Part 3
Ian has a simply remarkable memory for facts, names and locations. I have experienced this talent, first hand, on many occasions. Once we were writing an educational booklet on wild sheep and I remarked to Ian that I had some unusual personal observations about California bighorn sheep and escape terrain in the Ashnola. I asked him if he knew of anything in the scientific literature about wild sheep that could support my observations. He paused for a moment and then suggested I look at "around page 80 of Gordon Haber's thesis on Dall's sheep in the 1960s." So I tracked down a copy of Haber's thesis and sure enough, the description was within 5 pages of where Ian said it would be. Remarkably, this was some 25 years after Ian had supervised Haber's research.
Few people realize Ian's exceptional contribution to the project that became The Birds of British Columbia. His efforts to help initiate the B.C. Nest Record Scheme that provided vital data for the work, and his role as one of the authors is well chronicled in the four-volume set. What is not well known is that, in addition to his authorial duties, at the request of the federal and provincial governments, Ian served for ten years as the volunteer Chair and project manager for the production of Volumes III and IV, the Passerines. Managing the activities of the six other authors plus reporting to the federal and provincial wildlife Directors was a complex and sometimes thankless task. But his leadership paid handsome dividends. Not only were Volumes III and IV produced in a timely fashion, they provided the same type of comprehensive data that made the first two volumes so popular.
Neil Dawe, a co-author of The Birds of British Columbia, made the following observations about the inner workings of the author team: "What amazed me the most about working with Ian was his seemingly constant grounding and never-get-flusteredness no matter what the crises. He is one of those rare individuals who listens, encourages and respects other people's ideas and viewpoints, while not necessarily agreeing with them, and treats everyone with equity and fairness, no matter their position in life. Plus he weaves extraordinarily colorful yarns, which always made the monthly authors' meetings a joy to attend."
Ian admits to being a dedicated collector, and museums in several parts of the world house treasures of his collecting. Earlier, it was mammal, bird and plant specimens and the literature of wildlife in the northwest, and later kodachrome transparencies, alpine plants, rhododendrons, special ground orchids and award-winning revenue stamps and their legal documents. Always the collections were in search of more information on a topic of interest. The search continues today. The learning never stops.
Ian and his wife Joyce were devoted companions for over 70 years until her passing in 2002.They raised two children, Gary and Ann. There are 3 grand children and 4 great grand children. Together, Ian and Joyce savored many of the treasured wild spots of six continents including some 30 trips as naturalist hosts educating guests on special ecotourism expeditions outfitted by Lindblad Cruises. On early field trips, Joyce paid special attention to data on the occurance of vegetation. A keen and knowledgeable bird observer, for all of her life she kept daily diaries of the visitors to her feeders at their Victoria home. She was, after all, Kenneth Racey's daughter, and natural history was a big part of daily life. Back in the early 1930s, there was more than a small mammal collection that caught Ian's eye in the Racey household.
Looking back, it was naturalists like Racey and Laing who fed and encouraged Ian's seemingly insatiable curiosity about the natural world. It was the foundation of an exceptional career in conservation and post secondary education. His lengthy record of awards, distinctions and public service reflects a broad spectrum of interests, and is a testament to his outstanding contributions to Canada. In his own words, "Evolution is never finished and this applies equally to ideas and to organisms." He himself has never ceased to evolve, as a naturalist and as a human being. Ian has spent his entire life as a learner and educator-the true mark of a Renaissance Man. Yes, Cowan is indeed "the real thing."
Awards and Distinctions
Officer of the Order of Canada, Officer of the Order of British Columbia, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Leopold Medal of the Wildlife Society, Fry Medal of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, Einarsen Award in Conservation by the Northwest Section of the Wildlife Society, and the J. Dewey Soper Award by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists. He is also Honorary President of the Federation of BC Naturalists.
In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he has also been awarded honorary D.Sc. degrees by the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and the University of Northern British Columbia; LLD degrees by the University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University; and a Doctor of Environmental Studies by the University of Waterloo.
IAN MCTAGGART-COWAN
