New award will honour life of Vancouver Island man who died in Boeing crash
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2019 17:31:32 +0000
A new award has been established in honour of a young B.C. Parks worker who died earlier this year in a Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash in Ethiopia.
The Micah Messent Young Professional Award of Excellence will recognize a young employee, intern, contractor or volunteer from a Canadian Parks Council member agency, according to a B.C. Government media release issued Monday.
“Micah was a bright light in the B.C. Parks family who left an impression on those he worked with in a short amount of time,” said Environment Minister George Heyman.
“Naming an award after Micah will help honour his legacy of conservation, protecting our parks and environment and advancing reconciliation.”
Messent was among 18 Canadians and 138 other people killed when Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on March 10, 2019.
He was en route as part of a delegation to attend the fourth United Nations Environmental Assembly in Kenya.
The young Comox Valley-raised man was a member of the Red River Métis Nation in Manitoba and the youngest of five siblings. He was passionate about the environment and worked as an Indigenous relations analyst for B.C. Parks after graduating from Vancouver Island University’s Indigenous studies program.
In a statement, Messent’s family expressed their appreciation for the establishment of the award, citing his passion for the environment that he shared with his grandfather.
“Micah’s grandfather Frank Camp began his career as a warden in Jasper National Park and worked in several national parks over a span of 35 years, with his final posting being superintendent of Pacific Rim National Park,” read a statement shared by the family.
“While Micah was travelling through B.C. presenting Indigenous relations workshops for B.C. Parks, he was touched at how many people either knew or had worked with his Grandpa Frank.
“Micah shared his grandfather’s passion for the environment and our parks system, and we appreciate there will be an award in Micah’s name that recognizes the positive impact he made in his young life.”
Through the Park Enhancement Fund, B.C. Parks has created an endowment of $20,000 that will be used to fund the award annually.
Recipients will be between the ages of 18 and 30, will have demonstrated action that engages and connects people with nature, and who show influence and potential as Messent did.