K’JIPUKTUK (HALIFAX) - The Ecology Action Centre is delighted that Wilderness Coordinator, Raymond Plourde, has received national recognition for his work on protecting nature in Nova Scotia. Plourde has played in a pivotal role in the Province’s commitment to land protection for current and future generations.
“This award is a recognition of what we see every day—Ray’s passion for nature and wildlife and his drive to protect it,” says Marla MacLeod, Managing Director at EAC.
Working with organizations and governments as well as industry through the Colin Stewart Forest Forum, Plourde has helped ensure that Nova Scotia is a leader in land protection in Canada with almost 12.5 per cent of land protected. Plourde and many others are keen to see the Province reach the 13 per cent target.
Bruce Lourie, President of the Ivey Foundation, has known Plourde since his early days at EAC.
"The Ivey Foundation has supported the tremendous conservation work of Ray Plourde and the Ecology Action Centre for over 15 years. Few people in Canada can lay claim to the conservation achievements Ray has delivered for Nova Scotians and all Canadians. This award is much-deserved recognition,” says Lourie.
David Donnelly, one of Canada’s leading environmental lawyers, has worked alongside Plourde in the development of Halifax’s greenbelt and the protection of places like Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes.
“When I think of wilderness heroes, I think of Ray Plourde and so do the trees, moose and salmon,” says Donnelly. “Anyone wishing to see examples of Ray’s work don’t have to travel to Nova Scotia, they can open a map and marvel at all the protected areas written into Canada’s natural heritage legacy.”
The Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize awards $10,000 to individuals who have played a key role in bringing meaningful protections to identifiable land or aquatic ecosystems in Canada, or led a foundational initiative regarding species or spaces that leaves Canada measurably better off.
The prize honours the late Glen Davis, a Toronto-based conservation philanthropist, who died tragically in 2007. The award was established by WWF-Canada and CPAWS in 2017 on the 10th anniversary year of Davis’s death, and is awarded annually.
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