Our forests might seem like the most open and free spaces you could be in, but for “park rangers” in the 1970’s, there was still very much a glass ceiling over it.
This is a tribute to one of the most dedicated conservationists in Alberta, and one of the pioneers in breaking that glass ceiling.
Christine Scotland is retiring after 40 years of service as a conservation officer with Alberta Parks. She’s worked all across Alberta, but has called Kananaskis home for more than twenty years. She’s helped to protect our most gorgeous natural spaces so we can continue to enjoy them for years to come.
“As a first nations man from New Mexico told me and which I have never forgotten ‘without the wild, there is no culture of any kind, human, plant, animal. All vitality of health and the reality of life as a happy thing is magically pumped from the wild and exists in direct proportion to the amount of the world left in her real undeveloped state.’ Hence my passion for Conservation and Preservation,” said Scotland.
She was a trailblazer in a time when women hardly worked outdoors. She started as a seasonal employee in 1975 before becoming one of the first three women in the province hired as what was then called a “park ranger.” It wasn’t easy, and she can tell you some tales that would knock your socks off.
“I sure do have some stories about being in the male domain back in the day.” she said on Facebook, but those stories are now memories that show just how many minds she opened during her career.
She paved the way for hundreds of women conservationists to follow in her footsteps and has helped mentor many personally along the way.
“Christine was like my work mom for many years, and she was very much like family to me. She was such a valued teammate for her knowledge, her work ethic, and for being one of the most genuine and caring people you’d ever meet,” said Ryan Phinney, a fellow Conservation Officer.
While Christine will now be happily retired in her home of Kananaskis, she has some advice for current and future conservationists that we can all bear—haha get it—in mind.
“Stay safe, and never forget the important impact we can all have on protecting the land.”
