Blog by Writer & Content Specialist Sarah Moore. Photos by Nathan Krentz with CPlusN photography.
Each year the Alberta Emerald Foundation showcases organizations and individuals who are working at the top of their game to address environmental challenges across the province. On June 4, 2026, the 35th Annual Emerald Awards recognized another round of excellent award recipients, which included some friends of the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC):
Doug Kaupp, who was the recipient of the Ron Kruhlak Lifetime Achievement Award;
Alberta Native Bee Council, recipient of the Biodiversity & Habitat category;
Alberta Invasive Species Council, recipient of the Land Use, Agriculture, or Forestry category;
North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, recipient of the Youth Leadership category.
The OWC sends a big congratulations to all of this year’s Emerald Award recipients and shortlisted nominees. Thank you for your phenomenal work! Read on to learn more about a few of the winners.
Reflections on the Ron Kruhlak Lifetime Achievement Award
Doug Kaupp receiving his Emerald Award in June 2026.
Doug Kaupp, who is the chair of OWC’s Board of Directors, was the recipient of the Ron Kruhlak Lifetime Achievement Award for A Legacy of Smart Water Management in Southwest Alberta. His career at the City of Lethbridge, for many years as General Manager of Water and Wastewater, “quietly shaped how water is managed, protected, and valued across southern Alberta. In a region where drought, low river flows, and competing demands place constant pressure on water systems, his work has helped ensure that communities, industries, and ecosystems can continue to rely on a safe and sustainable supply.”
Doug’s experience and perspective is invaluable on OWC’s Board, but his work clearly extends beyond OWC. We asked Doug what the Ron Kruhlak Lifetime Achievement Award means to him, and what stands out from his career and volunteer work.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
In 2025 you accepted an Emerald Award in the Community Group or Nonprofit category on behalf of OWC. How did this year’s experience compare?
Last year was a lot more suspenseful, because we didn't know ahead of time that OWC had won. At the awards night, we saw the videos of the other shortlisted candidates, and by the time we got through them, we thought, "we don't have a chance”—they were all amazing. So when they called us up, it was a big surprise because the competition was so stiff.
But I found it easier when I was accepting an award on behalf of a fabulous organization of which I was only a small part, and in recognition of 20 years of accomplishments and dozens of staff and board members. So I found it easy to let the glow of that 20 years and dozens and dozens of people shine on me for two minutes.
This year, I knew going in that I was getting the award, because there is only one individual shortlisted, so it was a lot less suspenseful. But it seemed a lot more difficult to accept an award on my behalf, in recognition of personal accomplishments. It was a totally different thing. It's just that much more personal, and I was more nervous, even though I knew that I'd won.
How did it feel when you found out you had, in fact, won the Ron Kruhlak Lifetime Achievement Award?
I had no idea that I'd been nominated, so I was totally caught by surprise. I was in a store talking to a salesperson about a lawn mower, and got a call from Shannon Frank, OWC’s CEO, notifying me that I'd won this award. It took days for it to sink in—that this was a recognition of decades of work, my whole life and career. It was really humbling. It's not that I felt unworthy, or not deserving. The surprise was that anyone was paying attention. I was perfectly fine being taken for granted, doing important stuff in the background.
At the awards night, I was treated like a celebrity; it was quite flattering to be appreciated. Being recognized for a lifetime of work, it's special for sure. In some ways, it seems like a dream. The trophy is sitting in the next room, but it still seems like an unreal thing out of the blue, to be appreciated for all I’ve done.
A lifetime achievement award is rightly awarded before the end of your life, which is I think a smart thing. I would not have appreciated this as much if I was gone! But on the other hand, it also implies that you might be close to finished. And I'm not. I plan to continue the good work that I've been recognized for up to this point. I'll continue to find ways to work on boards and look for ways to contribute going forward.
What are a few things you’re proud of over your lifetime of career and volunteer work?
Early on at the wastewater treatment plant, we were working on a project with a brilliant consultant, and I found myself co-developing the actual treatment process. My name appears with a handful of others on a patent for the process that's being used at the Lethbridge wastewater treatment plant. That's a highlight.
Another highlight was negotiating agreements to provide water to surrounding communities. Today, the City of Lethbridge provides water on a regional basis, and that was a new thing. I had a big part in what those agreements looked like and how they were negotiated and managed once the water was flowing outside the city.
There are a number of advisory committees and other public forums that I actively participated in. A big one was the South Saskatchewan River Basin Water Management Plan. I was on an advisory committee that over the course of numerous meetings over several years, saw changes made to legislation, the Water Act. That I think was a big highlight.
I was also engaged in the Oldman River Water Quality Initiative, which was led primarily by public health people and was a precursor to the OWC. I've been working with the OWC since its inception, but the last 13 years on the board are truly a highlight as well. It's an award-winning organization, and there's a lot of trust within the community, and recognition of the good work they do, that I'm happy to be part of.
What makes the Emerald Awards in particular so meaningful?
It's been around a long time. It's always had a high profile in recognizing environmental achievements, and it definitely confirms that there's a lot of good stuff going on in the province. These nominees are clearly just the tip of an iceberg. They're doing restoration work, outreach, education. They're solving small problems in big ways, big problems in small ways, and they're all impressive. The bar is pretty high.
It's not hard to imagine that beyond those three shortlisted projects in each category, that there are dozens or hundreds that didn't make the cut or were never nominated, that are happening around us. Every year, there's a lot of good work going on to the benefit of the environment.
There's no shortage of bad news stories about the environment. The Emerald Awards are an opportunity to recognize and profile good things that are going on. It provides a sense of hope for the future.
Congratulations, Doug!
More award-winning friends of OWC
We are thrilled to celebrate some other 35th Annual Emerald Award winners whose efforts exemplify the impact we strive for with OWC projects—from pollinators to invasive plants to youth empowerment.
Alberta Native Bee Council was the recipient of the Biodiversity & Habitat category for Monitoring Alberta’s Native Bee Biodiversity.
In 2018 the council launched a provincial monitoring program to coordinate efforts to track native bee biodiversity over time. The program employs low-cost monitoring kits across the province, including to remote areas. With 147 current monitoring locations and tens of thousands of native bees documented, the program is helping to expand knowledge of Alberta’s native bee diversity and distribution, information that is critical to guide conservation efforts and protect pollinators.
Alberta Invasive Species Council was the recipient of the Land Use, Agriculture, or Forestry category for Provincial Leadership in Biological Control for Invasive Plants.
The council coordinates the collection, redistribution, and release of insects that naturally target specific invasive plants across the province. By bridging the gap between scientific research and real-world application, these efforts are reducing reliance on chemical controls, protecting sensitive landscapes, and enabling long-term, self-sustaining management of invasive species at a provincial scale.
North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, a fellow Watershed Planning and Advisory Council, was the recipient of the Youth Leadership Category for Youth Water Council in the North Saskatchewan River Watershed.
The Youth Water Council provides high school students with opportunities to connect with their watershed in hands-on ways. The year-long program focuses on learning, leadership, and taking meaningful action in the protection of Alberta’s water resources, with a mix of workshops, field experiences, and mentorship.
Once again, congratulations from OWC to everyone who received and was shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Emerald Awards. Your accomplishments are making a difference across the province.
This year’s Emerald Award winners.
Like all OWC’s blogs, this post was written by a real live human, without the use of generative AI.
