In memory of Alfred Nilsen

The leader of Norway’s largest « People’s Action » Alfred Nilsen has gone out of time at the age of 92

The People’s Action for the Preservation of The Alta-Kautokeinovassdraget (1978-1982) set new historical standards on how to make nature-loving people lift in the flock to preserve one of the world’s best salmon rivers. To understand the new, groundbreaking way of thinking of Alfred and the organized river chains – we refer to an excerpt from the book that Alfred Nilsen published in 2019

« The Altakampen – the greatest people of the environmental match »:

Joint press release 13.02.1980 (People’s Action and the Alta Committee):

The opposition to the Alta development has been spun out on the local level, but has received tremendous support around the country and abroad. If there is to be a similar resistance in other development cases, the same basis must also be present, namely solid local resistance, lousy case preparation and the danger of major natural and environmental damage or interventions in minorities’ rights.

Alfred’s mention of the Disica camp in the summer of 1979 provides a clue to thinking:

“The groups worked on different themes such as Finnmark’s need for altar power, alternative energy sources, the history of the Sami and the rights. The camp’s own powers and traveling troubadours and speakers helped the camp evolve to become the country’s largest cultural event » (Page 35).

Alfred also shares a thought provoking experience regarding facts:

“It was very frustrating to discover that the documentation from the Alta Committee, the affected municipalities and the Nature Conservation Association, received little hearing (…). We were pretty blue -eyed, because we thought that when we got the facts about the watercourse, about the bad and deficient and complete wrong information that both NVE and the ministries are based on, it was possible to stop the development plans. «  (page 26)

On page 71, the author asks the big question: How was it possible to raise such an opinion? And even answers like this:

« The Alta case was, as I see it, a gathering point for the environmental movement. It was a case that had so many moments in it that everyone found something to fight for. The salmon in the river, the farmers’ living conditions in the Altadalen, coastal and fjord fishing for salmon, the rights of the Sami, and what is today more important than ever, climate and environmental changes.« 

This book: « The Alta struggle – the greatest people of the environmental match » is used by both nature and youth and by well -grown conservationists. It has become a classic for all nature -gear organizations that want to preserve as much of our valuable nature as possible.

Honoring the wise organizer Alfred’s diverse abilities and versatile organizational experience never becomes exhaustive. Planning and building camps in the dark time with 30 degrees of cold had no one done before. From a mini camp of 6 people to 900 participants in less than 14 days – there must be a world record in rapid growth in a local community.

Alfred had a particularly diverse and rich organizational experience. From youth policy through sports teams to business operations. He emphasized in many contexts, that without cooperation with his wife Aud, much of the organizational work would not have been feasible.

We round off with quotes from Alfred’s defense speech in the Upigler trial 01.03.1983:

« To appeal to us who tried to protect irreplaceable natural and cultural values ​​is to completely turn the case on its head. ” « … (Alta) The watercourse is perhaps the most important unifying cultural factor from nature in West Finnmark. … Sami, Norwegians and Finners’ use and connection to the Alta River historically and today.« 

Our humble thanks to Alfred for this line of thinking winning when the Nature Diversity Act was adopted in 2009. Nature as a cultural basis for people’s lives – was finally recognized.

We quote the purpose paragraph: « The purpose of the law is that nature … is taken care of by sustainable use and protection, also so that it provides the basis for human activities, culture, health and well -being, now and in the future, also as a basis for Sami culture. »

Thanks for all the matches you fought. Your love for nature will follow us in our further work for the river, Finnmarksvidda, the mountains, the sea, the animals and the people who live on the whole.

Rest in peace.

Greetings from the Stilla team in the Nature Conservation Association

By Kjell M. Derås, Mari Sofie Strifeldt Arntzen,

Ante Guttormsen and Kristin Nicolaysen