Conservationist Martin Litton has probably done more for the natural world than any man in history, as the WWII pilot, who is now 95 years old, has spent much of his life fighting to save the earth, and especially her rivers.

Photo courtesy Canoe and Kayak, Elliott

It’s a fight that’s been largely successful, with Litton being most famous for blocking three hydroelectric dams inside the Grand Canyon. (He also blocked dams in Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument and on Idaho’s Snake River, and he campaigned to create California’s Redwood National Park.)

To honor Litton and all his work, Canoe and Kayak magazine bestowed him with a Lifetime Achievement Award at their recent Canoe and Kayak Awards benefit.

Litton hushed the audience with his acceptance speech, as he brought decades-old newspaper clips that documented his fight for Mother Nature, including articles he wrote himself while working at the Los Angeles Times.

“The headline is ‘What the Bureaucrats Conspire to Destroy,’” Litton said as he pointed to a newspaper clipping. “And that’s a map of the dinosaur national monument … I just ask you to keep the rivers flowing so that all these wonderful things we’ve seen, which far outstrip anything I’ve been able to do, will be able to continue.”

To watch the full clip of his acceptance speech, click here, or click the play button below. You can also read Canoe and Kayak’s profile of the man by clicking here.