CLRA Alberta Chapter 2021 Award Recipients
2021 Gerry Bourassa Award Recipient
The CLRA Alberta Chapter is pleased to acknowledge and commemorate Gerry Bourassa through our Exceptional Volunteer Award. Gerry was a member, volunteer and friend whose love for the environmental industry and passion for volunteering touched our CLRA community. It is a goal of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association to recognize outstanding individuals who follow in Gerry’s footsteps and volunteer for their communities, associations and institutions.
Congratulations to our 2021 recipient Todd Martin, Senior Environmental Specialist at Ovintiv.
Todd served seven years in the Canadian Armed Forces with the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME).
Todd retired as a Corporal in December, 1996 and started another search to what his next career steps. He trained as an auctioneer in the States and he dabbled in real estate for a bit before he returned to school at Olds College to study Soil and Water Conservation. After Olds College, he ran his own company (Terra Nova Consulting) and consulted on upstream reclamation projects. In 2009 he started a Masters degree in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University. When he completed this in 2011, he started at EnCana now Ovintiv now as where he is apart of the Canadian Regulatory Operations where his official title is Senior Environmental Specialist.
He volunteers extensively including;
With the Westmount School in Okotoks (his son Finn’s school) where he serves as the Treasurer for the parent fundraising group for four years;
Todd is a CLRA Director and took the Student Mentorship initiative and advanced it to where it is at today;
Through his business called ReCycle Okotoks Repair Shop where bicycles and bike help is always free. Him and his son work together repairing donated bikes and give them to anyone who is in need of a bike;
Another local initiative Todd takes part in is a town event that happens every few months called Repair Cafe. Volunteers in the community bring their skills to help repair goods for free;
Todd also rides for the Wounded Warriors Canada not to just fundraise, but to broaden the awareness of the mental health of our veterans and first responders;
He serves on the Executive to the Okotoks Royal Canadian Legion.
But the important two roles Todd cherishes the most is being the husband of Sharon and the father of Finn.
2021 CLRA Student Award Recipients
The CLRA Alberta Student Awards recognize students' academic achievement and hard work. The association, along with our award sponsors, are pleased to be able to reward their commitment and accomplishments throughout the year. These awards are valued, not only for their monetary value, but for the encouragement and recognition they give.
We were able to present 9 awards this year, get to know our award recipients below.
Chantel Youmans, Environmental Assessment & Restoration Diploma Candidate
Originally from Cranbrook, B.C, Chantel Youmans grew up doing what we all love most: poking things with a stick, and she never stopped. Inspired by her love of the land and interest in sustainable industry, from forestry to oil development, she knew that she had to turn the long days of hunting and fishing into a career. As a participant of the 2018 Cranbrook Project Heavy Duty, she was exposed to a variety of up-and-coming large-scale machinery and technologies and knew instantly that responsible energy development is the career she belonged in. Currently in her final year of the Environmental Assessment and Restoration diploma, she is thrilled to be entering the field full-time and utilize the experiences she has been blessed to accumulate in her time at Lethbridge College. Being in Lethbridge has inspired her to seek not just career but community opportunities, and when she is not buried in an Excel spreadsheet or a good book, you can find her exploring the coulees geocaching, hiking, and ogling at the cactus flowers.
Nominated by
Sponsored by
Traelyn Rachar, BSc Environmental Science Candidate
My name is Traelyn and I am a 3rd year Environmental Science student from Mount Royal University. I have always been passionate about science and I fell in love with environmental science because it is very multidisciplinary and integrative. I volunteered with Friends of Fish Creek and participated in watershed stewardship activities such as restoration work and riparian health assessment. I have also had the opportunity to volunteer for a fish rescue with Trout Unlimited and a bioengineering activity with Elbow River Watershed. My main interests are in ecosystem and watershed stewardship. I am currently involved with several research projects that are focused on restoring disturbed peatlands.
Nominated by
Sponsored by
Lacey Edwards, Land & Water (Reclamation) Diploma Candidate
I am a current Olds College Land and Water student and a UBC Applied Biology graduate with a passion for the outdoors. I am Newfoundland-born and Alberta-assimilated, and I have a keen interest in plant and soil science, environmental stewardship, and reclamation. To me, this field represents a fascinating intersection between environmental science and hands-on problem solving to create win-win scenarios for industry and for the environment.
When I'm not brushing up on coursework, I can be found hiking, reading, practicing yoga, volunteering, or trying my hand at botanical illustration. On campus, I am an active member of the Student Board of Directors and Land and Water Club, as well as a student representative for the Canadian Association of Certified Planning Technicians. Upon graduating in 2021 I eagerly anticipate moving on to a career in the environmental industry, where I can take on new challenges and learn and grow as a professional.
I am absolutely honoured to have been chosen as a recipient of the CLRA 2020-2021 student award, and look forward to being an active member of the CLRA.
Nominate by
Sponsored by
Lauren Higgenbotham, Environmental Conservation & Reclamation Diploma Candidate
My name is Lauren Higginbotham, and I am from Pincher Creek, Alberta. I became more interested in land reclamation after I completed my Petroleum Engineering Technology Diploma at SAIT. Learning about all the environmental disturbances created by the petroleum industry I realized there need to be more people who care about fixing these disturbances properly. My summer working gas plant turnarounds proved this point to me even further. After I complete my Diploma at Lakeland College, I will be continuing my education at the University of Alberta majoring in Land Reclamation. My classes at Lakeland have expanded my love of house plants to those all around us. I look forward to the challenge of making some grow on reclaimed sites.
Nominate by
Sponsored by
Grace Porter, Environmental Reclamation Technician Diploma Candidate
I was born and raised in Medicine Hat, and am currently attending Medicine Hat College, for the Environmental Reclamation Program. I have played sports since I was young and now continue to play for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers soccer and volleyball team. I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors camping, hiking, gardening, etc. and from that stemmed a passion for the environment. I chose the Environmental Reclamation Program at MHC because it allowed me to pursue a career in something I truly enjoy and care about, as well as an opportunity to work in the outdoors.
Nominated by
Sponsored by
Kiah Leicht, BSc Environmental & Conservation Sciences
Kiah Leicht is from Edmonton, Alberta, Kiah recently completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental and Conservation Sciences at the University of Alberta, where she discovered her love for soil science and passion for land reclamation and remediation. During Kiah’s undergraduate summer breaks, she was a research assistant at the University of Alberta and worked on various land reclamation projects with Dr. Anne Naeth’s research team and has worked on the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Program (AGGP) with Dr. Scott Chang’s research team. Kiah enjoys being an active member in various student groups at the University of Alberta, and in her free time, likes reading, knitting, and learning different languages. In the future, Kiah would like to apply her knowledge and work with others to help provide innovative solutions to environmental problems. Kiah is currently a Master of Science student in the Land Reclamation and Remediation program with Dr. Robert Grant at the University of Alberta.
Nominate by
Sponsored by
Liam Mebesius, BSc Candidate Environmental Science (Biology)
I grew up in Chilliwack, British Columbia. I am currently attending the University of Calgary, studying environmental science with a concentration in biological sciences. I chose this area of study because I hope to become an environmental consultant. My interests are focused on wetland reclamation. I am particularly interested in plant community ecology in reclaimed wetlands in the Alberta Oil Sands Region. In fact, I am currently writing my undergraduate honours thesis on how the composition and abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation varies with respect to time since wetland creation and salinity.
Nominated by
Sponsored by
Emily Kaing, Master of Landscape Architecture Candidate
Emily is a proud Canadian-Asian, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, who respects nature and admires the land. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Geography, she began working on Boreal Reclamation, then shifted into enhancing people’s experience of the environment through Landscape Architecture. Emily is currently finishing a Master of Landscape Architecture. As she seeks a deeper, more profound understanding of how humans can appropriately shape the land and how the land shapes people, she ponders the intricate, transformative relationships between people, their environments, and their cultures.
Nominated by
Sponsored by
Gleb Kravchinsky, MSc Candidate Land Reclamation and Remediation
Gleb Kravchinsky was born in Russia and later moved to France with his family, where he learned French. After, Gleb and his family moved to Edmonton, Canada. Gleb has spent most of his life in Canada, completing his schooling and attending the University of Alberta. When Gleb first started to attend university, he was uncertain of his exact interests, but his desire to help others led him to begin his training to become a registered nurse. Later in the program, Gleb realized the importance of the environment and its benefits on human health and well-being. Recognizing this and that anthropogenic activity have led to many environmental disturbances, Gleb decided to pursue undergraduate studies in land reclamation. Gleb is currently completing his MSc. under Dr. Miles Dyck in land reclamation and remediation with interest in soil physics in hopes of becoming a reclamation specialist in accessing risk related to environmental contamination.
