The Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) awarded its annual Conservation Leadership Awards as part of their annual gathering in Creston on September 26.

Nancy Newhouse and Jennifer Yeow were both recipients of the award, showcasing outstanding leadership qualities in the field of conservation in this region.

Nancy Newhouse has been actively involved in conservation in the East Kootenay for over 20 years. She began working for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in 2009 in the role of Canadian Rocky Mountains Program Manager based out of Invermere. Prior to this she was the Program Manager for the East Kootenay Conservation Program, which was initiated in 2002 with a goal of conserving the working landscape in the East Kootenay through coordinated stewardship and securement activities. Over time it has evolved into what we know today as the Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP). Nancy has also been involved in numerous wildlife conservation projects including badger research, road kill mitigation, riparian research, and wildlife viewing programs. Her passion is to find ways to maintain the beauty and quality of life in the Kootenays.

Jennifer Yeow has dedicated herself relentlessly for over the past 20 years towards protecting watercourses and furthering environmental knowledge, education and understanding of water. She has worked on spearheading bank stabilization and re-vegetation projects, played a leading role in water monitoring throughout the Kootenays, been active in public outreach and education in schools and is the founding and leading member of the Slocan River Streamkeepers Society. More recently, Yeow has expanded her collaborative efforts with other local groups to form and develop the Slocan Wetlands Assessment and Monitoring Project (SWAMP) and raise awareness of the biological importance of wetlands in the Slocan Valley. Her ongoing effort with local land owners has helped to nurture an ethic towards stewardship and ecological sustainability.

To read more about the Conservation Leadership Awards or past recipients go to www.kootenayconservation.ca.

Lead image: Nancy Newhouse accepts the 2014 Conservation Leadership Award from KCP Chair Derek Petersen.

Kootenay Conservation Program

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