Spotlight Q& A
You have worked hard to combat invasive species. Tell us about that and what strides have you made to get ahead of this issue? Bruce Mackenzie in the Beamer Falls Gorge, Grimsby. Photo by Mark Zelinski
I have been involved with the negative effects of invasive species, be they diseases, insects, plants, aquatic invertebrates, and fish throughout my career. Zebra mussels have changed many of our waterways. Garlic Mustard and European Buckthorn are having profound effects on our forests and regeneration of native plants. I have seen the native wildflowers disappear from some areas because of these plants. We have lost the Sweet Chestnut Tree, most White Elms and now are seeing Ash trees decimated to various introduced pests. At the Grimsby Wetlands we carried out a major control project on the non-native invasive Phragmites Grass. This plant, from the Middle East, is considered to be the most significant threat to wetlands in eastern North America. Working with consultants and an experienced contractor a successful control project was carried out in Grimsby. It was guided by the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, HNC, and the NPCA and funded by the HNC.
BRUCE MACKENZIE Bruce Mackenzie’s environmental work is a labour of love. The Grimsby Citizen of the Year is a well-known naturalist who just recently became the Grimsby representative to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). From his long-time career in the Hamilton Conservation Authority, where he held numerous roles while fostering 11,000 acres of natural lands, to his tireless volunteer efforts to restore the decommissioned Biggar Lagoons, Bruce is proud of the work he has been involved in… and he isn’t slowing down. 12
NeighbourhoodMagazine.ca
Congratulations on being appointed as the Grimsby Representative to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). What does this role involve and why did you take it on? Primarily this position is to act as a member of the Board of Director’s of the NPCA. I believe in giving back and do what ever I can to inspire people to have the same considerations for nature as I do. After having spent my entire career with the Hamilton Conservation Authority as a Manager of Conservation Lands / Customer Services and with being a very active naturalist I felt that I would be able to contribute well to the workings of the new Board of the NPCA. I believe public agency boards should have a strong citizen component. After having received the first Rt. Hon. John Turner Water and Environmental Leadership Award in 2016 from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation my interests in the NPCA began.
Your passion for the natural world is evident. When did your love of nature start? From the beginning, I think. I have always had a curiosity about natural history and my family always encouraged me. I was fortunate to grow up near natural areas where I could explore and ask what and why. I have been so fortunate to be accompanied along my paths by my wife Laurie and rewarded in seeing my children inherit a curiosity and desire to give back. Moving from Toronto to Hamilton in 1976 and working in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area put me into the magic of the Niagara Escarpment biome.
You had a long career with the Hamilton Conservation Authority, including posts as the superintendent at the Fifty Point Conservation Area marina, and Director of Customer Service and Operations for the authority. Talk to us about those years and what you take away from those experiences? Almost all of my roles were new positions to the Conservation Authority. They really did not come with a manual. This provided
