Countryside Management Association News

On 12th Septemebr 2009 at the EUROPARC conference in Strömstad Sweden, Gordon Miller was presented with the Alfred Toepfer medal " for his significant contribution to nature protection in Europe by inspiring, encouraging and co-ordinating the work of ranger services".
The EUROPARC Nordic-Baltic Section had nominated Gordon for the award .
Thomas Hansson; President of Nordic-Baltic Section made the following remarks prior to presenting the award:

We who work with nature conservation try to keep a balance between nature's own sustainability and our human impact.
We have done this for 100 years and we will continue to work toward this in the future.
In this valuable work there are many individuals who contribute and make a difference.
Over time a few people stick out. They have a clear vision and in a goal-oriented fashion move our work forward.

When the announcement came for the opening of the nomination to the Alfred Toepfer Medal, we, the Nordic-Baltic section had a revelation that the time had come to recognize someone who has made great contributions and who from an early age has devoted himself to nature conservation!

1. In 1953 you start your national park “career” at the age of 12 on a school camping trip 2 years after the establishment of UK´s first national park and the story goes that you knew that it would be the place to live and work.

2. At (18) you join the Peak District National Park´s voluntary warden service and participate in the first warden training course given in the UK (it´s still given yearly).

3. In 1968 you get a full-time post with the Peak District National Park Warden Service.

4. During the 1960s you act in a lot of positions in the local community, also having the annual school walk on the iconic Kinder Scout, the Peak Districts highest mountain, which overlooks the village.

5. During the 1970s, when the title “warden” changed to “ranger” you extend your vision and became an active Chairman of the Association of Countryside Rangers (ACR) promoting the value of ranger services coming together to exchange expertise and ideas and build camaraderie.

6. In the 1980s you devote a lot of energy to ranger training, assisting the development of many pioneering courses at, for example Losehill Hall, the Peak District National Park study centre, providing professionalism in protected area work.

7. In the late 80s, at European Ranger Training seminars meet the “EkoPole” (Piotr Dabrowski) from Krakow and you initiate an exchange of field staff between Poland and UK.

8. In 1990 together with 14 other UK-rangers went two weeks to Poland and to follow up this as an exchange you went to the Foreign Office in London and secured a grant from the UK Government´s Know-How fund.
9. In 1991 enabled 15 Polish field –based staff to visit England and Scotland, culminating in attendance at the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association Annual Conference at Balloch hotel.

10. During a boat trip on Loch Lomond had a famous discussion with rangers from Scotland, United States and Denmark that led the following year to the formal inauguration of the International Ranger Federation.

11. In 1992 represent the Contryside Managers when the International Ranger Federation (IRF)was founded with a signed agreement between the Countryside Management Association (CMA), representing rangers in England and Wales; the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association (SCRA); and the U.S.Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR).

12. At 6:30 on the evening of Sunday, May 21, 1995, as chairman of the International Ranger Federation, officially opened the First World Ranger Congress with the raising of IRF's flag outside the Kasprowy Hotel in Zakopane, Poland, to the thunderous applause of 135 delegates from ranger organizations from 35 nations around the world. It was a watershed moment in the history of the ranger profession.

13. As President of th IRF on the EUROPARC conference in Zakopane 1999 have a workshop on the “Role of the ranger”

14. Retire from your full-time ranger post in 2002 and the following year goes to the IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban with a large delegation from IRF.

We are very satisfied that The EUROPARC Federation now awards the ALFRED TOEPFER MEDAL 2009 to Mr.Gordon Miller for his significant contribution to nature protection in Europe by inspiring, encouraging and coordinating the work of ranger services.

Strömstad SWEDEN

Thomas Hansson
President of the EUROPARC Nordic-Baltic Section

IRF representative Jobogo Mirindi from the DRC has sent this sad note about the killing of another ranger in Virunga NP:

"We are deeply sorry to inform you of the tragic death of our ranger colleague John Bosco Kanyangara Muhima. He was part of a patrol launched on the morning of Friday, August 14th, to save the remaining hippos in Virunga NP. The team met a group of heavily armed poachers and after two hours’ exchange of fire, John Bosco's gun ran out of bullets. One of the poachers who was undercover opened fire in the ranger's direction and John Bosco received a shot in the lungs. The ranger team transported him to the nearest point for evacuation, close to Lake Edouard, where a speedboat was sent to rescue him. Unfortunately he died before he could be transferred to a hospital. His funeral was held on the edge of the Rutshuru River at a very beautiful place called Mai ya Moto. It overlooks the Rwindi plains which is an area that he spent his life protecting. Kanyangara was buried with honors as a conservation hero, in the company of all fellow rangers and Emmanuel, the park's new director. He was the father of six and his widow has still not recovered from the shock following the burial of her partner.”