The Ann Scarfe Award in Biology Field School

Ann Scarfe grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and attended Dalhousie University for two years before moving back to her birthplace, Victoria, in 1962. She graduated from UVic in 1964 with a degree in Biology as a member of the first graduating class. After graduation she taught biology labs in the Elliott Building for several years before taking time away from work to build her family.

Her continued interest in Natural History, with a particular interest in wildflowers, led to her undertaking a position at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary in 1979 where she developed and delivered school and public programs, sharing her passion for the natural world with thousands of Victoria’s young people and getting them out into nature. She was also a volunteer member of the Victoria Natural History Society and the Girl Guides of Canada, bringing her enthusiasm for the outdoors to the Girl Guides program. For several years she managed provincial Nature Camps for the Girl Guides and was the BC Water for Tomorrow program representative for Girl Guides in the 1990s. After her retirement from Swan Lake in 2008, she became a volunteer with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, helping present public and school programs with a birding focus. In 2025, in recognition of all her contributions to outdoor education through her career and her volunteerism, she was presented with BC Nature Club Service award.

Her experiences showed her the vital importance of getting everyone into the outdoors and learning about the natural world firsthand. With this in mind she established The Ann Scarfe Award in Biology Field School which she hopes will help tomorrow’s students broaden and deepen their education with outdoor learning experiences, leading to greater love of and protection for our precious natural spaces.