2017 Award Winners

The Columbia County Environmental Management Council (EMC) recently recognized the winners of its 2017 Good Earthkeeping Awards at a ceremony held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 401 State Street, Hudson. Established in 1982, the Good Earthkeeping (GEK) Awards recognize individuals and groups that have made real and lasting contributions involving the preservation, improvement and/or facilitation of a better understanding of the environment in Columbia County. The awards were presented by EMC chair Ed Simonson and GEK Awards chair Theresa Mayhew who both acknowledged each winner's respective accomplishments. Each of the winners was then introduced by the individual who nominated them for this prestigious honor.

Colleen Lutz of Ancramdale was nominated in the Individual Category by Jamie Purinton, Chair of the Ancram Conservation Advisory Council (ACAC). A founding ACAC member, Colleen continues to actively serve on its Advisory Board. An exemplary town planning board clerk who routinely identifies the environmental resources and issues for each and every application before the planning board, she presents layered GIS maps in public meetings, providing information that might otherwise be overlooked. She not only helped secure a $220,000 culvert replacement grant, but she then worked with the team to ensure that the first culvert installation created better aquatic connectivity, which is a great passion for the aquatic biologist. Additionally, she is involved with the Roe Jan Watershed Community doing WAVE testing which provides scientific data on the river's ecological condition. She is also active in the identification and control of invasive plants. Colleen Is, to quote Jamie, a "patient and gentle force of nature for natural resource protection in our community."

The Columbia-Greene Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) was nominated for the Group Category by Kaare Christian of the Roe Jan Watershed Community. Accepting on behalf of the Columbia-Greene Chapter was its President, Vincent Dubois. Trout Unlimited is a nationwide conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Locally, they are focused on protecting and stocking Columbia County's streams. They work closely with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on fish stocking. This is not only a plus to local anglers but it helps ensure a trout population that is an historic part of the food chain and stream ecology. The Columbia-Greene Chapter is also involved in stream restoration. Their two most recent culvert removal projects were Green Brook in the Town of Chatham and Noster Kill in Copake. TU has partnered with the Roe Jan Watershed Community (RJWC) to find volunteers, provide expertise, and fund a large portion of RJWC's 2016 water testing costs. TU also runs fly-tying classes for adults and fishing lessons for kids, providing the skills they need to actually catch fish which often leads to a lifelong support of the environment.

The Columbia County Environmental Management Council is a duly appointed body of volunteer citizens charged with advising the County Board of Supervisors on environmental matters affecting Columbia County. EMC meets on the fourth Monday of each month (unless it falls on a major holiday) at 6:30 pm on the first-floor classroom at 421 State Street, Hudson, NY.