Wade Luzny Youth Conservation Award

→ St. Catharines, Ontario

I nominate the Green Herons for the Luzny youth award in recognition of their extraordinary dedication to environmental sustainability and conservation action. A youth education program, it provides conservation opportunities for young people across the Niagara region through projects that protect natural spaces and native species.

This passionate group of students aged 7-12, led by Lindsay Currie, has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to protecting wildlife habitat and fostering environmental stewardship. Their activities are exemplified in their video Time for Action, available on YouTube.

The group’s efforts in raising awareness, leading grassroots conservation campaigns and organizing clean-ups have significantly improved local ecosystems and inspired others to act. In partnership with local and national environmental organizations, they have helped create many butterflyway gardens, native gardens and hundreds of native tree plantings. They spread their impact by distributing 800 native seed packs. The Green Herons are shaping the future of conservation in meaningful ways.

DANE CURRIE, AGE 12

When schools closed in 2020, my brother and I started a club to help the environment and learn about the species that live in southern Ontario. The day we were trying to come up with a name, we found a green heron in a local wetland. I drew a logo on a piece of cardboard, and our club was born. We followed Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots program, which encourages youth to go outside, find problems the local wildlife face and do projects to fix them.

Nature has always been what I have been interested in since I can remember. Once you have some experiences up close with wildlife, the connection to the natural world just keeps getting stronger.

I would like to thank our community for helping to turn our club into what it has become today. We always had help from our parents, our neighbours, local businesses and the conservation authority when we had ideas for projects.

There’s lots kids can do. Learn what wildlife exists in your neighbourhood. Or figure out what plants should be in your yard and which ones shouldn’t. There are lots of organizations (and kids) you can connect with and learn from. When you look, you will find great people who are taking action in a lot of different ways. It’s a great community to be a part of, and there is positive momentum happening everywhere right now.

This award, renamed in 2016 in honour of a much-admired CWF executive director, recognizes Canadian youth who have undertaken wildlife or habitat conservation projects and activities that have helped make a difference to the environment.