Carleton Place student winner of 2011 Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary

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Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists

September 16, 2011

Carleton Place student winner of 2011 Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary begins Ecosystem Management Program studies

The Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists are pleased to announce that Carleton Place student Justin Dew is the recipient of the 2011 Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary Award for post-secondary studies. Justin, who was presented with the $500 student bursary in June of this year by MVFN President Joyce Clinton and Cliff Bennett, is now attending the Ecosystem Management Technician (EMT) Program at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Lindsay.

 L-R: Cliff Bennett, Justin Drew, Joyce Clinton (MVFN President)

The Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary Award is awarded annually by the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN) to a local graduating secondary school student/s going on to post-secondary studies relating to nature or the environment. The Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary Fund was established in 2007 by friends and family of local naturalist, MVFN founding member, and retired educator Cliff Bennett on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The bursary is intended to assist local students who have a love and appreciation of the natural world in pursuing their passion and acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to follow a career path in the natural world, environmental stewardship and conservation.

Mr. Dew is a graduate of Carleton Place High School. The EMT program in which he began his studies this September, explores monitoring and assessment of aquatic and terrestrial habitats as well as how to conduct resource inventories, environmental sampling and create plans for the management of public and private landscapes. Justin, who has worked at Murphy’s Point Provincial Park and who took part in the Carleton Place High School Environmental Studies program, has said that he would like to eventually become a restoration technician to “be part of the solution for keeping our environment healthy and…help maintain and preserve the environment so future generations can enjoy the outdoors as much as I do”.

The annual Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary program is administered by MVFN and application forms and further details may be found on MVFN’s website at www.mvfn.ca.

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