The Orville Erickson Memorial Scholarship Fund

• Program: Animal Science, Anthrozoology, Biology, or Environmental Sciences
• Study Year: 1st Year - Post Grad
• Citizenship: Canadian or Permanent Resident (Canada)

The Orville Erickson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1975 in memory of an outstanding conservationist and outdoorsman, the late Orville Erickson, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Scholarships range in value from $500 to $4,000. 

ORVILLE ERICKSON 

Orville Erickson’s love of the outdoors and interest in conservation carried him to the office of President of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, a post he served so well that he was acclaimed Canadian Outdoorsman of the Year – 1975. Erickson held a variety of conservation and municipal positions during his lifetime and in 1968, he was named ‘Citizen of the Year’ in his home city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. 

During his short but busy life, Erickson found time to be a successful businessman, a good husband and father while working hard for the things he believed in. Before he became President of CWF, he served as president for both the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation in 1969 and 1970 and the Prince Albert Branch in the 60’s becoming a respected voice for sportsmen throughout Canada. Orville was passionate about legislation for firearm registration and also about the illegal hunting and selling of wild meat. In 1974 Orville was awarded the Gordon Lund Memorial Trophy for outstanding contributions to conservation, known as one of Saskatchewan’s foremost leaders in the field of conservation. His passion was the outdoors and Orville made sure to meet with those who could affect change in Canada; meeting with natives to discuss conservation issues, international field biologists, former Prime Minister Diefenbaker, and the president of the National Wildlife Federation in the United States. At his untimely death in August of 1975, he was fishing with friends in northern Saskatchewan. 

In recognition of his contribution, the Orville Erickson Memorial Scholarship Fund (OEMSF) was established to carry on, with his same enthusiasm and spirit, the search for solutions to our environmental difficulties. 

The OEMSF is administered by the Canadian Wildlife Foundation. The OEMSF is financed entirely with monies raised in the private sector through the voluntary efforts of Orville Erickson’s friends. The people involved in generating these funds, and those concerned with their expenditure, have expressed the wish that these hard earned resources be used to assist financially, students demonstrating the same type of commitment and enthusiasm for conservation as Orville Erickson did during his lifetime. Some of the programs that previous OEMSF winners have studied include Biological Studies, Zoology, Global Resource Systems, Ecosystem Management, Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ecological Restoration, Environmental Sciences.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a charitable organization that works with Canadians to make a difference to the kind of legacy we leave behind … not just for wildlife, but also for our children.