The Sierra Club BC 2009 annual dinner was the occasion for great cheering and merriment as we feted the folks who hold up three corners of the house - our amazing, creative and committed volunteers!

Award winners Brian and Diana Pinch and Judy Leicester (right)

The Rosemary Fox Conservation Achievement Award went to Judy Leicester of Sierra Quadra. The recipient of the award is chosen by public nomination and given to a person who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in conserving BC's environment. Fellow Local Group member, Ray Grigg, kindly gave us some help in compiling a list of just some of Judy’s conservation achievements:

• Judy was a founding member of the Village Lakes Park Committee, a group that achieved the protection of about 4000 hectares of Class A provincial parks on Quadra Island and Read Island (Main Lakes Chain, Small Inlet & Waiatt Bay, Surge Narrows and Read Island).
• In the 1980s, she was also a member of the Quadra Island Forest Resources Committee, a group made up of loggers, environmentalists and the Ministry of Forests hoping to reach consensus on an ecologically responsible way to use Quadra's forests. This organisation was superseded by ForestWatch, of which Judy was also a member. ForestWatch supervised all the logging that took place on Quadra for a number of years. Judy’s efforts did much to ameliorate the effects of industrial logging, identify and protect recreational features, and give guidance to woodlot operators.
  
• Judy is a long-time member of the Quadra Island Trails Committee, working tirelessly on identifying, planning, building and maintaining about 250 km of trails for recreational use.
  
• Of course, Judy was a founding member of Sierra Quadra and is currently the Conservation Chair. Her efforts have been heroic, diligent, persistent, creative and crucial to the existence and success of the Sierra Club's presence on Quadra. Judy has been instrumental in organizing many local events, including the annual Quadra Island Beach Clean-up.
  

As Ray puts it, “Judy is more involved, more informed, more politically savvy, more historically aware, and more known and recognized as an environmental authority than anyone I know on Quadra. In summary, she has been an extraordinary presence here, a fundamentally crucial member of Quadra's environmental community.”

Sierra Club BC is proud to honour her with The Rosemary Fox Conservation Achievement award.

At our annual dinner we also presented two awards for volunteers who, through the investment of their time and talents, have demonstrated clear support for the Sierra Club of BC's mission and vision. These awards are intended to recognize those who work behind the scenes and lay the groundwork for the organization’s success --to sing the praises of the unsung heroes among us.

The Jack Hemphill Award for Volunteerism is awarded by public nomination. In 2009 we were happy to recognise the long years of service by Brian Pinch. Brian has volunteered with the Sierra Club of BC for over 35 years, since its very early years.

While still at university, Brian got involved in a campaign to save the Nitinat Triangle on Vancouver Island, which successfully mobilized Sierra Club BC supporters to preserve this unique piece of wilderness. Brian has since served on both the Sierra Club BC’s Executive Committee, and the Sierra Club BC Foundation’s Board, of which he is currently Chair. He has also recently joined the Sierra Club of Canada’s Board.

One of Brian's greatest joys is introducing others to the profound beauty of our planet. He continues to lead Sierra Club outings as a volunteer.

Up until his retirement two years ago, Brian was widely recognised as a Canadian leader in green and ethical investing. Brian has dedicated his professional and personal life to celebrating and protecting BC’s wonderful and unique wild places and animals, with little recognition for the long hours of volunteer work he continues to put in every day. He is truly an unsung hero, and a worthy recipient of the Jack Hemphill Award for Volunteerism.

The Geraldine Irby Award for Volunteerism is picked by Sierra Club BC staff and Board. This year’s award winner was Diane Pinch, wife of Brian – a quiet and modest volunteer who has spent many years helping in the Sierra Club BC office. Diane has happily worked on a variety of tasks from Volunteer Coordinator to writing attractive profiles of BC's most beloved wild creatures. We are delighted to salute Diane for her years of hard work.

If you know someone whom you would like to nominate for one of the above awards please contact Moira to receive nomination forms for 2010 when they become available.