CLRA Present Awards at Sudbury 2003 - Mining and the Environment Conference

Along with MIRARCO's Centre for Environmental Monitoring, the Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA) co-hosted the Sudbury 2003 – Mining and the Environment Conference (Sudbury 2003) on May 25th-28th. At the Sudbury 2003 Conference Banquet, the CLRA offered two important awards for achievements and contributions to land reclamation in Canada: the Noranda Land Reclamation Award and the Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award.

The Noranda Land Reclamation Award is the most prestigious award given to honour excellence in reclamation in Canada. To be considered for this award an individual has made an outstanding contribution to advances in land reclamation through one or more of the following areas: professional practice, teaching, research, or regulating authority. The individual should be widely recognized for contributions to the field of land reclamation spanning a significant portion of a career. The award is from Noranda Inc., with the recipient recommended by the CLRA Noranda Land Reclamation Award Committee. This year's recipient was Sherry Yundt.

The Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award is named after a founding member of the CLRA in recognition of significant service given to furthering land reclamation in Canada. The award is presented by the CLRA in recognition of major contributions to land reclamation, especially through service to foster advances in regulation, reclamation success, or development of personnel or students. The efforts do not necessarily span a major portion of the recipient’s career. A recipient may have made major contributions to the CLRA, which have led to the advancement of the Association. This year there were two recipients of the Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award. One award went to Bill Lautenbauch of the City of Greater Sudbury. The other was presented to Denison Energy Incorporated (formerly Denison Mines Ltd.) and BHP Billiton Limited (formerly Rio Algom Ltd.) for the successful decommissioning of 11 mines within the Serpent River watershed in and around Elliot Lake.

At the closing of Sudbury 2003, the CLRA presented awards to a number of outstanding student paper and poster presenters. The first place student award winners received $500, plus a two-year CLRA membership; second place received $300 and a one-year CLRA membership; third place earned a $200 prize and a one-year CLRA membership; runners-up received $100 and a one-year CLRA membership. Congratulations to the following Sudbury 2003 student award winners:

Oral Paper Presentation Category
Placing	Name	School	Paper Title
1st	Johan Van der Waals	University of Pretoria, South Africa	Long Term Heavy Metal Pollution Risk Due to the Use of Slag as Agricultural Limes on the South African Highveld
2nd	Alan Lock	Laurentian University	Early Diagenesis of Sediment from Kelly Lake, Sudbury, Ontario - A Lake Contaminated by Sewage Effluent and High Levels of Copper and Nickel from Mining and Smelting
3rd	Lisa Guenther	University of Guelph	Natural Development of Biological Communities in Water-Filled Gravel Pits and Quarries in Southern Ontario
runner-up	Melina Gillespie	University of Queensland, Brisbane	Increasing Species Diversity on Landscapes Impacted by Coal Mining in NSW Australia
runner-up	Michael Moncur	University of Waterloo	Fate and Transport of Metals from an Abandoned Tailings Impoundment After 70 Years of Sulphide Oxidation
runner-up	Geoff Sherman	Laurentian University	Modelling Organic Carbon Dynamics Within the Reforested Areas of the Sudbury Basin
Poster Presentation Category
Placing	Name	School	Poster Title
1st	Nicole Baks	Nippissing University	Plant Diversity, Abundance and Distribution on an Abandoned Copper-Nickel Roast Bed Near Sudbury, Canada; The Impact of Soil Toxicity
2nd	Jill O'Hara	Laurentian University	The Use of Sphagnum Moss Plates and White Birch Leaves to Monitor Metal Deposition in the Vicinity of Sudbury, Ontario
3rd	Adam Ceccheto, Matt Ojalammi	Laurentian University	The Effects of Simulated Acid Rain on Heavy Metal Contamination Soils Near the Inco and Falconbridge Smelter Sites, Sudbury, Ontario

For more information on the CLRA, please visit their web site at www.clra.ca.