Essex Region Conservation Foundation Celebrates 30 Years
Receives $500,000 in Bequests, Donates $250,000 to Protect Spring Garden
The Essex Region Conservation Foundation celebrated its 30th Anniversary in May and highlighted some of its key successes over the past three decades, including the establishment of three new forests through the Heritage Forest program, the protection of LaSalle Woods, the Chrysler Canada Greenway, and Cedar Creek, and the creation of the Shorebird Habitat at Hillman Marsh were some of the notable highlights. Special thanks were given to the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Casino Windsor Cares and Chrysler Canada for their significant contributions.
In addition, it was announced that two important bequests were made to the Foundation in 2007, which was its 30th year of existence. Ms. Arlie Joswick bequeathed her entire estate to the Foundation, resulting in a significant contribution of $326,000. Her will specified that the funds were to be used for the purchase of nature land within the Essex Region, and $250,000 of this donation will be used to assist the City of Windsor in the protection of the Spring Garden Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
As well, an anonymous donor left $220,000 to the Essex Region Conservation Foundation's Islands of Green Endowment Fund for the protection of significant natural areas, again, leaving a legacy of a cleaner and healthier environment for all of us, and for our future.
Following this celebration, Mr. Jim Evans, who has served as President since 2001, sincerely thanked the Foundation's many donors, partners and volunteers. "It is critically important to note that the successes we collectively celebrate here tonight would not have been possible without all of you," he said sincerely. Evans also announced that Mr. John Omstead would succeed him as the Foundation's new President. Omstead has been the Vice-President of the Foundation for the past year.
Mr. Omstead grew up in Wheatley and runs Family Tradition Foods Incorporated. He is also the current Chairman of the Food Processors of Canada and the Leamington District Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Omstead identified that the Foundation had developed a new Strategic Plan and fundraising priorities. "Through this effort, we chronicled our strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, and came up with an action plan to move forward in continuing to create a future of environmental sustainability for the Essex Region," he explained.
Some of these priorities are familiar, like continuing to protect and restore the critical natural resources of the Essex Region and the preservation of our human heritage through resources like the John R. Park Homestead and Kingsville Train Station. An exciting new endeavour will be a fundraising drive to plan and create a first rate Centre for Excellence in Environmental Education to promote water and energy conservation, natural heritage and sustainability. A final top priority will be to raise funds for additional trail development - most notably, the 26 kilometre Amherstburg to Essex Greenway trail, as well as creating extensions for the existing Greenway, especially into the City of Windsor.
To learn more about the Essex Region Conservation Foundation's new strategic plan and how you can help contribute to a cleaner and healthier environmental future, you can visit their website at www.erca.org/foundation.
