Castle Wilderness

Who is Andy Russell?

Calgary Herald Editorial, June 3, 2005

Andy Russell, who died Wednesday at the age of 89, was the ultimate Albertan.

That is, he was what people think of when they said the word. A ruggedly independent cowboy and hunter, Russell was as at home in the saddle as the drawing room of his mountaintop home near Pincher Creek: He could charm listeners with his anecdotes – or stir them with his anger over what he saw happening to the wilderness he loved.

This was especially so during the 1980’s, when the Alberta government dammed the Oldman River, and destroyed one of the finest trout streams in the province. Though unsuccessful, Russell was, through it all, an articulate advocate for the environment, and an enthusiastic burr under the government’s saddle.

He was also an accurate observer of nature, and wrote 13 books on what he saw, as well as dozens of magazine articles.

His most provocative was published in Natural History – “Can animals think?” Russell thought so, and huge controversy followed the journal’s decision to pitch the findings of a man without university education against orthodox scientists.

The article was ultimately printed in 17 languages: Russell would later receive the Order of Canada – and three honorary degrees.

It was a life lived large. We hope his passing does not mark the end of an era, and that new generations of men and women who love the land will ride into the hills to hunt and work, and nourish Alberta’s roots in doing so. They could hardly expect to replicate the kind of life he lived, however. Alberta has changed.

But what does not need to change is the vigour, and Russell’s passion for this land. Our hope is that they will continue to be what people expect from Alberta, and that other “ultimate Albertans” will share his values.

(Copyright, Calgary Herald, 2005)

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