Congratulations Margaret Lidkea, winner of a BC Achievement Community Award Recipient

The 2019 British Columbia Achievement Community award presentations took place at Government House on May 1, 2019. Margaret Lidkea, a constituent of Oak Bay-Gordon Head, was a recipient of this honour for her outstanding ecological stewardship work in our community.

In total, twenty-four British Columbians received recognition at the sixteenth annual BC Achievement Community Award presentation ceremony. The Honourable Janet Austin, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia along with BC Achievement Foundation Board members, Robert Louie, OC and Christopher Gaze, OBC presented each recipient with a BC Achievement Community Award certificate, medallion and citation.

The British Columbia Achievement Foundation is an independent foundation established and endowed by the Province in 2003 to celebrate excellence and achievement in British Columbia. The medallion presented to each recipient is designed by Order of Canada member and B.C. artist Robert Davidson.

Margaret Lidkea is an inspirational leader in our community, dedicated to raising public awareness of the importance of ecological restoration. A biologist and an educator, Margaret earned an education degree at the University of Victoria and studied zoology and genetics at the University of British Columbia. Margret attended Lansdowne Middle School and graduated from Victoria High School.

Margaret has been an environmental educator for over 2 decades. In 2009, she co-founded the not-for-profit organization Friends Of Uplands Park after retiring from the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, where she worked as a Program Naturalist from 1988 until 2009.

Nominated for this award by Oak Bay Councillor Hazel Braithwaite, who noted that Margaret’s contributions to ecological restoration and education are legendary in Victoria. For over two decades, she has been one of the most visible proponents of protection and stewardship of Uplands Park in Oak Bay. A committed volunteer, Margaret works with local school boards to develop and deliver outdoor programs to ensure that children grow up with an appreciation and respect for the natural world in which they live.

Margaret’s true passion is inspiring and educating the young people in our community about their natural environment. She is well known for her work, as far back as 1993, in organizing Broom Bashes at Uplands Park with the Girl Guides, and, for her ongoing work with local schools where she shares her knowledge of the rare Garry Oak ecosystem found in Uplands Park.

During the reading of Margaret’s citation at the ceremony, it was noted that “rain or shine, Margaret is known to get muddy, scratched and bug-bitten to lead a group of volunteers or young students and smile while taking a leadership role. In protecting the environment, her enthusiastic approach in teaching hands on science has allowed children to step out of the classroom and learn about themselves and their world.”

Margaret’s students of all ages are now proud stewards of their communities, ready to preserve and protect it for generations to come. Margaret’s dedication and mentorship have been an inspiration for so many and she is highly deserving of the honour she has received.