Finalists announced in Suzy Hamilton Legacy Award
By Nelson Daily Staff
Finalists in the 2019 Suzy Hamilton Legacy Award has been announced by the nominating committee the board said in a recent media release.
The list is a Who’s Who of environmental activists in the West Kootenay Region.
The list includes:
- Marilyn Burgoon: For decades of work to protect Perry Ridge, and her pursuit of legal justice regarding the Lemon Creek fuel spill.
- Avery DeBoer-Smith: For her years of service as Executive Director of the Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society.
- Kiala Lonytomaki: For her support of Indigenous resistance, including Unist’ot’en Camp resistance to the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline in Wet’sewt’en Territory, and local Sinixt issues.
- Nikita McDaniel: For her work on the West Kootenay EcoSociety’s 100% Renewable Energy campaign, and with the Cottonwood Preservation Society.
- Jessica Ogden: For protesting and blockading logging at several locations throughout the West Kootenays, and organizing events to bring attention to unsustainable logging practices.
- Laura Sacks: For her advocacy on climate change, including founding the Nelson/West Kootenay Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, mentoring youth including the current school strikers, and operating the syndicated radio show Climate of Change.
- Joan Snyder: For over 40 years of defending mountain caribou, as a lichenologist and biologist, and local representative of BC Nature.
The Suzy Hamilton Legacy Fund honours the work of one woman environmental activist each year through a cash award. The fund was established in 2016 after the death of the well-loved and dedicated West Kootenay environmental activist, founder of the West Kootenay EcoSociety and mentor.
The inaugural winner was Heather McSwain of the Glade Watershed Protection Society.
