Annual Awards
Nature
To see the complete record of all the award winners, please click on The Awards
Members are requested to send their nominations for the 2010 Awards to be presented to volunteers at the AGM in April 2010. Please mention the name of the member nominated, the name of the Award for which he or she is nominated and brief information about the nominee and the reason for nomination. Please send in the nominations before April 13, by e-mail to Adrian Grant Duff, Chair, Awards Committee.
Background
The practice of recognizing the achievements of members of Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural history Society) began in the early 1970s with the Bird of the Year Award. In 1975 the award now known as the Kaye and Charles Ney Award, which continues to be the premier award of the Society, was established in memory of Kaye Ney and it has been awarded almost every year since then. The Davidson Award and the Garibaldi Awards were established in 1993 and the Kay Beamish and Frank Sanford Awards were established in 1995.
During the mid 1990s donations of approximately $5,000 were received in the names of John Davidson, Frank Sanford and Kay Beamish, three key builders and long-time supporters of the Society, and after whom three of the Society’s awards are named.
The following awards are presented annually to members of Nature Vancouver at the Annual General Meeting
The Kaye and Charles Ney Award
This award was established in 1975 in memory of Kaye Ney by her husband, and then President, Charles Ney, and was renamed after his death. It is the premier award of the Society and is given to a non-executive member who has shown exemplary service and dedication to the VNHS. It is essentially a “life-time” service award.
The Davidson Award for Conservation
This award was established in 1993 by an anonymous donor in honour of our founder, Professor John Davidson, who was also President from 1918 to 1937. Professor Davidson was a vocal advocate of conservation from the very early days of the Society and it is appropriate that this award is for achievement by a VNHS member in the field of conservation.
The Frank Sanford Award for Community Service
This award was established in 1995 by his family and an anonymous donor in honour of Frank Sanford, VNHS Treasurer for 35 years and President from 1958 to 1960. An active member of many of the VNHS sections, Mr. Sanford represented the VNHS at many other organizations and community groups. This award may be made to any member of the community for service related to the objectives of the VNHS.
The Kay Beamish Award for Nature Education
This award was established in 1995 by an anonymous donor in honour of Katherine (Kay) Beamish, a long-time member, President from 1965 to 1967, and one of the three editors of Nature West Coast as Seen in
The Garibaldi Awards for Service to Nature
These awards were established in 1993, and up to six are given each year to members who have performed a significant service to Nature Vancouver over several years. They are generally not awarded for holding office or for performing routine club functions unless it has been for an extraordinary length of time. The limitation of six awards in any one year requires the Awards Committee to consider all candidates with considerable care to ensure that Garibaldi Awards are awarded to the most meritorious nominees.
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee shall consist of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members, preferably of long-standing, one of whom shall be the President of the Society. The members other than the President shall be appointed by the Board of Directors two months before the AGM when the awards are presented. The Committee will meet as necessary to set out the nominating procedures prior to the Annual General Meeting each year and to review the nominees and select recipients for the awards. The Committee will take into account such factors as the length of time the nominee has contributed to the Society as a volunteer in the field or function appropriate to award for which he or she is nominated, and the number of nominations received for the individual.
Eligibility of Directors for Awards
The Ney Award specifically excludes directors from eligibility. The Garibaldi Awards are not usually awarded for holding office. There are no specific limitations on directors receiving any of the other awards and in the past directors have not usually been recipients of Nature Vancouver awards. As a matter of policy it is considered that this practice should continue because the fact that director generally appoint the awards committee, hence have influence on the selection of recipients, might be perceived as inappropriate if directors themselves were to become recipients. However this does not preclude the Awards Committee from waiving this rule in exceptional circumstances. At the 2007 Annual General Meeting, it was resolved that a any member of the Board of Directors who has served ten on more years on the Board may be eligible for the Ney Award.