(1888-1938)

The Englishman Archie Belaney, known as Grey Owl, left a legacy of awareness of the wilderness that ranks him as one of the pioneers of the modern conservation movement. To advertise his views, Grey Owl lectured, wrote numerous books and articles, and invented a fictional personality, the Métis Wa-sha-quon-asin. Grey Owl was living in the wilderness, following the ways he had learned from the Ojibway, when he decided to give up hunting to become the advocate of his beloved “little people,” the beavers.
Only with his death came public realization that Grey Owl was not an Indian. He may have played a role, but his concern for conservation was sincere and influenced people all over the world.