Pine River Watershed Initiative Network presents Awards of Merit

The Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN) presented its annual Awards of Merit, Friday night, at the Ripley-Huron Fall Fair.

Penny Faragher Robertson, office administrator, made the presentations to:

4-H Conservation Club Member Maggie Robinson

Maggie's parents, Tracey and Paul, have been ensuring that she attends 4-H conservation events for years! She is still committed and keen even though she keeps busy at summer jobs. Maggie has been at every tree-planting event since the 4-H Conservation Club began in 2007. As she gets older, Maggie is great to take the younger 4-H members and show them the ropes. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she never complains that she is tired or bored.


4-H Conservation Club Member Mack Coenen

Mack Coenen is the son of Peter Coenen and Amy Hiscock. He also has been enrolled in Conservation Club since he was old enough, and was attending tree-planting events even before he was able to join 4-H. He's the type of person who picks up the bag of trees without fanfare, and walks back across the fields to get a younger member's forgotten shovel. He's observant and willing to help out in a lot of little ways to make the jobs of the 4-H leaders easier!

Businessman Peter Schlegel

Schlegel allowed PRWIN and the 4-H Conservation Club of Ripley to plant close to 5,000 pine, cedar and spruce trees on his property May 9, 2015. His property is adjacent to the permanent gauge used for the rural stormwater management plan. This plan's mission is to keep topsoil on landowners' fields by implementing Best Management Practices. Tree-planting is one of those initiatives.

Landowners Donna and Perry Elliot

Donna and Perry Elliot agreed to one of the single largest landowner projects PRWIN has ever accomplished. By agreeing to have more than seven kilometres of exclusion fencing erected on the South Pine River, more than 7,000 hardwood and
softwood trees planted on their river flats, and an alternative water source installed, the Elliots are stewards to the PRWIN vision of "Clean water and a healthy ecosystem for the Pine River Watershed." The Elliots contributed many volunteer hours to help PRWIN co-ordinate the numerous contractors, and volunteers needed to completed these three large-scale projects.