Across the Outaouais region, farmers are planting vegetative buffers along waterways, planting hedgerows and hillslopes, and creating habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
Award recipients honoured during the ALUS Outaouais fifth anniversary celebration. From left to right: Maria Jose Maezo (ALUS Coordinator), Félix Meunier (Mental and Physical Health Award), Erin Krekoski (Soil Formation and Nutrient Cycling Award), Kristine Amyotte (Erosion and Water Regulation Award), Dave Reford (Aesthetic and Spiritual Values Award), and Camila Rubiano (Agri-Environmental Field Technician). Absent from the photo: Carl Poirier (Pollination and Disease and Pest Regulation Award).
These projects are part of a shared commitment: caring for the land in ways that support both farming and the wider community.
In its first five years, ALUS Outaouais has supported 69 participating farmers in establishing nearly 495 acres of new nature on farmland. Behind those numbers are farmers making space for nature and helping protect the water, soil and habitat their communities depend on.
To mark this milestone, ALUS Outaouais recognized five farms whose work reflects the many benefits of farmer-led conservation. From water management and soil health to pollination and community well-being, each award highlights a different ecosystem service produced on farms that contributes to life in the region.
Meet the farmers behind that work.
Kristine Amyotte and her cows, scroll through to see Kristine’s ALUS projects on Ferme Robbie Beck
Protecting water at Ferme Robbie Beck
Kristine Amyotte | Pontiac
Erosion and Water Regulation Award
For Kristine Amyotte, caring for the environment is part of farming. Alongside her family, she operates Ferme Robbie Beck Inc., a dairy and cash crop farm in Pontiac.
Through ALUS, Kristine has expanded riparian buffers, the strips of vegetation beside waterways, and restored a farm pond. These projects help protect local waterways while making space for nature alongside food production.
“Caring for the environment is in our DNA. We were looking for an organization that recognized that commitment. ALUS was exactly what we needed. I’m grateful for their technical and financial support.”
Noé and Félix Meunier and team from La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
Growing community at Le Jardin des Draveurs
Noé and Félix Meunier | La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
Mental and Physical Health Award
At Le Jardin des Draveurs, Noé and Félix Meunier grow food and bring people together through their recently established market garden farm.
With ALUS, they have established planted vegetative buffers, including a riparian buffer around their irrigation pond. Their work also engages a network of volunteers, giving community members opportunities to contribute to the farm and its commitment to local food security.
For Noé and Félix, support for these projects helps them build the kind of farm they envisioned.
“We realized that many start-up farms spend their time surviving their dream instead of living their dream. Thank you for supporting our projects.”
Scroll through to see bird box projects at Rock’s End Farm, their adorable sheep herd, and meet Erin Kresoski along side Abbi Spencer an Outaouais PAC member at the awards event. Photo credit: Rock’s End Farm
Supporting soil and wildlife at Rock’s End Farm
Erin Krekoski | Les Collines-de-l’Outaouais
Soil Formation and Nutrient Cycling Award
Erin Krekoski raises primarily grass-fed beef and lamb at Rock’s End Farm, where regenerative farming practices guide her approach to caring for the land.
Her ALUS projects include planted buffers, riparian vegetation and nesting habitat for grassland birds. These projects complement her focus on soil health, making room for wildlife on the land that sustains her farm.
“I would like to thank you for your support and for believing in our ideas.”
Brian Maloney (right) presenting a bird-friendly farming recognition sign to Dave Reford (left), scroll through to see Dave Reford’s ALUS projects on his farm
Connecting art, farming and nature in Gatineau
Dave Reford | Gatineau
Aesthetic and Spiritual Values Award
For Dave Reford, farming and art are connected through the land.
On his cattle farm in Gatineau, Dave uses rotational grazing and incorporates land art into his agricultural work. He also contributes to biodiversity research and the protection of grassland birds.
His approach shows how farmland can inspire creativity and deepen people’s connection to nature while providing space for wildlife.
“My connection to the land comes from bringing creativity and added value to it. I want to ensure that wildlife habitats and nature remain part of the landscape. Thank you to ALUS for celebrating our work.”
Scroll through to see Carl in his pollinator project and the beautiful monarch butterflies calling it home
Making room for pollinators at Ferme HLF du Lac Simon
Carl Poirier | Papineau
Pollination and Disease and Pest Regulation Award
At Ferme HLF du Lac Simon, Carl Poirier and his family operate a diversified organic fruit and vegetable farm. Alongside their produce, they offer value-added products and seedlings for local gardeners.
Their ALUS projects include planted vegetative buffers, riparian buffers and monarch habitat. These additions make space for wildlife within the farm operation and reflect Carl’s commitment to supporting pollinators.
His work highlights the connections between habitat on farms and the natural processes that support growing food.
Supporting farmers, strengthening communities
A restored pond, a vegetative buffer beside a waterway, a place for grassland birds to nest: each project begins with a farmer’s decision to make room for nature.
For five years, ALUS Outaouais has helped farmers put those ideas into practice. These awards celebrate both the projects and the people behind them, whose care for their farms contributes to the health of the wider Outaouais community.
Have an idea for a nature-based project on your farm? Contact ALUS Outaouais to explore how the program can support you.
