Post by jonsdigs on Nov 16, 2006 9:36:34 GMT -5
Hawk Watch founder was passionate naturalist
By Paul Legall
The Hamilton Spectator
PARIS, Ont. (Nov 14, 2006)
SPECIAL TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
Bruce Duncan: a community treasure.
Bruce Duncan will be remembered as a dedicated environmentalist whose passion for the outdoors was second only to his love and affection for his family.
Until his death Saturday after a car accident the day before, the 60-year-old ecologist and head of the Hamilton Conservation Authority had been doing his best to pass on his knowledge of plants, birds and animals to his own children, James, 13, and Katie, 10.
With his wife, Janet, he would often take them camping and hiking in parks and wilderness areas in Ontario where he had introduced hundreds of other young people to the magic and mysteries of the outdoors.
"He definitely would want to be remembered as a family man who enjoyed camping, canoeing and bird-watching with his children," said Deborah Duncan, who had been married to Bruce's deceased older brother.
"He was always involved in family and we're going to miss him," she said from the Duncan's Paris home yesterday.
The family was still reeling from his death following a head-on collision while he was returning from Brantford at about 7:20 p.m. Friday.
He suffered fatal injuries when an oncoming car driven by Susan Jones, 38, swerved across the centre line into his path. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene and Duncan later died at Hamilton General Hospital.
"It's so sudden. It's like he's been removed from earth by aliens. The club members are all in shock," said Paul Attack, who is president of the Hamilton Naturalist Club.
Duncan was a past-president of the 500-member club, which was formed in 1919, and had established himself as a raptor expert. He had written scholarly articles about hawks and eagles and participated in raptor preservation programs in the area.
In 1991, he founded the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch program, which organizes bird counts at the Beamer Conservation area in Grimsby during the raptor migrations each year.
"The people of Hamilton often don't realize the kinds of treasures they have in their own community," said Hamilton naturalist and birder Bob Curry, who has known Duncan for 35 years.
He described his friend as a "gentleman and gentle man" who was always respectful of others and tended to understate his own accomplishments.
After working for the Grand River Conservation area for more than 15 years, Duncan was hired by the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) in 1988 to run its outdoor education program. He would take schoolchildren on hikes through the Dundas Valley where he pointed out the unique animal and plant life of the region, much as he later did with his own children.
In 1992, he became the HCA's staff ecologist and a decade later he was promoted to director of watershed planning and engineering. Until 2004, Duncan had been responsible for all forms of watershed planning from storm warnings to water quality and quantity. Then he succeeded Scott Konkle as general manager and chief administrative officer of the authority.
"He will be sadly missed. The sadness will be widespread," said Ben Vanderbrug, who headed up the HCA from 1970 until his retirement in 2002.
Vanderbrug said he always sought out Duncan's input when the authority was asked to assess the environmental impact of various development proposals.
Vanderbrug described him as a "pragmatist and realist" who presented his opinions in a reasoned, fair and thoughtful way. People were usually swayed by his obvious sincerity and honesty, Vanderbrug added.
Born in England, Duncan immigrated to Canada with his parents and two siblings as a young boy and obtained most of his early education in Orillia.
A proud Scot who occasionally donned his kilt, he had been living in Paris for about 10 years.
The family will hold a private funeral. A public celebration of Duncan's life will be held at Bay Gardens Funeral and Memorial Centre, 1010 Botanical Dr., Burlington (next to the RBG) on Saturday, Nov. 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. There will be an opportunity for remembrances and eulogies at 3 p.m.
Article
We lost a teacher
By Robert Howard
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 16, 2006)
Bruce Duncan is memorialized in millions of tonnes of uncarved stone -- and grass, woods, streams and caves.
Head of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Duncan died this past weekend in a head-on collision near his hometown of Paris, Ont. He was just 59 -- gone too soon, senselessly and suddenly.
Just three days before, he beamingly presided at the announcement of a $1.5 million donation to Hamilton's newest conservation area, the cave-riddled Eramosa Karst property on Stoney Creek Mountain.
Bruce Duncan's legacy is generations of people, from children to seniors, who appreciate nature and its wonders better because he showed them, taught them, or helped give them a place to learn for themselves.
His death is a terrible loss for his family and friends and leaves a void at the conservation authority and in the close-knit local conservation and naturalist community that will not soon or easily be filled.
Duncan was by every account a genuinely nice man who cared deeply and equally for the environment and for people. He was admired and respected by colleagues and peers for his dedication, his uplifting nature, his sharing of knowledge and skills, and his teaching abilities.
His contributions to this community will long be remembered. We offer gratitude for his life and our condolences to all who loved him.
Editorials are written by members of the editorial board. They represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the individual author.
Article
By Paul Legall
The Hamilton Spectator
PARIS, Ont. (Nov 14, 2006)
SPECIAL TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
Bruce Duncan: a community treasure.
Bruce Duncan will be remembered as a dedicated environmentalist whose passion for the outdoors was second only to his love and affection for his family.
Until his death Saturday after a car accident the day before, the 60-year-old ecologist and head of the Hamilton Conservation Authority had been doing his best to pass on his knowledge of plants, birds and animals to his own children, James, 13, and Katie, 10.
With his wife, Janet, he would often take them camping and hiking in parks and wilderness areas in Ontario where he had introduced hundreds of other young people to the magic and mysteries of the outdoors.
"He definitely would want to be remembered as a family man who enjoyed camping, canoeing and bird-watching with his children," said Deborah Duncan, who had been married to Bruce's deceased older brother.
"He was always involved in family and we're going to miss him," she said from the Duncan's Paris home yesterday.
The family was still reeling from his death following a head-on collision while he was returning from Brantford at about 7:20 p.m. Friday.
He suffered fatal injuries when an oncoming car driven by Susan Jones, 38, swerved across the centre line into his path. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene and Duncan later died at Hamilton General Hospital.
"It's so sudden. It's like he's been removed from earth by aliens. The club members are all in shock," said Paul Attack, who is president of the Hamilton Naturalist Club.
Duncan was a past-president of the 500-member club, which was formed in 1919, and had established himself as a raptor expert. He had written scholarly articles about hawks and eagles and participated in raptor preservation programs in the area.
In 1991, he founded the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch program, which organizes bird counts at the Beamer Conservation area in Grimsby during the raptor migrations each year.
"The people of Hamilton often don't realize the kinds of treasures they have in their own community," said Hamilton naturalist and birder Bob Curry, who has known Duncan for 35 years.
He described his friend as a "gentleman and gentle man" who was always respectful of others and tended to understate his own accomplishments.
After working for the Grand River Conservation area for more than 15 years, Duncan was hired by the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) in 1988 to run its outdoor education program. He would take schoolchildren on hikes through the Dundas Valley where he pointed out the unique animal and plant life of the region, much as he later did with his own children.
In 1992, he became the HCA's staff ecologist and a decade later he was promoted to director of watershed planning and engineering. Until 2004, Duncan had been responsible for all forms of watershed planning from storm warnings to water quality and quantity. Then he succeeded Scott Konkle as general manager and chief administrative officer of the authority.
"He will be sadly missed. The sadness will be widespread," said Ben Vanderbrug, who headed up the HCA from 1970 until his retirement in 2002.
Vanderbrug said he always sought out Duncan's input when the authority was asked to assess the environmental impact of various development proposals.
Vanderbrug described him as a "pragmatist and realist" who presented his opinions in a reasoned, fair and thoughtful way. People were usually swayed by his obvious sincerity and honesty, Vanderbrug added.
Born in England, Duncan immigrated to Canada with his parents and two siblings as a young boy and obtained most of his early education in Orillia.
A proud Scot who occasionally donned his kilt, he had been living in Paris for about 10 years.
The family will hold a private funeral. A public celebration of Duncan's life will be held at Bay Gardens Funeral and Memorial Centre, 1010 Botanical Dr., Burlington (next to the RBG) on Saturday, Nov. 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. There will be an opportunity for remembrances and eulogies at 3 p.m.
Article
We lost a teacher
By Robert Howard
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 16, 2006)
Bruce Duncan is memorialized in millions of tonnes of uncarved stone -- and grass, woods, streams and caves.
Head of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Duncan died this past weekend in a head-on collision near his hometown of Paris, Ont. He was just 59 -- gone too soon, senselessly and suddenly.
Just three days before, he beamingly presided at the announcement of a $1.5 million donation to Hamilton's newest conservation area, the cave-riddled Eramosa Karst property on Stoney Creek Mountain.
Bruce Duncan's legacy is generations of people, from children to seniors, who appreciate nature and its wonders better because he showed them, taught them, or helped give them a place to learn for themselves.
His death is a terrible loss for his family and friends and leaves a void at the conservation authority and in the close-knit local conservation and naturalist community that will not soon or easily be filled.
Duncan was by every account a genuinely nice man who cared deeply and equally for the environment and for people. He was admired and respected by colleagues and peers for his dedication, his uplifting nature, his sharing of knowledge and skills, and his teaching abilities.
His contributions to this community will long be remembered. We offer gratitude for his life and our condolences to all who loved him.
Editorials are written by members of the editorial board. They represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the individual author.
Article