk the talk.” They closely monitor cattle numbers and grazing times with their rotational grazing system.All of their upland habitat and bush land is fenced. They have also fenced riparian areas to control cattle access and they have installed solar-powered watering systems. As well, the Weders are protecting wetlands through a partnership with Ducks Unlimited. More than 50 dams have been built on their property to hold back spring run off and to create habitat for nesting waterfowl.

Bill Fox, Elk Point, Alberta
Bill Fox has farmed for more than 40 years. During this time he has adhered to a belief that domestic livestock and wildlife can share the land. His farming practices have always been guided by what's best for the land, water and wildlife.

Bill Fox's environmental concerns do not stop at his farm gate. He passes on what he learns about land stewardship, sustainable agriculture and conservation to his neighbours and other farmers. Bill Fox is also involved with the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance where he has served on the board of directors and on various committees and working groups. Mr. Fox's commitment to sustainable agriculture and watershed protection and his determination to share this knowledge is helping to maintain healthy ecosystems throughout Alberta.

Additional information about WHC's National Stewardship Awards can be found at www.whc.org/EN/stewardship/stewardship_awards.htm or by contacting:

Mr. Lynn McIntyre,
Director of Stewardship Programs
Wildlife Habitat Canada
800-669-7919 ext. 234