2015 Community Stewardship Award - Recipients

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Sustaining the Islands – Community Stewardship Awards Program 
 
 
 
2015 Nominee Profile 
 
Michael Dunn, Mayne Island 
 
Category:   Individual 
 
Project:        Fostering ecological and community sustainability for 20 
years 
  
Nominator(s):       Executive Committee, Mayne Island Conservancy  
 Society 
 
Project Description:  
 
Michael Dunn has launched and coordinated many initiatives in the past two decades that 
enhance both the environment and economic sustainability of Mayne Island.  
 
As the founder and coordinator of the Gulf Islands Centre for Ecological Learning since 2000, 
Michael has been educating children and teens, both on and off-island, about ecological values 
and increasing the island’s ‘resiliency’ through summer and day camps, leadership training and 
programs.   
 
Other significant volunteer roles include: 
 Organizer of Oceans Day events since mid 90’s 
 Weigh-in master of annual Beach Cleanup since 2008 (90 volunteers on 16 beaches) 
 Initiator of on-going Henderson Hill Restoration Project since 2008 
 Regional Coordinator of Active Pass Bird Area and organizer of annual bird counts 
 Coordinator of Food and Agriculture Strategy for Economic Development Commission - 2014 
 
Since 2013, Michael Dunn has volunteered for at least 24 hours per week as the Executive 
Director of the Mayne Island Conservancy Society, promoting the Society’s mandate to foster 
harmony between nature and community and raising funds to support this work. 
 
Michael started a Walkabout program in 2010 in which volunteers walk with landowners (50 
properties so far) to identify native and invasive plant species and find conservation solutions. 
Michael has dedicated a portion of his own property for the Native Plants Nursery of the 
Conservancy and is growing 23 species of plants resistant to fallow deer and drought.  
 
Michael's newest project is Festival Active Pass which promotes economic activity by celebrating 
the natural beauty and wildlife of the Salish Sea region, its unique communities and the art it 
inspires. 

Sustaining the Islands – Community Stewardship Awards Program 
 
 
 
2015 Nominee Profile 
 
Susan Yates, Gabriola Island 
 
Category:  Individual 
 
Project:       Contributing to literary arts and environmental stewardship for 30 
years 
 
Nominator(s):      Fay Weller and Judith Roux 
 
Project Description:  
 
Susan has been working in the community and for the community for over 30 years. She  
enriches Gabriola Island through her involvement in Friends of the Library team, Poetry 
Gabriola, Gabriola Commons, Gabriola Elementary School, GERTIE (local bus), 
Sustainable Gabriola, the Watershed Sentinel newsletter, Gabriola Island Recycling 
Organization, seniors’ bingo, and many other organizations. In addition, Susan is a 
source of wildlife, plant, and ecosystem knowledge on Gabriola. She shares her 
knowledge through elementary school programming as well as other eco-system 
mapping projects on Gabriola.  
 

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