HUGO VELDHUIS

Condolences & Memories (6 entries)

• Hugo was one of the great soils specialists in our province. He spent many years surveying the landscape so that others would know what we have, which makes Manitoba special for farmers, forestry, and many others. He was always there to help junior soil scientists, and contributed significantly to the Manitoba Soil Science Society events. His kindness and thoughtfulness will be greatly missed by many. - Posted by: Elaine Gauer (Colleque) on: Jun 07, 2019

• I had the great good fortune of working with Hugo in many field projects across the Arctic and Sub-arctic. I enjoyed Hugo's gentle humour and his quiet determination and above all his great knowledge of the soils and landscapes of Northern Canada. I often entertained friends and colleagues with Hugo and my adventures and laughs along the way. Going to miss you, my friend! - Posted by: David Kroetsch (Colleague ) on: Apr 22, 2019

• Sorry to hear about Hugo passing away so suddenly. Missed seeing the obituary in the paper. He was a good neighbor and we enjoyed talking with him and Anny. Ray and Barb - Posted by: Ray and Barb Janzen (Neighbor ) on: Apr 05, 2019

• Just after his graduation in Forestry in the Netherlands Hugo and Annie moved to Winnipeg in 1969. There he joined the Canada Land Inventory Project (CLI) for Manitoba, part of one of the largest multi-disciplinary resource mapping project ever undertaken in the world. A year earlier he had worked as summer student with the CLI; studying and mapping northern ecosystems fascinated him. I worked with him for 6 years mapping forest land capability across Manitoba. He belonged to the group with a pioneering interest in mapping Manitoba’s North, including Charles Tarnocai, Steve Zoltai, Gordon Mills, Bob Smith, Gerry Beke, Bob Eilers and others. In the Manitoba CLI he was part of an innovative and dynamic team of ecologists, agrologists, economists, foresters, land use planners, biologists and limnologist who explored new approaches to integrated resource planning, environmental impact assessment, digital geographic information systems and the use of satellites for Northern resource surveys. After the completion of the CLI mapping, Hugo joined another unique operation: the Canada- Manitoba Soil Survey, a federal-provincial-U of M cooperative initiative housed at the University campus. This unique partnership of organizations, mandates and research staff created a rich bed for a wide range of studies, surveys to which Hugo contributed in boreal subarctic and arctic ecoregions. Some stand out because of their significance like “Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions and Ecodistricts of Manitoba : an ecological stratification of Manitoba’s natural landscapes “ result of real teamwork and dedicated contributions. I use that publication regularly when exploring Manitoba landscapes using high resolution satellite images. Hugo legacy includes a better understanding and description of our northern ecosytems, especially important in a time of climate warming. - Posted by: Jean Thie (colleague) on: Apr 01, 2019

• I worked with Hugo in the District of Keewatin, NWT during the summer of 1984. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, I met Hugo many times since then at conferences and meetings. We would have many chats about our experiences working together that summer. Hugo was a very keen and dedicated pedologist. He will be missed in the soils community. My sincere condolences to Anny and family during this time. My prayers are with you. Ed Woodrow St. John's, Newfoundland - Posted by: Ed Woodrow (Colleague) on: Mar 30, 2019

• Dear Anny, Marieke and Krista. We often talk about all the years we were neighbors and remember spending some evenings with Hugo and Ann once we moved away. We are saddened to learn of Hugos passing and send our sincere condolences to all the family. - Posted by: Lynne and Ron Fotti (Neighbors) on: Mar 30, 2019