The Prairie Crocus Award is presented by Nature Manitoba "for outstanding service in preserving a part of Manitoba in its natural state." This year's recipient is a man who has been instrumental in preserving not one, but five parts of Manitoba as provincial parks. Bill Blaikie was Manitoba's minister of Conservation for two years until his retirement last Fall. During his term of office, he established more provincial parks in a one-year period than any other minister in the history of Manitoba parks. These parks are: Nueltin Lake Provincial Park, Colvin Lake Provincial Park, Birch Island Provincial Park, Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park, and Fisher Bay Provincial Park.
The history of conservation in North America is one of epic struggles where nature did not always win. But it is also a history of farsighted public figures who took a stand for a piece of the planet. Bill Blaikie is one such person.
In presenting the Prairie Crocus Award, Nature Manitoba President Roger Turenne stated that “Mr. Blaikie didn't create these parks all by himself. All of them were at some stage of development before he became minister. Mention should be made of Mr. Blaikie's predecessor, Stan Struthers, who really got the ball rolling with respect to Little Limestone Lake. But it was under Mr. Blaikie’s watch that the final push was made, the tough decisions taken.”
Mr. Turenne stated that Nature Manitoba had had some concerns about the adequacy of the boundaries for some of these parks, but added that “We live in an imperfect world and we must recognize the constraints that a minister operates under. When he does his best, and when that best produces five great provincial parks in a single year, this deserves to be publicly acknowledged and celebrated.”
The award was presented at Nature Manitoba’s Annual General Meeting Monday March 19, 2012.