TRIBUTES have been paid to the founder and former vice president of Northumberland Wildlife Trust who died earlier this month.

Tony Tynan OBE was one of the conservation pioneers of the 1960s and among the first to introduce the concept of nature trails to Britain on behalf of the National Park, beginning with a National Nature Week series in 1963.

He continued to conceive and write new trails for several years after that, sponsored by Shell and in co-operation with Northumberland National Park, up to 1984.

In 1962, Tony established the Northumberland & Durham Naturalists’ Trust as honorary secretary and in 1971, together with fellow naturalist Angus Lunn, he formed Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

He was closely involved in the development of the Trust until 2000, when he retired as honorary secretary, and remained involved as vice president until recently.

Tony held a key role in establishing Trust nature reserves and conservation area across the North-East and had close links with national conservation leaders, such as Ted Smith and Sir David Attenborough.

Born in Yorkshire, Tony adopted Northumberland as his home, settling in Clara Vale.

Among his many achievements in the county, he was a leader in created wetland conservation and his work on a coastal wetland complex along Druridge Bay resulted in the Trust becoming a national leader in creative wetland conservation.

The new Wildlife Discovery Centre on Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Hauxley reserve, which Tony helped open last year, had a room named the Tynan Education Room in tribute to his work.

Angus Lunn, vice president and co-founder of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: “Northumberland Wildlife Trust is very much Tony’s creation and for that alone, he will always be remembered.

“It would be difficult to find anyone with more demonstrable dedication to nature conservation than Tony; he was a truly remarkable character, the like of which we will struggle to see again.”

In addition to his nature reserve work with the National Trust he assisted the Natural History Society of Northumbria manage the Gosforth Park Nature Reserve and site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in the suburbs of Newcastle into the 1980s, until the owner was able to put its own management structure in place.

And after moving to Clara Vale, he tutored villagers into creating and managing another nature reserve, this time in the old colliery yard.

Tony died on September 12 following a period of serious illness.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said: “Tony was a one off; his energy and focus were amazing, as evidenced by his remarkable achievements in conservation over a lifetime.”