At a special reception on November 21, 2007 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization , CPAWS honoured Dr. Jim Thorsell, recipient of the prestigious 2007 Harkin Conservation Medal, named after the “father of Canada’s national parks system,” James B. Harkin. This award is presented by CPAWS to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to conserving Canada’s wilderness.
Dr. Jim Thorsell, a global authority on parks and World Heritage Sites. He has evaluated over 150 sites for World Heritage designation resulting in over one million km2 of land being brought under the World Heritage Convention. In Canada, Dr. Thorsell was instrumental in establishing Nahanni National Park Reserve as the world’s first natural World Heritage Site, and for the designation of four other sites in the country.
CPAWS also welcomed keynote speaker Dr. Bjarni Tryggvason, astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, who spoke to guests about the importance of Canada’s global role in wilderness conservation. In 1997, Dr. Tryggavason was awarded the NASA space flight medal and the Order of the Falcon from Iceland.
