A South Surrey man who “contributed enormously” to nature education and conservation across B.C., over a span of more than 50 years, has died.
Those who knew Al Grass — as well as his wife, Jude — say the natural world lost “a very good friend” when the “gentle, unassuming” senior passed away on Feb. 14, at the age of 82.
“Al was all about nature,” said longtime friend George Clulow. “He was an old-school, traditional type of naturalist that we don’t really see much anymore.
“He had just a huge range of interest and … just a kind of encyclopedic knowledge of natural history, which — in a single individual, anyway — is not seen very much any more.”
Born in New Westminster, Grass — in a 2002 profile for Vancouver Natural History Society — said he figured he inherited his love of nature from his father, whom he used to help in the garden. Birding piqued his interest in the ’70s, and also led him to Jude. The pair met during an owling outing in Campbell Valley Regional Park and married in 1977 — reportedly the first couple to tie the knot in Mount Seymour Provincial Park.
Over the years, Grass’s passion for being in nature and sharing as much as he could about it with others never waned — not through his three decades as a BC Parks Naturalist; the plethora of pamphlets, columns and kid-focused magazine articles he authored; his and Jude’s involvement with organizations including Nature Vancouver, Wild Bird Trust of B.C., Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, White Rock & Surrey Naturalists and Federation of B.C. Naturalists; the always-popular nature walks he led; and so much more.
In short, “he touched thousands of people,” Clulow said.
A tribute on the Nature Vancouver website describes Grass as “an all-round naturalist.”
“The depth of his natural history knowledge was unsurpassed,” it continues.
Grass inspired a love and appreciation of the outdoors in the young and old alike, sharing his largely self-taught knowledge and fascination with everything from fungi to feathered friends without hesitation.
Last September, the couple was celebrated at a dedication ceremony held at the Fergus Watershed Biodiversity Preserve in South Surrey. The 67-acre site, between 168 Street and Highway 99, was earmarked in 2015 as an area where sensitive ecosystems and critical wildlife habitat will be both protected and enhanced.
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A granite marker bearing their names graces a location near two benches, to acknowledge the contributions the pair have made to the world of birding and nature.
Jude Grass, who now calls Crescent Gardens Retirement Community home, once told Peace Arch News that “getting people out and appreciating nature, wanting to save it,” is the bottom line.
WRSN member Glenda Bartosh said both have “volunteered thousands of hours, all in the name of conservation and educating people to appreciate nature.”
“They’re both incredible people, and a couple of characters to boot,” Bartosh writes in a tribute shared with PAN.
In a video created by SFU students for the 100th anniversary of Nature Vancouver, Grass emphasizes the positive impacts nature had on his own life.
“For one thing, it’s got me outdoors discovering all kinds of fabulous things — birds and the mosses and the liverworts and the fungi, and just goes on and on,” he says.
“Just wonderful, beautiful things.
“And of course, being outdoors in the fresh air, you can’t beat it.”
Grass was predeceased by the couple’s son, Danny, who died at age 16.