Photo: Gillespie on the tundra / Photo submitted by Murray Gillespie
Portage Graphic Leader
After 45 years of navigating the rugged terrain of the Canadian North and tracking wildlife across the Arctic, Murray Gillespie has a few stories to tell.
What started as a simple project to preserve family history has evolved into a new book, Wildlife: 45 years as Wildlife Biologist. The memoir, which was released shortly before Christmas, chronicles Gillespie’s journey from growing up in Macdonald, Man., to his decades-long career with Manitoba Natural Resources and the Canadian Wildlife Service.
“I started writing stories basically for our family to have in the future,” Gillespie said. “I was encouraged by family members to do that. The process just expanded and expanded and eventually drew the interest of a publisher.”
The book offers a collection of adventures, including a harrowing 18-day canoe trip northwest of Churchill. Gillespie describes the mission — intended to collar geese for population research — as a “life-threatening” experience for his then-inexperienced crew.
His career also saw him working alongside the BBC on documentaries where he managed a primitive camp in the High Arctic for a crew filming caribou.
Beyond the adrenaline-filled anecdotes, Gillespie views the book as a vital educational tool. A frequent guest speaker at schools, including First Nations communities, he uses his experiences to warn of the threats posed by climate change and industrial expansion.
“Things are changing on the land,” he said. “If [species] are not threatened now, they will be in the future. Just because of the way we are as humans, we want to expand and we get greedy … not thinking that that can have a very negative impact.”
Gillespie hopes the book inspires a younger generation to reconnect with nature, noting that many today are “ruled by electronics” and have lost the outdoors-centric lifestyle he knew as a child.
While internal issues at his publishing house have delayed the book’s arrival in major bookstores, Gillespie has taken on the role of “salesman” to meet the high demand. He has been hand-delivering copies across Manitoba and shipping orders as far as Saskatoon and Churchill.
“I’ve met so many people, a lot of people I haven’t seen for 40 years,” Gillespie said. “The interest has been very strong and the comments very positive.”
Copies of the book are currently available through the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) Marketplace or by contacting Gillespie directly.
Gillespie will also be at the Portage la Prairie Regional Library on Saturday, Jan.31 for a book signing.