2022 otis award winners

We are very please to announce the OuTstanding In Stewardship award winners of 2022.

Agriculture: Michael and Clara Hampson
Individual: Robert Gibbs
Organization/Business: Ecoplast Solutions Inc
Youth: Altario School with their student led growcer project

Nominate a Steward from your community

The OTIS Award is a way to recognize individuals, agricultural initiatives, businesses and organizations, and youth in the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds who are OuTstanding In Stewardship. Stewardship is taking action to care for our watershed, including the land, air, water, and biodiversity. It also supports healthy communities, including our culture and economy, now and into the future.

The OTIS Award is named after the star character in the book series “Otis and Friends: Environmental Adventures.” This series was written by Ponoka high-school students in our Caring for our Watersheds Contest. Otis and his friends help people take action to create a better watershed. OTIS is also an acronym for OuTstanding In Stewardship! Otis, his authors, and the OTIS Award Winners are examples for us all. Nominations are accepted annually between July 1 and March 31. OTIS Award details.

Use the form below to nominate someone you know for an OTIS Award!


 

 

2022 OTIS Award Winners

 

Agriculture: Michael and Clara Hampson

Michael and Clara Hampson custom graze cow/calf pairs. Working with the ALUS Wetaskiwin-Leduc program, they are allowing natural willow regrowth and adding goose nest towers. Other beneficial management practices they adopted include excluding livestock access to a woodlot and implementing an off-site watering source, a creek crossing, and riparian fencing. These changes have increased habitat, protected and enhanced biodiversity, and improved the Eyot Creek’s riparian area.

off-site watering system, otis award winning stewardship initiative

Individual: Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs has volunteered in watershed management with the Pigeon Lake Watershed Association (PLWA) for over 15 years. He is a PLWA Board Member, Chair of its Watershed Management Plan Steering Committee, and member of its science committee. You will find Bob collecting water samples, establishing a creek sampling program with watershed staff, producing GIS maps to assess the hydrological and ecological implications of development initiatives in the watershed, and more.

Acceptance Video

 

Picture of Robert Gibbs

Organization/Business: Ecoplast Solutions Inc

Ecoplast Solutions Inc. manufactures high efficiency building materials made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and uses the product to build high‐performance dwellings. This green building technology provides a sustainable solution that enables circular economics to reduce wasteful in the construction industry, while creating structures with high energy ratings for reduced heating, cooling, and operational costs. They just completed a house near Millet, using 1.25 million recycled plastic bottles that were converted into building panels.

Acceptance Video

Picture of Ecoplast Solutions building in Millet, Ab.

Youth: Altario School with their student led growcer project

Student Led Growcer Project involves a hydroponic food modular. Students plant, transplant, harvest, and sell leafy greens grown in a shipping container. Each week approximately 50 plants are sold through a student-run store and directly to Provost Lodge. This growing method contributes to food security in rural Alberta, reduces the ecological footprint of the growing cycle, uses state-of-the-art technology, and gives students hands-on experience in the agricultural industry.

Acceptance Video

Alterio growcery picture

past winners

2021

Individual: Lorne Ferguson – Volunteer stewardship

Business: Dan and Harriet Liddle – Nature with agriculture

Organization: Wainwright Wildlife Society – Valuing wild spaces

Youth: Round Hill Renaissance Agricultural Foundation – Growing Rural Education

2020

Individual: Glen Hvenegaard

Business: Camrose Energy

Organization: Millet & District Museum

Youth: Hughenden Public School

2019

Individual: Pres Winter – Blue Bird Trail

Business/Organization: City of Wetaskiwin – Municipal Sustainability

Youth: Junior Forest Wardens, The Grove Grizzlies – Creek Restoration

Farm: Brenda Bohmer, Brenlea Farms – Improving Practices for Wetlands

2018

Individual: Don and Marie Ruzicka – Leading by Example

Business/Organization: Nica’s Hair Salon – Reduce Salon Waste

Youth: Wainwright Girl Guides – Park Clean-up and Beautification

Farm: Tin Forest Farm – Caretakers of Farm Wetlands

2017

*Starting in 2017, we moved from 3 OTIS Award categories to 4.

Individual: Tom Tomaszewski – Conservation Volunteer

Business/Organization: Buffalo Lake Naturalist Club – Sharing their love of nature

Youth: Katelynn Cook – Environmental Educator

Farm: MSW Farms – Beneficial Agricultural Practices

2016

Individual: Susan Ellis – Pigeon Lake Leadership

Business/Organization: Chinook Applied Research Association- Agricultural Best Management

Youth: Lougheed Colony School- Tree Stewardship

2015

Individual: Roy and Judy Louis-Water Ceremony Leadership

Business/Organization: Blue Dot Camrose- City Declaration of Environmental Rights

Youth: Mina Shin and Brooklyn Green- Greening Golf Courses

 

2014

Individual: Midge Lambert- Watershed restoration

Business/Organization: County of Vermilion River,- Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)

Youth: EcoVision- Local Food production

2013

Individual: Mike Black-Battle Lake Stewards

Youth: Maven Boddy and the Golden Prairie 4H club- Riparian Restoration

Business/Organization: Lacombe County-Environmental Management

2012

Individual: Carol Wilson- Stewardship Advocate

Youth Category: Kaitlin Lomas, Katie and Vicki Wyering, Melissa Gartner-Otis and Friends  Book series authors

Business/Organization: Darcy and Candace Goodrich, Pure Stock County Farms- Eco-farmers

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