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On August 19/22 the Inter-Mountain Watershed District Board and Staff were pleased to showcase our new memorial park and honour our first two inductees, Ernie Bayduza and Wes Bernat.
IMWD’s new Memorial Park is located at our office and yardsite near Ethelbert, MB. The Memorial Park has been established to honour those volunteers that have been instrumental in the founding and building of our District to where we are today. Tremendous growth has been accomplished during Wes and Ernie’s time with IMWD, and their work constitutes important building blocks for the next generation who will be working and volunteering in conservation. |
Inductees
Ernie Bayduza was a long-term councillor, reeve and farmer in the RM of Dauphin. Ernie’s conservation ethic led him to become a subdistrict member with the Turtle River Watershed Conservation District 1986, and was integral in the formation of Intermountain Conservation District in 1997. With the new district, Ernie became chair of the Wilson River subdistrict, and served as Chair of Intermountain between 1999 and 2004. Ernie remained an active member of our main Board of Directors until he stepped down in 2011. He continued on as Chair of the Wilson River subdistrict until his passing in 2019. During his time on the Board, Ernie also served as Chairman of the Manitoba Conservation District Association’s Board from 2001-2003; he received the Conservation Builder Award in 2004; and Ernie and his wife Alvina were District’s Conservation Award Winner in 2008. Ernie also played an important role with the Dauphin Lake Advisory Board and Dauphin Lake Integrated Watershed Management Plan. We would like to acknowledge Ernie’s many years of commitment to the district (1997-2019) by recognizing him today as a Founder and Builder of IMWD.
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Wes Bernat grew up and farmed in the RM of Dauphin and also had a long-time career with the City of Dauphin. Wes was first employed by the City as the Engineering Clerk and went on to become Personnel Director, and later was also elected as City Councillor. Wes was a member of the Intermountain Conservation District since its establishment in 1997, when he was appointed as the City’s representative on the Vermillion River sub-district. Wes was appointed Chairman of the Vermillion River sub district in 2013 and remained an active member of our main Board of Directors until his passing in 2016. Wes participated in many district events such as the annual water festival, Conservation District conferences and meetings. He was instrumental in the creation of the District’s water retention strategy, and the implementation and expansion of conservation programming. Wes was Chair of the Personnel Committee and was instrumental in developing the district’s human resource policies and procedures. We would like to acknowledge Wes and his wife Stephanie’s many years of commitment to the district (1997-2016), by recognizing him today as a Builder of IMWD.
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