Letter From the Editor

J. Bruce Falls, Richard Pough, Aird Lewis and David Fowle. First exploratory meeting for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 1961 (NCC archives)

Conservation is an effort of hope and optimism in the face of what can seem like unsurmountable obstacles.

But just as the flap of a butterfly’s wings can have a large effect, so too can the actions of a single person buoyed by hope and optimism lead to great things.

In the early sixties, J. Bruce Falls, a young zoology professor at the University of Toronto, was one of a small group of hopeful optimists who founded the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). “We were seeing that many of the areas that we were interested in…were
disappearing or being degraded,” said Falls in an interview a few years ago. “We thought, we’d better do something about it.”

This past December, Falls’s contributions to Canadian conservation were recognized when he was named a member of the Order of Canada — a true testament to the impact of his hopeful vision more than 50 years ago.

NCC’s president and CEO, John Lounds, was also recently recognized with the Museum of Nature’s 2016 Nature Inspiration Award. Lounds has guided NCC since 1997. His vision of NCC as a national conservation organization with offices in all 10 provinces has defined the scope of our work, and helped NCC evolve into Canada’s leading land conservation charity. We congratulate him and Bruce Falls on their recent awards.

In the pages that follow, you’ll read stories about other hopeful, optimistic individuals, without whom NCC’s conservation achievements would not be possible. People like Danielle Robertson and Dirk van Loon, who believe in the importance of protecting the lands on which they live. We celebrate them, and we thank you for all you do to support our shared vision for a natural Canada.

Christine Beevis Trickett, Managing Editor