Congratulations Mary Baxter!
CSN Best MA (or Equivalent) Thesis or Major Research Paper in Canadian Studies Prize winner

Mary Baxter’s MA thesis from Western University, “The 1900s Southwestern Ontario Sand Sucker Panic,” is a richly documented and well-presented piece of research. She explores the environmental impact of commercial dredging at Pelee Island, Point Pelee, and along the St. Clair River. As she shows, the removal of tons of sand in the early twentieth century for the purposes of urban construction had dire ecological consequences. Baxter reveals how these resources were over-exploited by American and Canadian companies, with inappropriate oversight from different levels of government, endangering the integrity of shorelines as well as the Great Lakes fisheries. Ultimately, new approaches to freshwater ecology led to the end of the dredging operations. Providing an historical context for earth science research, her work straddles the applied sciences and the humanities/social sciences. She approaches the topic from a number of different angles, including ecology, economics, and Indigenous perspectives. Writing with style and insight, Baxter has produced an outstanding MA thesis.

The CSN warmly thanks the committee members for this prize.