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<TITLE>Congratulations to GREN member Greg M for award received today</TITLE>
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</SPAN><FONT SIZE="7"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:36pt'><B>UW prof awarded Niagara Escarpment Lifetime Achievement Award<BR>
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Thursday, July 19, 2012<BR>
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Dr. Greg Michalenko received the Niagara Escarpment Commission’s (NEC) Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of education and scientific research in the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.<BR>
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As Assistant Professor Emeritus of the University of Waterloo’s (UW) Department of Environment and Resources Studies, Michalenko helped to establish a partnership between UW and the NEC to implement forest biodiversity monitoring in permanent study plots along the Niagara Escarpment.<BR>
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With Greg’s input, a third-year Environmental Monitoring course was established at the University of Waterloo in 1996. The annual, week-long course studies forest biodiversity change in the Escarpment’s protected areas. Under UW and NEC staff leadership, course participants assess an Escarpment study plot, collecting tree, shrub/sapling, ground cover and forest health data. Data are compiled and analyzed to evaluate trends and report on the state of Escarpment forests. The course has received worldwide attention as an academic-government collaborative success story. <BR>
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“Greg has brought the Niagara Escarpment to life for hundreds of students over sixteen years,” said NEC’s Senior Strategic Advisor Lisa Grbinicek. “We are delighted to acknowledge his efforts to further our understanding of the Niagara Escarpment with this award.”<BR>
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Designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990, Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment is recognized for its spectacular landscapes and waterfalls, as well as its complex ecosystems and unique species. The Niagara Escarpment Commission’s Achievement Awards recognize individuals and groups for outstanding accomplishments, including exceptional building design/site landscaping, environmental restoration projects, and lifetime achievement for outstanding contributions to the conservation and stewardship values embodied in the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.<BR>
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Go to site below to see a fine picture of Greg and his wife Carol as he received the award today. <BR>
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<<a href="http://uwaterloo.ca/environment/news/uwaterloo-prof-awarded-niagara-escarpment-lifetime-achievement-award">http://uwaterloo.ca/environment/news/uwaterloo-prof-awarded-niagara-escarpment-lifetime-achievement-award</a>> <BR>
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John Jackson<BR>
17 Major Street<BR>
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1<BR>
519-744-7503<BR>
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