Biodiversity, Pacific Coast, Wetland restoration

Celebrating Excellence: DUC’s Eric Balke Honoured with Pacific Birds Joint Venture Conservationist Award

DUC shares the well-deserved recognition of B.C.'s Eric Balke and his continued contributions to restoring and protecting coastal landscapes.

October 15, 2025

Eric (center) with Sarah Nathan, DUC's Manager of Provincial Operations for BC on his left, and Andrew Huang, PBHJV's Canadian Coordinator on his right

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) proudly congratulates Eric Balke, Senior Restoration Biologist and Fraser River Estuary Program Manager, on receiving the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture (PBHJV)’s first ever Conservationist Award for his outstanding leadership in coastal restoration and collaboration.

For more than eight years, Eric has been a driving force behind DUC’s restoration efforts across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. His work integrates science, partnership, and on-the-ground results to advance conservation where people and nature meet. From leading the Sturgeon Bank Sediment Enhancement Pilot Project; a first-of-its-kind initiative re-using dredged sediment to rebuild eroding tidal marshes, to guiding the Nature Force partnership of 17 insurance companies building with nature to reduce flood risks, Eric’s projects are reshaping how communities approach climate resilience.

Eric Balke, Senior Restoration Biologist at a Nature Force planting event in Langley, B.C. © Chantelle Abma, Ducks Unlimited Canada

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Every successful project begins with a spark of collaboration. Seeing an idea grow from a sketch on a napkin to an active restoration site is both humbling and deeply rewarding.

Eric Balke, Senior Restoration Biologist, Ducks Unlimited Canada

The PBHJV award comes on the heels of another accomplishment; Eric was part of a team to receive the Environmental Manager’s Association of BC 2025 award in the category of Remediation and Restoration, in June of this year. The Fraser River Delta is in good hands. One of Canada’s most ecologically rich yet vulnerable landscapes, the delta has lost more than 160 hectares of tidal marsh since the 1980s. Balke’s team is helping reverse that trend by restoring natural sediment processes and creating habitat critical for salmon, waterfowl, and migratory birds. His leadership in uniting engineers, governments, Indigenous communities, and industry partners reflects DUC’s belief that durable conservation requires both technical innovation and shared vision.

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Eric’s dedication exemplifies the collaborative spirit that drives conservation success. His work restores ecosystems and also inspires others to pursue solutions that link people, wildlife, and resilient landscapes.

Andrew Huang, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture Canada Coordinator

Prior to leading DUC’s estuary restoration portfolio, Eric managed over 37,000 hectares of provincial conservation lands in partnership with the Province of B.C., The Nature Trust of B.C., and the Canadian Wildlife Service. He holds a Master of Science in Ecological Restoration from Simon Fraser University and the B.C. Institute of Technology, where his research on marsh loss in the Fraser Delta continues to inform regional strategy.

DUC celebrates this well-deserved recognition and Eric’s continued contributions to restoring and protecting the landscapes that sustain wildlife, communities, and future generations.

Eric Balke (second from right) with former DUC CEO Michael Nadler, DUC CMCO Janine Massey, and Conservation Specialist Jamie Gauk, standing on either side of a sediment delivery pipeline used in one of the many coastal restoration projects that Eric leads. © Ducks Unlimited Canada

Together with our partners and collborators, we are restoring coastal wetlands in British Columbia.

Learn about our other coastal B.C. projects

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Celebrating Excellence: DUC’s Eric Balke Honoured with Pacific Birds Joint Venture Conservationist Award

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