Aquarion Water Company has announced the winners of its 2021 Environmental Champion Awards.  For over a decade, volunteers who are trying to preserve the state’s air, water, and wildlife communities have been recognized.  The nonprofit honored this year is Steep Rock Association in Washington Depot.  The nationally-accredited land trust was founded nearly a century ago.  The Steep Rock Association has preserved 5300 acres, helping to protect habitats for fish, plants, and wildlife, wetlands, and forests.  The organization also undertakes extensive scientific studies to improve their understanding of the protected lands’ ecology and inform their management decisions. In Steep Rock Preserve alone, the organization’s largest holding, they've completed six investigations specific to habitat types and 18 different studies of flora and fauna.  The findings are then applied to prioritize stewardship projects that will conserve natural resources, enhance habitat, protect wildlife, and promote biodiversity.