Ralph Edwards

Ralph Edwards, ( – July 3, 1977) was a pioneering British Columbian homesteader, amateur pilot and leading conservationist of the trumpeter swan. He received the Order of Canada in 1972 for his conservation efforts, and is the namesake of the Edwards Range mountains. Edwards and his family were celebrated in a number of books and films, including Leland Stowe's best-selling Crusoe of Lonesome Lake, which led to Edwards being the surprise honoree on the 1957 Christmas Day edition of This Is Your Life.

Final years and postscript Edwards separated from his wife in 1965, having sold The Birches to American buyers against her will. Ethel arranged with the buyers that she could continue to live there; their elder son, Stanley, who had left Lonesome Lake at seventeen, returned to live with his mother, and their younger son, John, eventually repurchased it. A documentary called Crusoe of Lonesome Lake was filmed in 1988 by Tony Wade, featuring footage of the historic property and buildings before the fire. Over the years, a number of family members took on the task – first Ralph, then Stan, John, and Trudy – using sacks of corn which were hauled in by packhorse.

In 1972, Edwards received the Order of Canada (Medal of Service) – the highest Canadian award for conservation – for his work with the swans. By the 1980s, trumpeter swan populations had increased throughout their range, and the Canadian government stopped its feeding program. Many of the swans cared for by the Edwards family subsequently died of starvation, but others found new homes elsewhere in less cold and remote areas. It is unclear how effective the Edwards' feeding program was in the end, but the species today is better protected from hunting, and is no longer considered endangered.