The Earth has lost a passionate advocate: Jim Galloway passed away in early June at the age of 91.
A lifelong environmental advocate, Jim was an active member and volunteer of Wildsight for more than three decades. He lived his life with joy and brought passion, tenacity and dedication to everything he did. He dedicated a huge amount of his time and energy to protecting the environment in his community. A resident of Brisco, Jim called the globally significant Columbia Wetlands his backyard and was no stranger to getting wet and dirty to make a difference.
“At about the age of 40, I started to realize that we are abusing our planet terribly. Something had to be done about it. I wanted to contribute as much as I could to help people realize that we’ve got to look after our planet. After all, it’s the only one we’ve got.”Jim Galloway
A long-time board member of both Wildsight Invermere and the Jumbo Creek Conservation Society, Jim was fiercely passionate about protecting the Jumbo Valley from the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort, a 4-season ski resort proposed in the heart of the Purcell Mountains. Jim was a constant presence at community events, meetings, protests, work bees and field days. Wherever he was, his infectious smile came with him.
At the age of 81, he spent 42 consecutive days camped at the Jumbo Monitoring Camp, documenting all activity in the Jumbo Valley in the last summer the developers had to begin construction. The monitoring camp was staffed with volunteers from around the Kootenays throughout the summer, but Jim was the consistent thread, welcoming all.
Jim celebrated the success of the Jumbo Wild campaign and the declaration of the Qat’muk Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA), knowing the Jumbo Valley would remain wild, thanks in no small part to tireless efforts by so many community members, like Jim.
Another one of Jim’s great contributions was the Wilmer Wetland clean-up: over the course of a year, volunteers removed hundreds of old tires and sunken vehicles from the wetland that is home to thousands of migrating birds each year.
It’s hard to describe just how wonderful Jim was and how much he contributed: his smile would light up a room, his letters to the government numbered in the hundreds, and the hours he dedicated to making the world a better place invaluable.
Here’s to you, Jim, may your legacy live on and inspire the next generation of stewards of our lands and waters.
There will be a celebration of life at 4pm, July 8 at the Radium Community Hall. All who knew and loved Jim are welcome to join and celebrate a truly remarkable man.