Do you know a conservation champion who deserves recognition for their hard work?

Nominations for Wildsight’s 2024 Ellen Zimmerman Award are now open. This award recognizes an individual who works to protect nature or to inspire a love of the wild through environmental education.

Golden resident Ellen Zimmerman (pictured above) was a tenacious champion for nature conservation in the Columbia Valley for more than 40 years until her passing in 2020. Ellen’s legacy includes the protection of the Columbia Wetlands, one of the longest intact wetlands in North America and the only stretch of the Columbia River that remains undammed, and the Cummins River Valley, an intact watershed in the Inland Temperate Rainforest.

The Ellen Zimmerman Award was established to support conservation and environmental education champions in the Columbia Headwaters region (stretching from Canal Flats to the Mica Dam).

Last year’s recipient was Annette Lutterman, a Golden resident who works to restore local habitats, improve air quality and brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to local conservation issues.

Other award winners include Kootenay biologist Rachel Darvill and Living Lakes founder Kat Hartwig.

The award recipient receives a commemorative ceramic art piece and a $1,000 gift to celebrate and support their contributions to environmental protections in the region.

Deadline for nominations is March 31: wildsight.ca/the-ellen-zimmerman-award

Lead image: 2023 recipient Annette Lutterman. Photos submitted

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