The Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) created an award to recognize the significant efforts of individual citizens toward the environmental stewardship of the Bay of Fundy. The award is presented to an individual that has “contributed significantly to the environmental health/sustainability of the Bay of Fundy”, preferably one who might be described as an “unsung hero”, who has not been in the limelight as a prominent player but has worked hard behind the scenes toward the Mission and within the Principles of BoFEP. The first of these awards was presented in 2004 at the 6th Bay of Fundy Workshop. BoFEP is delighted to announce that that the following two candidates were deemed worthy of the award in 2024. The winners were recognised at the recent Bay of Fundy Science Conference held in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
Photo Credit Emilie Butler
Karen Jenner
Karen has for the past six years now been collecting beach garbage from the shores of the Bay of Fundy between Harbourville and Scott’s Bay. What started innocently enough when she picked up a few lobster escape hatches on a casual stroll along the beach six years ago turned into a major hobby with significant positive impact for the Bay of Funday and ocean garbage research in the Bay of Fundy. Karen has collected almost 50,000 pounds of garbage in almost six years! She does this solely on her own without assistance. That is her choice because she enjoys the solitude of the Bay and the quiet time it provides. She started a Facebook group so that others could follow her cleaning efforts, Nova Scotia Beach Garbage Awareness, and she has now over 6,000 followers. What is remarkable is that she records every piece of garbage she picks up and photographs it. She often makes colourful displays of the garbage to attract attention to this significant problem. The information she has put together with this detailed documentation has attracted attention. Most of the garbage is discarded or lost fishing gear and a large portion from the US. She has even picked up items from overseas. Karen is a dedicated worker. She goes out 3-4 times a week either by car or four-wheeler and spends 4-6 hours every time she goes. Each trip yields on average 2 or 3 garbage bags weighing 30-40 pounds each. I feel she certainly is qualified for this award having “contributed significantly to the environmental health/sustainability of the Bay of Fundy.”
Dr. Antony (Tony) W. Diamond
Tony Diamond is an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the Atlantic Laboratory of Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB. He became fascinated by birds around the age of seven. Early training in bird-banding at several British bird observatories fed this addiction, which was not significantly diminished by studying Zoology at Cambridge, nor by graduate work at Aberdeen on tropical seabirds in the Indian Ocean. He worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service in Ottawa (first as a researcher, later as Coordinator of the Acid Rain Program) and in Saskatoon (as a research manager, and Adjunct Professor in Biology at the University of Saskatchewan) before moving to UNB in 1994. Long retired from active teaching at the University, he has maintained an active research program for over 20 years on seabirds in the Bay of Fundy, working with graduate students in research and monitoring on Machias Seal Island. He visits the island annually. His Research interests centre on the evolutionary ecology of birds, especially in relation to conservation, roles in ecosystems, and as indicators of ecosystem health. In his own words, the study of the dynamics of the seabird colonies on the island has “provided a unique spatial perspective on marine seabird population dynamics in a rapidly changing ecosystem”, an ecosystem changing due to the local fisheries and to climate change. Dr. Diamond is well published and continues to work and publish on the findings of this important research and topic. It is contributing greatly to our overall understanding of the changes taking place in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. His dedication to this work is outstanding and an example to us all.
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