A Tribute to Bill Blight

The hymns we sang at Bill Blight's memorial service last Friday morning at the United Church in Espanola were appropriately all about nature and the Great Outdoors. Bill loved his Northern Ontario wilderness and especially the Spanish River.

As a tribute to Bill and his many years of dedication to restoring, preserving and celebrating our beautiful river, our Board of Directors has decided to offer free memberships to the Friends of the Spanish River until December 31, 2010. We extend this offer to individuals, schools, businesses, all levels of government and anyone interested on maintaining the good health of the Spanish River.

You can join us by logging onto our website at www.friendsofthespanishriver.ca and clicking onto 'Memberships' in the menu. You can also write us for your free membership at:
Friends of the Spanish River
21 Arthur Court
Espanola , Ontario
P5E 1C3

The Spanish River is healthy again and we have just learned that most of the endangered fish species in the Lower Spanish River are making a comeback. Please help us to continue to protect and enjoy our beautiful Spanish River. Join us today. I know Bill would have appreciated your support.

Yours truly,
Bill McKenna
Vollunteer member of the Friends of the Spanish River

Bill Blight – The Riverman

BY ROSALIND RABY

A well-known Espanola man passed away just over a week ago who had a profound influence on local environmental projects. Bill Blight loved the water and spent most of his life, not only enjoying it, but also helping to preserve the environment.

William James Blight was born on February 9, 1929. He died at home on Sunday, January 25 and is survived by his wife, Shirley, and children, Faith, Jane, Bill and Jim.

Blight made the North his home and was a clerk at one of the Kalamazoo-Vegetable-Parchment logging camps when German POWs were cutting the mill's start-up logs in 1945-46. He was an employee at the mill for many years until he retired and was a very active member with the Friends of the Spanish River as well as the Espanola Historical Society.

His work with the Friends was perhaps the most important job he took on, besides taking care of his family. Fellow Friends volunteer, Bill McKenna, said Blight was so energetic when it came to the group.

“He was our Membership Chairman for as long as I can remember. I got involved with the FSR in 1995. It was formed in 1994 and I think Bill was involved from it's inception,” recalled McKenna. “He and fellow FSR member, Ed Tate, built our 32' replica Pointer boat together running between Sudbury and Espanola. We have been enjoying 'Big Red' ever since. He sure gets attention wherever we display him.

  “Bill was involved in almost every aspect of the FSR and his help was really appreciated.

“One only needs to visit the website, www.friendsofthespanishriver.ca to see Bill in action is some meaningful way.

“Here are some examples of what I mean: Bill's own 'Logging Days' in our new 'History' section, as well as Travels with Captain Blight, (under it's own title in our Main Menu) first appeared in the Spring 2002 issue of Kanawa Magazine and highlights a three day journey down the Spanish River from Espanola to Spanish in 'Big Red' with some seasoned adventurers.

  “Our film, 'Muskies' on our website features Bill and some Ministry of Natural Resources biologists struggling to carefully lift large muskies from live traps in the North Channel to extract their eggs and milt to continue the planting program.”

  Blight was also active in other ways too, added McKenna.

“Bill never missed our annual Spanish River cleanup. There he is in our 'Year 2000 in Review' with the late Scottie Carson dredging up an old computer monitor from the Spanish River. For the last three years in a row, Bill and I exhibited at 'Earth Day' in Sudbury representing the FSR. Every year was better than the last and they were all good. We were the big winners just being a part of it!

  “Bill was the type of volunteer you could always count on. He worked quietly and persistently to get whatever job we were doing done.” 

Besides the Friends, Blight also donated his time to other organizations, including being an active volunteer with the Espanola branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses, a part of the Spanish River Forestry Stewardship Committee and so much more.