It was sad to hear of the passing of Bill Freedman in late September 2015. He was a true friend and supporter of Sable Island.
Bill Freedman was a former board member who served when we were still looking for a long-term solution for the island’s future as “Sable Island Preservation Trust”. He always spoke his mind and was never afraid of controversy, some of which he generated with statements like “It’s a no-brainer”. In recent years he worked with Parks Canada and other Sable Island stakeholders to create an assessment of the current ecological state of Sable Island. He participated as a guide on Adventure Canada’s first cruise to Sable in 2013. He also authored a text book on the ecology of Sable Island. In spite of his illness this past year he maintained his interest in nature and Sable Island, and was on the Organizing Committee for the first Sable Island Conference held in May 2015.
Bill’s experience and knowledge of Sable Island will be missed when important decisions are being made about the management of the island. He will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality and the influence he’s had on this special and unique piece of the world. As he once said:
“So in terms of biodiversity, it’s a special place that isn’t really replicated elsewhere in Canada, or even in the world. Everything is unique, but Sable Island… is really a difference place.” (Source: http://www.dal.ca/faculty/science/news-events/news/2014/09/07/ecology_of_sable_island.html)
To see more tributes to Bill, follow these links:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2252053/bill-freedman-nature-reserve/
http://coinatlantic.ca/documents/aczisc_meeting_presentations/72EcologicalAssessmentofSI.pdf
http://blog.adventurecanada.com/bidding-farewell-to-bill-freedman/