Charles Sauriol
Encyclopedia
Charles Joseph Sauriol, CM
(May 3, 1904 – December 16, 1995) was a Canadian naturalist
who was responsible for the preservation of many natural areas in Ontario
and across Canada.
, Ontario
. He was the youngest of seven children. His father had moved to Toronto in 1882 to work on a project that involved straightening the lower portion of the Don River
. Charles was an 8th generation Canadian. An ancestor of his had emigrated to New France
from Brittany
in 1705.
During his boyhood he camped out in the Don Valley with the 45th East Toronto Troop of the Boy Scouts
. At this time the Don was mostly woods and farmland that remained mostly in its natural state. It was during these trips that he fell in love with the outdoors and especially the Don. This inspired his commitment to help protect the Don Valley for future generations.
Sauriol was fluently bilingual. He worked for 30 years as an advertising manager for French language publishing companies such as Poirier Bessette and Le Samedi. Sauriol married Simonne Menard. They raised four children - three daughters Denise, Monique, Marcelle and one son, Claude.
, and Niagara Falls
.
In 1954 he joined the Don Valley Conservation Authority
(changed to Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
in 1957). It was during the 1950s that the MTRCA was responsible for acquiring most of the valley and ravine lands in the Toronto area. This was a direct result of the damage caused by Hurricane Hazel
. Sauriol served on the MTRCA's executive committee and as chairman of the Conservation Areas Advisory Board.
During his tenure he was responsible for acquiring land to create conservation areas in the Toronto area. His notable acquisitions included Bruce's Mill, Claremont, Glen Haffy, Cold Creek, and Black Creek Pioneer Village
.
In 1966 he joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada
, which had been established in 1962. He worked as administrative director and assisted the NCC in acquiring natural areas. In 1971 he left the MTRCA to work for the NCC. In 1982 he became executive director
until he retired in 1987. During his time with the NCC he was responsible for raising funds and acquiring natural areas across Canada. He helped acquire 500 properties in Ontario alone.
After leaving NCC, he co-founded another organization called Trees for Today and Tomorrow which planted trees to restore degraded areas. He continued working as a consultant, lending his expertise to conservation authorities throughout Ontario with land acquisitions.
. In 1968 the MTRCA expropriated the rest of his property as part of a larger program to acquire most of the private property in the Don Valley.
While his conservation work frequently took him outside Toronto, his original love was the Don Valley. Most of his weekends were spent walking along trails in the valley. He frequently visited his property during the winter which he used as a retreat to write in his journal or create articles for the Cardinal. He wrote four books about the history of the Don. One book, “Remembering the Don”, is actually a collection of articles from The Cardinal.
In 1989, in appreciation for his conservation work and especially his advocacy for the Don, a section of the Don Valley along the East Branch of the Don River from the forks up to Lawrence Avenue East
was named the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve.
In 1991 he helped to found the Todmorden Mills
Wildflower Preserve which still maintains a small forested area in the Lower Don.
was recognized by many. Known as Mr. Conservation he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
on April 12, 1989. He received 40 other awards and citations including the Governor General
's Conservation Award in 1980 and the Parks Canada
Heritage Award in 1991.
Not only was Sauriol an experienced outdoorsman he also had the knack for fundraising. During his career he raised over $20 million dollars to preserve natural areas. His legacy of preserving natural areas will be enjoyed by Canadians for many generations.
In addition to the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve four other natural areas have been named for him: the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area on the Credit River
, the John M. Cape/Charles Sauriol Biological
Studies Area at the Lake Opinicon site of Queen's University
, the Charles Sauriol Parkette in the former Borough of East York
, and the Charles Sauriol Carolinian Forest in Norfolk County
. Starting in 1995, the MTRCA and the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
host the Charles Sauriol Environmental Dinner, an annual fundraising event.
- C.J. Sauriol
Sauriol died of natural causes in 1995 at the age of 91.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(May 3, 1904 – December 16, 1995) was a Canadian naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
who was responsible for the preservation of many natural areas in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and across Canada.
Early life
Charles Sauriol was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He was the youngest of seven children. His father had moved to Toronto in 1882 to work on a project that involved straightening the lower portion of the Don River
Don River (Toronto)
The Don River is one of two rivers bounding the original settled area of Toronto, Ontario along the shore of Lake Ontario, the other being the Humber River to the west. The Don is formed from two rivers, the East and West Branches, that meet about north of Lake Ontario while flowing southward into...
. Charles was an 8th generation Canadian. An ancestor of his had emigrated to New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
from Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
in 1705.
During his boyhood he camped out in the Don Valley with the 45th East Toronto Troop of the Boy Scouts
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association that, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
. At this time the Don was mostly woods and farmland that remained mostly in its natural state. It was during these trips that he fell in love with the outdoors and especially the Don. This inspired his commitment to help protect the Don Valley for future generations.
Sauriol was fluently bilingual. He worked for 30 years as an advertising manager for French language publishing companies such as Poirier Bessette and Le Samedi. Sauriol married Simonne Menard. They raised four children - three daughters Denise, Monique, Marcelle and one son, Claude.
Conservation activities
In 1949 he was co-founder of the Don Valley Conservation Association whose mission was to preserve the Don Valley as a woodland park. Sauriol edited and published the DVCA newsletter called The Cardinal from 1951-1956. Sauriol organized steam locomotive trips for the DVCA called The Conservation Special as fundraisers from 1951-1961. These trips began at the Don River station near Queen St. in the Don Valley. These excursions attracted upwards of 1000 people and traveled to such destinations as Cobourg, LindsayLindsay, Ontario
Lindsay is a community of 19,361 people on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough...
, and Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
.
In 1954 he joined the Don Valley Conservation Authority
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority or Office de protection de la nature de Toronto et de la région is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario, Canada...
(changed to Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority or Office de protection de la nature de Toronto et de la région is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario, Canada...
in 1957). It was during the 1950s that the MTRCA was responsible for acquiring most of the valley and ravine lands in the Toronto area. This was a direct result of the damage caused by Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
. Sauriol served on the MTRCA's executive committee and as chairman of the Conservation Areas Advisory Board.
During his tenure he was responsible for acquiring land to create conservation areas in the Toronto area. His notable acquisitions included Bruce's Mill, Claremont, Glen Haffy, Cold Creek, and Black Creek Pioneer Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village is a historic site in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, just west of York University and southeast of the Jane and Steeles intersection. It overlooks Black Creek, a tributary of the Humber River. The village is a recreation of life in 19th-century Ontario and gives an idea how...
.
In 1966 he joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Nature Conservancy of Canada is a Canadian private not-for-profit charitable environmental organisation established in 1962. The NCC works to achieve the direct protection of what they deem as Canada's most important natural treasures through property securement and long-term stewardship of...
, which had been established in 1962. He worked as administrative director and assisted the NCC in acquiring natural areas. In 1971 he left the MTRCA to work for the NCC. In 1982 he became executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
until he retired in 1987. During his time with the NCC he was responsible for raising funds and acquiring natural areas across Canada. He helped acquire 500 properties in Ontario alone.
After leaving NCC, he co-founded another organization called Trees for Today and Tomorrow which planted trees to restore degraded areas. He continued working as a consultant, lending his expertise to conservation authorities throughout Ontario with land acquisitions.
Sauriol and the Don
In 1927 he purchased a 40 hectare property at the Forks of the Don. He used this as a cottage and every year moved his family to stay there during the summer months. Part of the land was expropriated in 1961 to build the Don Valley ParkwayDon Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Ontario Highway 401, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway. North of Highway 401, it continues as Ontario Highway 404. The parkway runs through...
. In 1968 the MTRCA expropriated the rest of his property as part of a larger program to acquire most of the private property in the Don Valley.
While his conservation work frequently took him outside Toronto, his original love was the Don Valley. Most of his weekends were spent walking along trails in the valley. He frequently visited his property during the winter which he used as a retreat to write in his journal or create articles for the Cardinal. He wrote four books about the history of the Don. One book, “Remembering the Don”, is actually a collection of articles from The Cardinal.
In 1989, in appreciation for his conservation work and especially his advocacy for the Don, a section of the Don Valley along the East Branch of the Don River from the forks up to Lawrence Avenue East
Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto....
was named the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve.
In 1991 he helped to found the Todmorden Mills
Todmorden Mills
Todmorden Mills was a small settlement located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. It started out as a lumber mill in the 1790s. Originally known as "Don Mills", it grew into a small industrial complex and village before becoming part of East York in the 20th century...
Wildflower Preserve which still maintains a small forested area in the Lower Don.
Accolades and legacy
His life work as a conservationistConservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
was recognized by many. Known as Mr. Conservation he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
on April 12, 1989. He received 40 other awards and citations including the Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
's Conservation Award in 1980 and the Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
Heritage Award in 1991.
Not only was Sauriol an experienced outdoorsman he also had the knack for fundraising. During his career he raised over $20 million dollars to preserve natural areas. His legacy of preserving natural areas will be enjoyed by Canadians for many generations.
In addition to the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve four other natural areas have been named for him: the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area on the Credit River
Credit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km²...
, the John M. Cape/Charles Sauriol Biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
Studies Area at the Lake Opinicon site of Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, the Charles Sauriol Parkette in the former Borough of East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
, and the Charles Sauriol Carolinian Forest in Norfolk County
Norfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
. Starting in 1995, the MTRCA and the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust is a Canadian charitable non-profit organization founded in 1999. Its mandate is to acquire land on the Oak Ridges Moraine to protect it from development, typically through land donations or conservation easements. As of November 2008, it has secured over 3000...
host the Charles Sauriol Environmental Dinner, an annual fundraising event.
- C.J. Sauriol
Sauriol died of natural causes in 1995 at the age of 91.
Works
- Remembering the Don: A Rare Record of Earlier Times Within the Don River Valley. Consolidated Amethyst Communications. 1981. ISBN 0-920474-22-5
- A Beeman's Journey, Toronto: Natural Heritage/Natural History Publishers. 1984. ISBN 0-920474-32-2
- Tales of the Don. Natural Heritage/Natural History. 1984. ISBN 0-920474-30-6
- Green Footsteps: Recollections of a Grassroots Conservationist. Hemlock Press. 1991. ISBN 0-929066-05-7
- Trails of the Don. Hemlock Press. 1992. ISBN 0-929066-10-3
- Pioneers of the Don. Self-published. 1995. ISBN 0-9699685-0-7