Fairbanks, AK—On November 4, long-time Northern Center member and conservationist Florence Collins passed away at the Fairbanks Pioneers Home. Florence was a geologist and aviator and helped create an enduring conservation community in Interior Alaska.
Florence edited the long standing feature in the Northern Center’s Northern Line titled, “Conservation Abstracts," a compendium of conservation-related news items. She volunteered for this task with absolute consistency for many years. An annual award, the Florence Collins Award, is awarded each year for outstanding contribution to the conservation of northern Alaska. Her contribution to conservation of Interior and northern Alaska cannot be overstated. She was a champion of the 1980 landmark bill, the Alaska National Lands Conservation Act and worked tirelessly to ensure traditional ways of life were preserved and understood.
Fellow Northern Center member Terry Reichardt remembers Florence, "I knew Florence as an environmentalist who never stopped caring and never stopped contributing. We both shared a love of Alaska's wilderness. But it was her friendship that I will miss most. Florence was a good friend to me, to many others, and especially to Alaska's environmental community."
Florence’s passing is sad news for the entire conservation community of Alaska. She will be remembered at a memorial service on Saturday from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the Pioneers Home in Fairbanks.