FON CONSERVATION AWARDS - Ontario Nature

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THE FOUNDATION FOR ONTARIO NATURE
Common Buckeye - Robert McCaw
In 2002 FON established the Foundation for Ontario Nature to
provide a secure financial base for sustaining FON’s conservation
and science activities.
The Foundation for Ontario Nature will create partnerships
with corporations, foundations and individuals with the goal
of leaving future generations a prosperous and sustainable
province rich in nature with clear air, clean water and thriving
ecosystems.
FON established the Foundation because we recognized that
nature needs friends in high places. The Foundation’s board of
directors share a wealth of experience, knowledge and influence
ranging from major gift and development expertise to real estate
and property management and business administration.
In 2003 the Foundation for Ontario Nature will be launching a
major fundraising campaign. Our goal is to raise a substantial
endowment to help protect, connect and restore nature in
Ontario in four key areas: forests, watersheds, wildlife and special
habitats.
Achieving our vision will position FON, Ontario and Canada as
global leaders in conservation science, research and education.
FOUNDATION FOR ONTARIO NATURE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
H. Clifford Hatch Jr. President and CEO, Cliffco Investments Ltd.
John Abbott
Retired management consultant
George McLean
Wildlife artist
Janet Dey
President and CEO, Dey & Associates
Gabe Magnotta
President and CEO, Magnotta Winery Corporation
Colin Campbell
Retired fundraising executive
Finley McEwen
Vice-president, Ontario and Manitoba, Creit
Management Ltd.
GIFTS THAT BUILD A LEGACY
I began bird-watching at the
age of five, along the Detroit
River and at Point Pelee near
Windsor where I grew up. At
ten I discovered the wonders
of canoeing through Algonquin
Park. As a committed, lifelong
naturalist, I believe that nature
helps define us as Canadians,
and on an individual basis
leads to increased self-awareness. Time spent in nature
connects us with our deeper selves, and this is especially
valuable at a time of increasing noise and confusion in our
daily lives.
Helena Rusak
The great value of the FON is its strong, committed voice
and its professional, balanced approach to protecting
Ontario nature. The Federation brings soundly based,
scientific opinion to the table where key decisions are being
made, in such areas as species at risk, Ontario’s Living
Legacy, the future of the Oak Ridges Moraine and more
recently, the Central Ontario Smart Growth Panel.
The FON is unique in its “bottom up” structure. With
125 member groups identifying critical issues and feeding
Locke House with details that inform our message, the FON
truly is the voice of concerned citizens across the province
for Ontario Nature. More and more frequently this voice is
being summoned to Ontario’s halls of influence as all levels
of society make the connection between prosperity, human
health and Ontario Nature.
The Foundation for Ontario Nature has been established to
complement the FON’s expanding role and existing
fundraising activities. Ontarians now have an additional,
secure, Ontario-focused option for making a major
contribution to nature. If you care about the work of the FON
and you want to create a natural legacy, you can now do so
through the Foundation for Ontario Nature.
It is my pleasure to serve as the Foundation’s inaugural
chairman. Where Ontario Nature is concerned, I wouldn’t be
comfortable anywhere else. The goal for the Foundation is to
occupy high ground beside the FON, offering the means to
build and secure a natural legacy for all Ontarians now and
for the future.
Cliff Hatch
Chairman