Second-year environmental biology and reclamation technology student Alyssa Watson poses for a photo with delegate Katy Edwards at the CLRA conference in Edmonton in early March.--HANDOUT PHOTO
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Second-year environmental biology and reclamation technology student Alyssa Watson, who is completing her diploma program at Medicine Hat College, was recently recognized for top marks by the Canadian Land Reclamation Association and City of Medicine Hat.
Watson was presented an award, which included a $1000 scholarship sponsored by the city, for maintaining the highest grade in her class during the college’s 2025-26 academic year. She received the award at the CLRA conference in Edmonton earlier in March.
“Going to the conference, every person you talk to, they want you to succeed,” said Watson. “Everybody in the environmental field, we all have the same goal and it doesn’t feel like a competition, it feels like a team.”
The team described by Watson includes environmental professionals from across the province who aim to advance, promote and celebrate the reclamation profession through networking and educational opportunities.
The goal of the CLRA as a non-profit organization is to keep its members informed with the latest technical information and provide resources to help promote best-in-practice processes related to reclamation projects.
“I had the opportunity to sit in on different sessions. I chose to sit in on the grasslands one because that’s what’s relevant to me here,” said Watson. “It was exciting to see how things are changing and the different techniques that are being used that we haven’t necessarily discussed in class.”
Following graduation from MHC, Watson plans to enrol in the bachelor of environmental science at the University of Lethbridge this fall.
