Maureen Wayne Memorial Bursary
Maureen Mary Wayne (1952-2000) was a Calgary native who earned a BSc in Biology from the University of Victoria in 1974. She had a varied and rewarding work history – from work with the City of Calgary on the Pathway Program, natural history summer programs for Parks Canada (Waterton and Lake Louise), French teacher for the Calgary Board of Education, biologist for the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, biophysical inventory specialist with the BC Ministry of Environment, resource technician with Ducks Unlimited Canada, proprietor of her own consulting company, and Head, Biology and Evaluation of the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. She was author and co-author of at least 12 scientific papers, an avid naturalist and a natural educator. Maureen’s passion was for the flora and fauna of the west coast of British Columbia which developed from her work as an inventory biologist, estuary mapper and habitat rehabilitator. She was a life-time learner who truly enjoyed her work contacts with fisheries, wildlife and habitat biologists and university scientists. She was dedicated to conservation biology, to building conservation partnerships and to the highest standards of science-based work.
Family was also very important to Maureen, and summers at the cottage on Shuswap Lake with her parents and brothers and their families were of special significance. Whether it was field time dealing with the biological diversity of British Columbia, in Japan with high school classmates or on the Mediterranean with close friends, Maureen also enjoyed the adventures of travel.
Maureen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. After extensive treatments, she returned to work at the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund in 1996. Sadly, in late 1999, the cancer returned. During this time of stress, Maureen was unbelievably brave and optimistic and showed remarkable drive. She became an “expert” on the science of cancer, and she explored every conceivable option for treatment. She shared portions of her personal battle in both the print and electronic media. At the time of her death, she was participating in an experimental treatment for breast cancer.
The money for this scholarship comes from several sources. Firstly, Maureen’s parents, Doreen and Allen Wayne of Calgary, and many other friends, relatives and colleagues have made donations to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund in memory of Maureen. The Pacific Estuary Conservation Program (PECP), a partnership of government and non government organizations, has kindly matched a major portion of these donations. The source of this match is a portion of the cash prize awarded to the PECP “in recognition of important contributions to the conservation and wise use of wetlands” (Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award, 1999). Maureen was a key player in, and strong support of, the PECP partnership. The Habitat Conservation Trust Fund has also contributed to the scholarship fund. Maureen was the senior fund employee between 1989 and 1996 and oversaw major policy and procedural changes during a time of unprecedented growth.
This scholarship is designed to help train new biologists and to continue the high standards of scientific and conservation work that Maureen Wayne so enthusiastically embraced.
For more informaiton about Maureen Wayne, please visit Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.