Flowers Cove principal recognized with prestigious award

St. John’s, NL, March 24, 2010—Today, His Honour, the Honourable John C. Crosbie, The Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, presented The Lieutenant Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award to Geneva Woodward for her conservation and leadership efforts in her community.

Awarded annually and sponsored by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), this award recognizes those who have taken leadership roles in contributing to the public awareness of conserving wetlands and recognizes people who demonstrate outstanding volunteer service in assisting organizations that benefit wetland conservation.

“Wetland conservation can only be successful through the passion and dedication of people like Geneva Woodward who are raising awareness, especially among our youth, about the importance of conservation of critical habitats,” said DUC President Jack H. Hole. “Wetlands provide waterfowl and wildlife habitat, clean our water and give us places enjoy and learn about nature. They are a vital resource that we can’t afford to lose.”

A passionate educator and conservationist, Ms. Woodward has worked tirelessly to conserve important habitat on the Northern Peninsula. She is most well known for her efforts to protect the Limestone Barrens habitat. Through her role as principal of Straits Elementary School in Flowers Cove, she played an instrumental role in the signing of the 2002 Stewardship Agreement between Straits Elementary, the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. This agreement was the first of its kind in Canada and the school won an environmental award for it in 2004.

Her devotion to the environment was notable earlier in her career when she was the Grade 4 and 5 teacher at James Cook Memorial School, Cook’s Harbour. In 1993-94 as co-ordinator of the White Bay Central Development Association, Ms. Woodward worked with partners including DUC on a program for the schoolchildren of the Peninsula called “adopt a duck”. Inspired by the impact this project had on her student’s interest in conservation, Ms. Woodward wrote a program on the Life Cycle of the Eider Duck and the large part that this bird played in the life of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Her program was accepted by the Straits School Board and became a part of the curriculum taught to elementary schoolchildren.

“It is very rewarding when students are motivated to develop an appreciation for the love and conservation of a unique and rare species such as the common eider duck in our area, and the globally significant plant, Long's braya, on our Limestone Barrens,” Woodward said. “I am very passionate about the pearls we have in our backyard and my students have embraced that feeling of passion as well.”

For more information, contact:

Leigh Patterson, l_patterson@ducks.ca
Corporate Media Relations Specialist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: (204) 467-3306