By Denise Shephard – Special to the Sydenham Current
Sydenham Field Naturalists held their 29th annual banquet and were honoured to have as their guest speakers Ann and Rob Simpson well known educators, photographers, authors, naturalists and trip leaders from Virginia.
Their presentation was “Wild about Nature” and these world travelers shared adventures and photography tips with the crowd.
Program Chairperson Tom Chatterton said “We have been trying for years to land Ann and Rob as our guest speakers and finally succeeded.”
A special appreciation award was presented to Tom Chatterton for his 29 years of dedication to Sydenham Field Naturalists.
Tom was the founder of Sydenham Field Naturalists in 1985 when the Rock and Mineral Club was dissolved and replaced with the nature club. Since that time, Tom has served on the executive in various positions and has been instrumental in protecting many natural areas in the river shed area of the Sydenham River.
In Tom’s acceptance of the surprise award he stated “I thoroughly love this organization and the volunteers that support what it stands for. My involvement was never about an award but rather was about the reward of spending time with people that care about nature.”
The Sydenham Field Naturalists awarded the Friend of Nature Award to Daniel Belanger of Paincourt. Daniel was recognized by the club not only for his using Dover farmland to plant several hundred Carolinian species of trees but for teaching his students the value of this endeavor. Daniel is a teacher at Ecole Secondaire de Pain Court (ESPC) and has led over 100 students over a two phase project of planting 50 varieties of trees that were once found in abundance in this area prior to agriculture.
His goal for the ESPC Carolinian Forest Project is to plant all 68 varieties that were native to this area and instill awareness in the students and community of this special heritage.
