Roland Michener Conservation Award

NORTH VANCOUVER ISLAND

Alexandra Morton is a field biologist and activist who has done groundbreaking research on the damaging impact of ocean-based salmon farming on the coast of B.C. She is at the heart of the long fight to protect the wild salmon that are the province’s keystone species.

Morton became concerned about the impact of fish farms in her local ecosystem and began inviting her graduate students to her home to gather information and raise awareness. That evolved into the field station. Officially established in 2006 to provide a base for long-term, community-focused, independent research, the team has grown to include academics and conservationists from around the world.

We all see things that must change, and when you begin to work to making that change, your entire internal chemistry responds. The step from victim to activist in whatever form is as good for you as it is for this world.

I thank Chief Robert Chamberlin, chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, for being one of the first to respond to what I was reporting. Over the past 20 years, he has never stopped working to protect wild salmon from salmon farms.

This award was established in 1978 by the Canadian Wildlife Federation as a tribute to former governor general Roland Michener (1900-1991). An outstanding outdoorsperson and role model for a generation, he served as an honorary president of the CWF. The award is given each year to an individual or organization demonstrating a commitment to conservation through responsible activities that promote, enhance and further the conservation of Canada’s natural resources.