A Tribute to Anna Roberts
By Sage Birchwater with input from friends and family.

We take a moment to remember Anna Roberts, one of the founding members of Scout Island Nature Centre and the Williams Lake Field Naturalists. Anna passed away on Sept. 20, 2025 at the age of 96.

Anna moved to Williams Lake from Ottawa with her veterinarian husband John in 1958. A naturalist friend told Anna to check out the migratory birds of the Cariboo, so Anna encouraged John to head to Williams Lake. While he spoke to the government agent about the need for veterinary services in the region, Anna visited Scout Island at the outflow of the lake.

Both struck gold.

John learned there was no veterinary practice north of Kamloops, and Anna recognized the significance of the area for migratory birds and its rich undocumented natural history.

Within a year they built their home on the southeastern shore of the lake where John established his veterinary clinic.

Over her 67 years in the region, Anna made her mark. Few people have contributed more to the field of natural sciences, community service and advocacy for nature and conservation.

She has also been a leader and an inspiration as a potter and ceramic artist. She found local sources of clay and minerals for glazes at various locations around the Cariboo, and fired her hand-built creations in her own kiln at her studio next to her home.

Anna never tired of telling the story of how she put a stop to the city’s plans to fill in the Scout Island marsh and use it for commercial purposes. She enlisted the help of R.D. Harris, a biologist for the Canadian Wildlife Service, to assess its potential. His study concluded that Scout Island and the marsh had significant wildlife values and a unique potential for interpreting nature and the wetland ecology within an urban setting.

In 1973 the 2^nd Century Fund, now known as the BC Nature Conservancy, purchased Scout Island from the city for $99,000 then leased it back to the city for $1 per year. In 1976 the Williams Lake Field Naturalists, a group of which Anna was a founding member, took over managing Scout Island for the city and the Nature Trust.

Anna’s work as a natural scientist extends far beyond Williams Lake. Her work documenting the natural history of the Cariboo Chilcotin can be found in books, reports and publications, and she generously shared her knowledge, photographs and information with others.

Ecologist Ordell Steen, who co-authored several publications with Anna, says “Anna’s legacy resides in a lot of people.”

Anna continued to live on her own in her Grebe Drive home until suffering a stroke last March in her 96^th year. She remains an inspiration to those who knew her best.

Thank you Anna!