Orford, Quebec (November 26, 2021) – Appalachian Corridor received an award for its contributions to the municipality of Eastman at the OMER awards gala, held by the Memphremagog Chamber of Commerce on November 25 in Orford.

More than thirty businesses and organizations working within the 17 municipalities part of the Chamber of Commerce’s territory were candidates. In total, 17 OMER prizes and two special jury awards were presented.

“This recognition is even more special for Appalachian Corridor, because it is the first we have received from our peers in a sphere that is broader than our sector of activity in environmental protection,” explains Mélanie Lelièvre, Executive Director of Appalachian Corridor. “It is very rewarding to be recognized for our impact, especially especially considering that it was the Municipality of Eastman that nominated us.”

From left to right: Marie-José Auclair – Board chair, Mélanie Lelièvre – Executive Director and Marie-Hélène Thibeault – Department Lead, Communications and Philanthropy

Since 2002, Appalachian Corridor has been working to protect the natural environments on its territory, which extends from Granby to Sherbrooke, and south to the Canada-U.S. border. In collaboration with its 17 local affiliates and several funders, the organization has helped protect 15,264 hectares to date.

Last year, the organization completed the largest conservation project in its young history: the protection in perpetuity of the 442 hectares (1092 acres) Khartoum-Simard property in Eastman. With this project, Appalachian Corridor and its partners helped to protect nearly 7 percent of the municipality’s territory in perpetuity, a significant gain for biodiversity and the community.

In her thank you remarks, Lelièvre took advantage of the award and the entrepreneurial audience to remind all guests of the importance of protecting the richness of our territory and our collective responsibility to preserve the beauty and health of the nature that surrounds us.

For 60 years now, the Memphremagog Chamber of Commerce has had the mission of stimulating entrepreneurial vitality and interaction between its members and the organizations in its region to propose structuring and innovative actions that contribute to the economic growth of the Memphremagog region.

Appalachian Corridor

Appalachian Corridor is a non-profit conservation organization created in 2002, whose mission is to protect the natural environments of the Appalachian region of southern Quebec. Through the implementation of its transboundary conservation strategy, Appalachian Corridor provides local communities with the means to maintain and restore a living environment that respects the ecology of the region, in a sustainable development perspective. 17 local organisations are affiliated members of Appalachian Corridor. The extent of the areas protected by Appalachian Corridor and its partners in the region is now 15,264 hectares.