The Weyburn Wildlife Federation has received a $1,500 donation in memory of Mitch Rabbitt, a former oil and gas executive whose love of hunting, fishing, and the outdoors connected him with the region’s wildlife community.
The donation was presented last week on behalf of Allied Energy Corp. II. The Radville and Estevan branches of the wildlife federation also received $1,500 cheques in Rabbitt’s memory.
Rabbitt, who died last year at age 37, was the company’s vice-president of drilling and completions. He was born in Salmon Creek, B.C., studied at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, and earned a degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech.
Hard-worker, family man, avid outdoorsman
Outside of his career and family life, Rabbitt was an avid outdoorsman who spent many hours bow hunting elk and fishing.
Dale Paslawski, president of the Weyburn Wildlife Federation, said Rabbitt shared the federation members’ appreciation for the outdoors.
“Some of our members were actually friends with him, and they knew him,” Paslawski said. “But he was apparently a good man, (loved) going outdoors and fishing and hunting.”
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Paslawski said spending time in nature offers a break from work and everyday responsibilities, a feeling he believes Rabbitt understood as well.
The donations come without restrictions on how the money must be spent. The three branches will discuss how best to use the funds.
Thousands of members, supporting one Mother Nature
Wildlife federations across Saskatchewan support conservation efforts through initiatives such as purchasing habitat lands and funding educational events. The province has more than 120 wildlife federations, with a combined membership of more than 30,000, according to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
For Paslawski, that work reflects a shared appreciation for the natural world, from wildlife and changing seasons to the birds that pass through the region during migration.
“It’s people and the outdoors and the wildlife and, even in the yard right now, I’m looking at the trees turning color,” Paslawski said. “That’s all sacred; it’s all beautiful. It’s part of nature, and I’ve got birds in the yard here, and migration is on right now.”
He said that connection to nature can stay with people throughout their lives.
“I was raised the same way, and you don’t lose that,” Paslawski said. “I believe Mitch was raised the same way.”
People interested in learning more about the Weyburn Wildlife Federation or local conservation efforts can visit the Weyburn Wildlife Federation website or its Facebook page.