Lorne Scott has logged thousands of kilometres in his car and warmed dozens of meeting room seats to promote conservation.
For those efforts, the Indian Head, Sask., farmer, former provincial resource management minister and one-time executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation has been appointed to the Order of Canada.
Darrell Crabbe, SWF executive director, cited Scott’s work with whooping cranes, burrowing owls and the Great Sand Hills and his operation of an environmentally sustainable farm.
“He walks the walk and talks the talk,” Crabbe said. “No one in Saskatchewan puts in the time he does for the environment.”
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Dennis Sherritt, a research fellow at the University of Regina, served as the provincial fish and wildlife director during Scott’s time in the NDP government in the 1990s.
He cited Scott’s work with the wildlife habitat protection act and in identifying and setting aside millions of acres of biodiverse crown owned lands. Sherritt said that keeps the land in public hands where it can continue to be grazed but remain unplowed.
Scott also worked with aboriginals to curb night hunting.
He enacted conservation easement legislation that allowed groups to pay a landowner to maintain native pastures.
Sherritt said Scott endeavoured to keep the agricultural benefit and prevented land from ending up in private hands.
“Lorne recognized that rare and endangered species were there because of the landowners, not in spite of them,” he said.
Sherritt said Scott is respected by politicians of all stripes.
“He was always polite, never condescending and wanted to work with others. He saw politics as a means to get the job done, not the end.”
Scott called the Order of Canada a huge and humbling honour that recognizes both his conservation work and public service.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” he said.
He is expected to receive the award later this year and in the meantime plans to continue conservation work as chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and a burrowing owl steering committee, and as conservation director for Nature Saskatchewan.
