by Contributor on Tuesday April 20 2021 Parson resident Ellen Zimmerman cared deeply about conservation up and down the Upper Columbia River watershed and was a tireless advocate for conservation in B.C. While her many jobs included homesteader and organic gardener, newspaper reporter, community legal and women's advocate, it was her staunch championing for the wild creatures and places in the Columbia Valley that she will be most remembered for. Zimmerman passed away March 8, 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Zimmerman was a champion of the Columbia Wetlands for the past four decades, fighting for vital protections for one of North America’s longest intact wetlands and home to more than 300 species of fish, birds and other wildlife. She fought for the birds that flock to our local waters; she fought for the old-growth trees that rise like giants in the mist; she fought for protection of key places up and down the Columbia Valley, from rainforests north of Golden to lakeside lands south of Invermere. She not only battled for environmental protections, she blazed a trail of advocacy for future generations to follow.