Bequest by Elwood Moore estate to inspire conservation among youth (2024)

A bequest from the estate of Elwood Moore will ensure his commitment to conservation and environmental education in Grey and Bruce counties inspires others to do the same.

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The Grey Sauble Conservation Foundation recently announced the bequest, which will support its Environmental Awareness and Education Fund, reflecting Moore’s passion for educating individuals of all ages about the importance of conserving the environmental features of the two counties.

“We are very gratified to receive the bequest,” Foundation Chair Don Sankey said Thursday. “We are going to put it into educational awareness and support anything we do with kids. That money will be utilized in very important ways.”

Moore, who passed away in January 2023 at the age of 101, dedicated decades of his life to conservation in the area.

Moore was a founding member of the North Region Conservation Authority, which formed in 1957. A year later, the Sauble Valley Authority was formed and in 1985 they amalgamated to create the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.

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Today the GSCA owns and manages close to 29,000 acres of land across a jurisdiction that stretches central Grey and Bruce counties, is home to five major rivers, numerous smaller tributaries and 155 kilometres of shoreline. Its inventory of approximately 200 properties includes caves, marshes, escarpment, gorges, forest and beaches.

Moore served on the board of directors with the GSCA for 44 years, and was the only representative Derby Township ever sent to its board, before municipal amalgamation in 2001.

In 2000, Moore was recognized at Queen’s Park as the longest serving director of a conservation authority, and received a private audience with Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor at the time, Hillary Weston. His record of service to a conservation authority remains unparalleled.

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Dick Hibma, who was longtime chair of the GSCA and now serves as a foundation director, said Moore was among a group of visionary municipal leaders who saw the need to conserve, preserve and protect the natural environment of the area. He was able to convince his council and peers around the region of the need to do so.

“Elwood was always one of those unassuming, very humble people who just quietly went about doing what he thought was the right thing for his community,” said Hibma, who doesn’t think anyone will ever match the longevity of service Moore achieved.

Hibma, who first became involved with the GSCA in December 1994, said it became obvious to him very earlyon that Moore cared very deeply about conservation, was very thoughtful about the decisions he made, and very respectful of everyone else around the table.

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“Because he was involved in the efforts to bring the conservation authority into place in the first instance, he knew the history, and he knew what had been the problems the authorities were created to address,” said Hibma. “When he spoke it was from that deep conviction, that amazing experience and the wisdom that he had incurred.

“No matter how long it took it was worth listening to, because that was the kind of person he was.”

Moore, who was also an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound right up until he passed away, remained involved with the GSCA in the more than 20 years since he sat on the board.

He was named an honourary director because of his long service, and never passed up an opportunity to attend the GSCA’s special events and annual general meetings.

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In late 2021 the GSCA dedicated a bench to Moore in the arboretum at its headquarters near Inglis Falls.

“Elwood always kept his finger on the pulse,” said Hibma. “He never missed a news article about anything going on in the municipal world or the conservation world. He was always keenly aware of what was going on.”

Hibma said Moore hadn’t provided any specific request about where the bequest would be applied, but after conversations with his son Brian, it was decided to direct it to the foundation’s environmental awareness and education fund.

“If we don’t educate the children as well as the adults about the value of conservation authorities they will continue to be under pressure from the provincial government,” said Hibma. “We need to always be building awareness of the conservation authorities and educating people about their value, how they operate and why.”

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By directing the bequest to the fund, it will support a number of initiatives of the foundation, including its annual $2,000 Malcolm Kirk Environmental Scholarship to a student continuing their post-secondary education in the environmental field, as well as $200 awards to a student in each of the six high schools in the GSCA jurisdiction.

Other initiatives where the foundation directs funds are the water festival and forest festival events.

The foundation also supports the funding of the GSCA’s environmental education co-ordinator, which oversees the day camps and school programs of the organization in efforts to expand their educational outreach.

“Elwood’s bequest is certainly welcome to support those initiatives and that ongoing commitment,” said Hibma.

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The bequest from Moore’s estate was $2,000, which Hibma said the foundation is extremely grateful to receive.

Others who are passionate about nature and conservation are invited to consider a bequest in their own estate planning.

“Just contributing in some way is always welcome and always appreciated, because from our perspective it is very much needed these days and will always be needed to continue to educate young people as well as ratepayers in our municipalities,” Hibma said.

Anyone looking for more information about the foundation or interested in donating to it can do so at https://www.greysauble.on.ca/foundation/about/

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