Sustainable Canada holds gala fundraiser at Historic Reesor ranch

Photo by Tim Kalinowski- About 50 supporters of Sustainable Canada got together for a gala fundraiser at the Historic Reesor ranch on Saturday. Pictured: Scott Reesor recites some of his cowboy poetry after dinner.

By Tim Kalinowski
Sustainable Canada held its first annual gala fundraising dinner at the Historic Reesor Ranch on Saturday night. Organizers could not have asked for more perfect weather for the event, and about 50 people showed up to show their support for Sustainable Canada’s efforts.
Reesor Ranch owner Scott Reesor regaled those present with his entertaining and heartfelt cowboy poetry after dinner, and the band Phoenix played well into the night. The event also featured a silent auction and various draws to entice a few more dollars out of peoples’ wallets.
Sustainable Canada president Randy Stokke said the organization had come a long ways from when it was first founded four years ago as a protest group to the federally imposed Sage Grouse Protection Order.
“We are trying to fix the problems now instead of just reacting to them,” said Stokke. “We are slowly making progress. The Species at Risk Act is still there, but where we have made ground is having these government people understand more about what’s happening here on the ground instead of in Ottawa.”
Rhonda Reesor provided the keynote address for the evening on behalf of Sustainable Canada. She echoed emphatically what Stokke was saying.
“We stand for common sense conservation,” she said. “We are having the opportunity to speak with government, and I think that’s really important. To be able to take government officials on tours of the land to see what actually happens out there. I think, the message is:  We are not destroying the land, we’re protecting and looking after it. And we have been doing this for over 100 years. We want to be able to educate people about that.”