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ARCHIVED - National Recreational Fisheries Awards – Recipients in 2003
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The 2003 Award recipients are:
- Ms. Jennifer Atchison, Burnaby, British Columbia
- Big Rideau Lake Association, Portland, Ontario
- Mr. Bill Chinnick, Sechelt, British Columbia (presented posthumously)
- Mr. William John Otway, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
- Mr. Elmer Rudolph, New Westminster, British Columbia
Ms. Jennifer Atchison, Burnaby, British Columbia
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, presents
a National Recreational Fisheries Award to Ms. Jennifer Atchison.
Jennifer Atchison, a volunteer from Burnaby, British Columbia, has demonstrated a deep commitment to rehabilitating the Stoney Creek Watershed, part of the Brunette River system. For the past seven years, she has shown how communities and governments can work together to manage resources and protect habitat. A first-rate organizer, Ms. Atchison has served as Chair of the Stoney Creek Ecological Committee, has helped to found the Stewardship Action Network in British Columbia, and has educated and informed governments and the Canadian public. The 50 hours per week Jennifer spends in the Stoney Creek Watershed has enabled her to base her decisions not only on the reports of others, but also on her own intimate knowledge of the land she is trying to restore.
Big Rideau Lake Association, Portland, Ontario
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, presents
a National Recreational Fisheries Award to Mr. Bill Snyed, Big Rideau Lake
Association.
The Big Rideau Lake Association is a volunteer organization that has conducted provincially and nationally significant bass and lake trout research on Rideau Lake, part of the historic Rideau Canal system. Based in Portland, Ontario (between Kingston and Ottawa), the association has participated in a number of projects that have improved the health of the Rideau Lake ecosystem. Its largemouth bass tracking study has proven the need for new strategies in the release of fish following pro bass tournaments. An example of an educational initiative is the association's very successful lead exchange program, encouraging anglers to substitute their lead sinkers for non-lead products.
Mr. Bill Chinnick, Sechelt, British Columbia (presented posthumously)
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, presents
a National Recreational Fisheries Award to Ms. Jolene Chinnick (presented
posthumously).
Bill Chinnick (posthumous award) was a leader, an organizer and a true friend of the environment. He started the first salmon hatchery on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, an effort that eventually gave birth to the Chapman Creek Hatchery, which releases 800 000 to 1 000 000 fish a year. During his career, he maintained fish stocks on four major creeks on the Sunshine Coast and was responsible for the release of more than 1.5 million fish. Mr. Chinnick worked for many years in the cause of habitat enhancement and environmental education, and was a president of the Sunshine Coast Salmonid Enhancement Society.
Mr. William John Otway, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, presents
a National Recreational Fisheries Award to Mr. William John Otway.
Bill Otway has spent most of his life working to improve the recreational fishery. During the past half-century, he was a long-standing member of many organizations interested in protecting British Columbia's fish and habitat. These include the Port Coquitlam & District Hunting and Fishing Club (48 years), the B.C. Wildlife Federation (46 years), the Pitt Waterfowl Management Association (27 years), the Outdoor Writers of Canada (19 years) and a score of others. Throughout his long career, Mr. Otway has made his intelligence and experience available to provincial and federal governments, municipalities and interest groups. He is known for his practical approach to problems and his even-handed assessment of the performance of all organizations devoted to stewardship.
Mr. Elmer Rudolph, New Westminster, British Columbia
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, presents
a National Recreational Fisheries Award to Mr. Elmer Rudolph.
Elmer Rudolph has been working to rehabilitate the Brunette River since 1984. He has served this cause through varied projects such as removing garbage from the river, lobbying local government, and investigating the pollutants being dumped into the river through stormwater/sewer pipe systems. Mr. Rudolph has also led community education efforts to draw community attention to the state of the river. The most persuasive testimony to the value of Mr. Rudolph's never-say-die efforts is the return of fish populations to the river. Today, coho, cutthroat and steelhead are coming back to the Brunette River to spawn, a testimony to Mr. Rudolph's persistence and success.
