A Brief from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
If you are one of the countless number of residents or visitors to Niagara, Ontario who has enjoyed some of this region’s conservation areas and the bounty of natural riches they offer, one of the people we can thank is Doug Elliott.
Niagara conservationist pioneer Doug Elliot. Photo courtesy of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
Not that Doug Elliot, from all of the humility that came through in the short time I had a chance to get to know him , was ever in it for the thanks of others. For this Welland, Ontario resident, it most always seemed to be about preserving natural spaces for which he felt such reverence for present and future generations.
Doug Elliot, a founding member of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, established in 1959 as one of numerous stewards hip agencies of its kind across the province, passed away this June 10 at age 88 – a year after receiving a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal for his decades of selfless efforts to protect and preserve something of our natural heritage here.
Doug served as a member as well as the chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and was instrumental in negotiating with private interests and others to secure such conservation sites as Ball’s Falls, Long Beach, Binbrook and the Wainfleet Bog in a watershed that now encompasses more than 2,400 hectares of public and private lands in Niagara and eastern reaches of Hamilton and Haldimand County.
A strong supporter of the NPCA’s efforts to preserve natural areas in Niagara until the end, you can say a little prayer for Doug every time you hike a trail through one of the conservation areas in this region or join so many thousands of others who gather at Beamer’s Point in Grimsby each spring to watch the annual, northward migration of hawks and eagle in the air shafts above the Niagara Escarpment.
Through his love of nature and selfless dedication to the public good and community, Doug Elliot left a legacy for countless present and future generations to enjoy, and he may forever rest in peace for that.
Doug’s family will receive friends at Wesley United Church, 244 First Avenue, Welland on Thursday, June 20th from 6 – 8 p.m. The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 613, will conduct a Legion Service at 6 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, June 21st at Wesley United Church at 1:00 p.m. A private family Interment will take place at a later date. As an expression of sympathy, donations to the Welland Hospital Foundation or the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation would be appreciated by the family. Online condolences available at www.cudneyfuneralhome.com .
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