Iris Griffith was a grassroots naturalist, deeply concerned with the world around her and worried about the impacts of human actions and development on wildlife. Intelligent and hard working with a terrific sense of humour, Iris was a great community activist and instigator. She realized she couldn’t do it all by herself but she knew who to contact and how to get things started. By sheer enthusiasm she swept people along and the actions she started were taken up and carried on by many others. She was often heard to say, "It's surprising how much you can get done if you don't care who gets the credit."

Iris was not one to stand around on the sidelines. She wrote letters, and she would also dig in with hip waders to get the job done. While she was very gentle and non-violent, she had very strong feelings about right and wrong. She once stood in front of a bulldozer and was arrested for it, in an effort to make a big corporation try to justify its megaproject in a court of law. She was also a realist, diplomatic and able to compromise. She realized that we can’t change everything but we do the best we can.

Iris was deeply loved and respected by those who knew her and there was a tremendous feeling of loss in the local community at her passing in March 2002. We are honoured to name the Field Studies and Interpretive Centre Complex at Ruby Lake Lagoon in her name as a lasting legacy to all that Iris stood for. Working to create a nature sanctuary at Ruby Lake Lagoon was among the last things she was able to help with. We invite you to visit the Lagoon and Interpretive Centre and take a moment to remember Iris and her work to make the Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve a reality.