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Cobi and Steve Sauder named the 2023 Oxford Stewardship Award winners

The 2023 Oxford Stewardship Award WinnerOxford County Warden Marcus Ryan presented the 2024 Oxford Stewardship Award to Cobi and Steve Sauder this morning at County Council to recognize their efforts toward land improvement and sustainability.

Cobi and Steve Sauder have dedicated their lives to outdoor education and conservation. The couple stood out to the award selection committee for their long list of stewardship projects at their 100-acre farm in Zorra Township. Cobi and Steve Sauder have planted an estimated 6,500 trees since purchasing their property nearly 30 years ago.

Recent projects include establishing a wooded area with tree diversity, buffering a wetland, and planting windbreaks. Working with Oxford County, the Sauders installed deer exclosures to help reduce invasive species and help improve the woodlot health at the back of their property by preventing the deer from eating all of the new vegetation. They also plant cover crops at their farm, have decommissioned an old well and created water and sediment control basins.

The Sauders were among three short-listed candidates chosen from a pool of projects supported by the Clean Water Program. The program is funded by Oxford County and administered by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the Grand River Conservation Authority and promotes water quality improvement, as well as woodland and wetland conservation and enhancement. The finalists undertook various land improvements this year to protect the local environment.

Oxford County is honouring this year’s Oxford Stewardship Award recipient with a $500 gift certificate to purchase original artwork commissioned from an Oxford County artist of their choice. In addition to this prize, Cobi and Steve Sauder have been added to the recognition wall at the Oxford County Administration Building, designed to honour all past and future recipients of the Oxford Stewardship Award.

The winner of the Oxford Stewardship Award is chosen by representatives of local stewardship organizations, with Marinda Gras, Soil & Crop Improvement Association, and Cher Sprague, Stewardship Oxford, leading the judging process. Find more information about the 2023 Oxford Land Stewardship Award candidates below.  

 

Background

  • The Oxford Stewardship Award recipient is chosen by Stewardship Oxford and the Oxford Soil & Crop Improvement Association from the pool of projects that received financial and/or technical assistance through the County-supported Clean Water Program the previous year. The Clean Water Program, administered by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the Grand River Conservation Authority, with direct funding contributions from the County, helps to fund and support the conservation and enhancement of natural heritage resources in Oxford County. In 2023, a total of 28 Clean Water Program projects were funded in Oxford County. This reflected over $306,000 in total project value and $135,000 in grants. Oxford County committed $70,000 to the program. Technical guidance for most of these projects was provided by the Long Point Region, Grand River and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.
  • The Oxford Stewardship Award was established in 2009 to recognize County landowners who have made outstanding contributions to protecting our natural heritage, such as woodlands, wetlands, streams and meadows and builds on the legacy of the former Landsaver Award, which was awarded between 1982 and 2003. The current stewardship award acknowledges the vital role that all landowners can play in preserving and enhancing the County’s natural environment.