Elite athletes, volunteers and business leaders received the Order of Manitoba yesterday from Lieutenant Governor John Harvard
Photo credit: MomentsPhotography.ca
Olympian Clara Hughes launches the Regional Campaign for the Protection of the Sutton Mountain Range
Olympic champion Clara Hughes is the new spokesperson for the Regional Campaign for the Protection of the Sutton Mountain Range, spearheaded by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Quebec Region (NCC – Quebec). The campaign’s objective is to raise more than $2.5 million to ensure the long-term management of the site, which is one of the last large wilderness areas in southern Quebec, and one of the largest private nature reserves in the country. A resident of the region, Ms Hughes is delighted to provide her support for the protection of the environment by teaming up with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
“I am very pleased to be the spokesperson for Nature Conservancy of Canada’s campaign in the region that has welcomed me, and in which I trained to win my medals in the 2002 and 2006 games,” states Ms Hughes. “It gives me even greater pleasure that it concerns the place that I now consider to be my home.”
The Regional Campaign for the Protection of the Sutton Mountain Range began in 2004, following NCC’s acquisition of 10,000 acres of forested land with high ecological value belonging to Domtar. Added to the 5,000 acres already protected by NCC in the region, this acquisition is part of the Sutton Mountain Range’s conservation project, and forms the largest private natural area east of Alberta.
“The objective of the campaign is to ensure the long-term management of the Sutton Mountain Range in order to preserve its biodiversity for present and future generations. The generous participation of Clara Hughes will constitute vital support in achieving our objective”, explains Pierre Renaud, Vice President, Quebec Region.
The Co-Chairmen of the Regional Campaign for the Protection of the Sutton Mountain Range are Luc Beauregard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of National Public Relations; John Cleghorn, Chairman of SNC-Lavalin and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); Robert Winsor, Chief Operating Officer of Holden America; and Fernand Roberge. The campaign Co-Chairmen are supported by a committee consisting of James B. Clubb, Brian Herman, Peter Johnson, Robert Laflamme, Philip O’Brien, Ian A. Soutar and Warren P. Woodworth.
A resident of Glen Sutton, Clara Hughes is the only Canadian ever to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, as well as the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both Games. A Gold and Silver medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Clara previously won two Olympic Bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games and a Bronze medal in speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
Following her Olympic success in Turin, Clara Hughes, a long time supporter of Right to Play, continues to raise funds and awareness for children that will benefit from their programs. Right to Play is an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world, Clara was also recently awarded an honourary degree by the University of Manitoba, as well as the Order of Manitoba, that province’s highest honour.
Nature Conservancy is a private charitable organization that ensures the preservation in perpetuity of natural areas that are important for biological diversity. Active for more than 40 years, Nature Conservancy has contributed to preserving over 1.9 million acres across Canada, including more than 31,000 in Quebec. Nature Conservancy works in close cooperation with landowners, public and private companies, conservation groups and governments in order to protect the masterpieces of Quebec’s natural heritage for present and future generations.
