I first met Dr. Alex Johnston, one of Canada’s leading range management scientists, at a 4-H camp that I was helping to lead in a wilderness area in the mountains north of Pincher Creek, Alta., many years ago. He was an impressive figure, dressed in his ceremonial headdress, given to him when he was inducted into the Kainai chieftainship and given the name of “Rainy Chief” or “Sotaina.” Johnston was a renowned research scientist at the Agriculture Canada Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alta., and a well-known historian of southern Alberta. During his presentation to the 4-H campers, he spoke about the history of the rangelands of Western Canada and how the Indigenous people of long ago managed these native lands.

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