Bruce Duncan
Nominating Agency: Hamilton Conservation Authority

The late Bruce Duncan came to be known early in his career, probably first by the Hamilton Naturalists' Club while working as a nature interpreter at the Taquanyah Nature Centre where he initiated a hacking program for Bald Eagles. The successful program helped to bring back the Bald Eagle to the north shores of Lake Erie. He worked 11 years for the Grand River Conservation Authority prior to joining the Hamilton Conservation Authority for 18 years when he began as a nature outdoor educator at the Merrick Field Centre. In 1992 Bruce became the ecologist for the Authority and through this work he became better known in the community, especially with the different agencies and groups responsible for the environment. In 2003, Bruce took on the position as Director of Watershed Planning and Engineering for the Hamilton Conservation Authority and in one year was promoted to the General Manager's role.

In addition to his accomplishments with the Hamilton Naturalists' Club and the Conservation Authorities, Bruce was also a past president of the Ontario Bird Banding Association. In 1992 he received the honour of being the Environmentalist of the Year in Hamilton, by then he also had received the Canada 125 Award for Environmental Service to the Community. In 1997, Bruce was awarded an accolade from the Hawk Migration Association of North America.

Bruce was a storyteller and a beautiful writer. He was a passionate conservationist and outdoorsman who loved to teach school children in and around Hamilton about the plant and animal life in their surroundings. He was a prolific contributor to books and scholarly articles on eagles, hawks and natural history in Ontario. In his 60 years, Bruce taught many and accomplished a great deal. Hamilton and its area continue to benefit from having had Bruce Duncan in their community.

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