Senator Herb Sparrow, described by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada as a "Saskatchewan sustainability pioneer," was inducted into the Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame in Ottawa March 21.
Don McCabe, the president of the SCCC, spoke glowingly of Sparrow.
"Few people have made a greater personal commitment in their life to maintaining the quality of Canadian soils and water than Senator Herb Sparrow."
Explaining the decision to give Sparrow the award, McCabe said "Senator Sparrow would be one of the most recognized and honoured people" in the field of soil conservation.
Sparrow has deep roots in the local community. He has been a businessman, farmer and rancher, and currently lives in North Battleford. At age 38, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate and served for 37 years, making him the longest-serving member of the Canadian Senate when he retired.
Sparrow's greatest contribution to the field of soil conservation was chairing the Standing Committee on Agriculture and later the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. He also chaired the committee that produced a report on Canada's soils called "Soil at Risk, Canada's Eroding Future."
That report led to the creation of the SCCC, the Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre and the Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame. After the creation of the SCCC, Sparrow served as the first president of the organization and later became an honorary life member. After his time at the SCCC, he received numerous plaudits from conservation and agriculture organizations, including honorary memberships for the Agricultural Institute of Canada and the Soil Science Society of Canada, acknowledgement by the Soil Conservation Society of America and the United Nations Environment Program Leadership Medal and Certificate of Distinction for Soil Conservation. He also received an honorary doctor of science degree from McGill University and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.
In 2008, he received the Order of Canada and in 2011 received the LB Thompson Conservation Award from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
For more information about the SCCC, visit their website at www.soilcc.ca.
