December 21, 2016
Manitoba Renames Unit of Wildlife Management Area to Honour Edward A. `Ted' Poyser
– – –Manitoban Honoured with Renaming of Protected Habitat in Whitemud Watershed Wildlife Management Area: Cox
Manitoba has renamed a protected unit within the Whitemud Watershed Wildlife Management Area after a long-time champion of protecting the province’s natural habitat, Edward A. ‘Ted’ Poyser, Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox announced today.
“We are immensely pleased to pay tribute to Ted, a pioneer in habitat protection in Manitoba, by renaming the Sight Hill Unit of the Whitemud Watershed Wildlife Management Area in his honour,” said Cox. “The newly named Edward A. Poyser Unit will provide continued protection to an important parcel of land that is also located near the family farm Ted was raised on. It was there that his passion for agriculture grew, evolving into a lifetime of contributions to soil sciences and protection of natural habitats in our province.”
Early in his long and impactful career, Poyser was credited with publishing some of the first soil survey reports in Manitoba. Then as a soils specialist with the Manitoba Department of Agriculture, he was instrumental in establishing the Whitemud Watershed Conservation District. He also helped develop productivity ratings for land that became the basis for the Manitoba Crop Insurance Program.
Poyser served for many years as the chairman of the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, and worked closely with environmental groups such as Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. He was inducted into the Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Edward A. Poyser Unit was officially named during a private ceremony earlier today involving Poyser, his family and Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart, representing Cox.
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