Last month, Ben Mitchell Banks, a former BC Conservation Officer in Fernie during the 1980s, received the Roland Michener Conservation Award from the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Mitchell-Banks accepted the award at a ceremony in Moncton, NB. Currently living in Invermere, he worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Prince Rupert, Bella Coola and Victoria after leaving Fernie. He finished his career withe the BC Conservation Service in the Special Investigations Unit.
He continues to volunteer for the many long-term conservation activities including the Abel Creek Culvert Rehabilitation Project which provided Kokanee salmon and Rainbow Trout with improved access to spawning habitat.
“We need to rebuild and repair what we humans have degraded or destroyed; we owe this to the many generations that will follow us,” Mitchell-Banks said, when accepting the award. “Many species are struggling to survive; what may seem like small changes and gains now will be seen as paying big dividends later.”
The Roland Michener Conservation Award is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated commitment to conservation through effective and responsible activities that promote, enhance and further the conservation of Canada’s natural resources. The award was established in 1978.
