THE BRUCE TRAIL CONSERVANCY

Environment Committee

2006 Calypso Orchid Environmental Award

In 1967 Len Gertler was asked by Premier John Robarts to research the effects of urban, mining and recreational development on the Niagara Escarpment.  The Natural Escarpment Study Conservation and Recreation Report, 1968, also known as the “Gertler Report”, made recommendations to protect the Niagara Escarpment  through land acquisition by government, land use regulation on private lands, restrictions on pits and quarries and development of a parks system.  The government endorsed the recommendations which led to the passage of the Niagara Escarpment Act and the formation of the Niagara Escarpment Commission.  Len Gertler provided the foundation for the preservation of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve as we know it today.  The award was presented at the AGM to Denis Gertler, the eldest of the Gertler children.

Dr. Walter Tovell was a geology professor at the University of Toronto, a lifelong teacher and educator and a dedicated environmentalist.  His Guide to the Geology of the Niagara Escarpment, 1992, has helped many Ontarians in their understanding of the processes of its creation and greatly enhanced the education of users of the Bruce Trail and the Escarpment.  The award was presented at the AGM to Wayne Townsend, trustee of the Tovell estate and curator of the Dufferin County Museum and Archives which houses the Tovell archives.

In 2006 the award was presented posthumously to two recipients:

Wayne Townsend accepting on behalf of the late Walter Tovell.

Dennis Gertler, accepting the Award on behalf of his late father, Len Gertler, presented by Environment Committee Chair Janine Zend.

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