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Ecosystem restoration volunteers honoured
Two long-time members of the East Kootenay Wildlife Association (EKWA) were honoured recently for their contribution to ecosystem restoration.
Glynn Killins of Kimberley and Andy Pezderic of Golden represented the wildlife association on the Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program (ER Program) and Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society (Trench Society) from 1996 to 2013.
Both men retired this year from their volunteer positions after representing EKWA on the ER Program steering committee and Trench Society board of directors for a combined total of 26 years. Current EKWA rep on the two organizations is Mark Hall of Jaffray.
“Glynn and Andy did an outstanding job of speaking up for ecosystem restoration and its benefits, particularly for wildlife habitat,” Trench Society coordinator Dan Murphy told an EKWA meeting in Cranbrook November 16.
“Their dedication and commitment over so many years is an example to all of us who value the natural environment. It is an honour to recognize them today.”
On behalf of ER Program partners and Trench Society member organizations, Murphy presented Killins and Pezderic with gifts in appreciation of their work.
Killins was the first chair of the Trench Society, which was formed in 1996 by a coalition of hunting, ranching, wildlife and environmental organizations to support restoration of grassland and open forest ecosystems in the East Kootenay and Upper Columbia Valley.
Pezderic, a former EKWA president, was a strong advocate for ecosystem restoration at the provincial level during his many years as chair of the BC Wildlife Federation’s Forestry and Land Use committees.
The Trench Society was one of the founding members of the Trench ER Program when it was established by the B.C. Government in 1998. The program has since grown into a partnership of 30 agencies restoring grasslands and open forests on Crown land, provincial and national parks, private conservation properties and First Nations reserves.
Restoration enhances winter range for elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and bighorn sheep, and improves habitat for many of the region’s endangered wildlife species, among other benefits.
For more information, visit www.trench-er.com.
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