Al Martin was a giant in, and huge champion of, B.C.’s conservation community for decades.
For thirty years, he had an influential career with the provincial government in fish and wildlife management and conservation, including roles as Director of the Watershed Restoration Program and Director of the Fish and Wildlife Branch. After his retirement, he continued to be a leader, bringing his wealth of knowledge and passion for conservation as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the BC Wildlife Federation and Board Director-Trustee with HCTF. Al passed away suddenly in 2019.
“Al had tremendous strategic sense. He was able to see opportunities where others didn’t and could anticipate and head off potential issues before they became issues,” said Brian Springinotic, former HCTF CEO, of his time working with Al. “These are critical skills in any leader and HCTF was the beneficiary of Al’s type of leadership during his time on the Board. Like many, I personally benefited from Al’s collaborative nature: in my time at HCTF, I was the beneficiary of regular drop-in visits and calls to exchange information, stay current with evolving events, and kick around ideas to try and improve things for fish and wildlife in this province. Al’s passing left a huge hole in the conservation fabric of B.C.”
Says Harvey Andrusak, HCTF Board Director-Trustee and former President of the BC Wildlife Federation: “Al was THE leader in freshwater fisheries for 35-plus years. His integrity and ability to put high-level issues into context were the reasons he was so respected with the bureaucrats and politicians he worked with. Al understood the big picture better than most of us, and my favourite line to Al was, ‘fill in the blanks for us, please.’ Fish conservation lost a true champion.”
Watch “Al Martin: A Conservation Hero” from BC Wildlife Federation
To honour Al’s legacy of leadership and conservation for future generations, and as part of HCTF’s 40th anniversary celebrations, HCTF launched a scholarship program in 2021, with the first being the Al Martin Conservation Fellowship (now Al Martin HCTF Conservation Scholarships). HCTF invites graduate students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree who wish to pursue a career in fish or wildlife management and conservation in B.C. to apply for the program.
Successful applicants include some of the following students:
Kaitlyn Zinn
Kaitlyn was one of the first recipients of the scholarship in 2021 as a PhD student at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry in the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory. Scholarship funds supported her research for her thesis “Effects of Recreational Catch and Release on Chinook: From Marine Environments to Spawning Grounds.” Kaitlyn’s long-term goal is to be involved in salmonid conservation, contributing to the conservation of wild salmon stocks in British Columbia.
Siobhan Darlington
2022 recipient Siobhan used the funds to support research for her thesis, “The spatial ecology and foraging dynamics of cougar in the southern interior of British Columbia,” which focused on the effects of forest harvesting, wildfire, and human activity on the distribution, population demographics, and diet of cougars. Siobhan worked on the Southern BC Cougar Project as part of her thesis research; Al had previously provided a letter of support to the project, outlining the importance of the work.
Zachary Sherker
Zachary received an Al Martin scholarship in 2023 for his PhD research on the impacts of floodgates on juvenile Pacific salmon habitat access, focusing on reopening access to critical habitat for at-risk aquatic species in fragmented systems across B.C. to allow native fish populations to rebound and expand into their historic range.
“Al’s love for connected wetlands and disdain for habitat loss led to massive provincial investment in watersheds and wetland restoration, part of which funded the restoration works we are studying today. Without Al’s tireless commitment to the habitat and wildlife of B.C., our research would not be possible. We hope to continue Al’s legacy, to provide science-driven solutions to human-driven problems, and provide irrefutable evidence of the impacts of human development on the species B.C. relies upon. This research can be used to inform more restoration and motivate further investment similar to what Al was able to inspire in his 40+ year career.” – Zachary
Larisa Murdoch
A 2025 recipient, Larisa is a master’s student at Thompson Rivers University. Her research in the Thompson region aims to deepen the understanding of the challenges facing bighorn sheep populations and their impact on survival and reproduction.
With the Al Martin HCTF Conservation Scholarships, HCTF strives to build a cohort of emerging leaders, connecting graduate students who will continue to do important work for B.C.’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. We believe in nurturing and growing conservation leaders of the future.
