Fred Space honored as sportsman extraordinaire

Fred T. Space of Space Farms was honored by the Sussex County Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs with the Senator Robert E. Littell Award during a ceremony March 29. The award was presented to Space, 79, for his many years of support, knowledge, guidance and hard work involved to maintain the county’s rural heritage and continuing the sporting traditions, not only in Sussex County but throughout the state. Fred Space was born in September of 1928 to Ralph and Elizabeth Space in the booming hamlet of Beemerville. Three pounds at birth, Fred’s tenacious spirit was warmed by his mother’s stove, literally. He grew up at his father’s farm and garage, learning to hunt, trap and care for the family’s domestic and wild animals under his father’s tutelage. At the tender age of 10, he picked up his first native rattlesnake under the watchful eye of his father. He graduated from Sussex High School in 1946 and has continued his education over the years with daily observations and interactions with the natural world. He is recognized worldwide as an authority on wildlife. An avid sportsman of the Teddy Roosevelt mold, Space took a Boone and Crockett Club New Jersey White Tail Deer trophy buck in the 1950 North American Big Game Competition. His hunting has since taken him across the North American continent, Hawaii and Australia. At age 16, in 1944, he joined the Beemerville Volunteer Fire Department that his father had established in 1931. Ralph Space was the original fire chief and 20 years later, his son Fred was elected fire chief. Since his tenure as chief, 1951-1953, Fred remains an active member responding to emergency calls. He sat on the Sussex Wantage Board of Education during the years of the consolidation and regionalization of those two districts. In 1965, he wrote his first non-fiction work, “Facts About Snakes of the North East United States,” a book that is still in demand today by hunters, hikers and other nature enthusiasts. He also wrote a weekly column on native wildlife for the newspapers during the 1970s. A lifelong member of the Sussex County Board of Agriculture, Space served a term as president in the 1970s and was a director of the N.J. Farm Bureau. He was appointed to the N.J. Fish and Game Council as an agricultural representative in 1963, serving until 1971. During that time he helped to establish the criteria for keeping both native and exotic animals in captivity throughout the state. Space was also instrumental in re-establishing the wild turkey population in the tri-state area. The Fish and Game Council imported wild turkeys and released them on Space Farms property, giving sanctuary to the budding flocks. He was appointed Chairman of the N.J. Fish and Game Council by former Gov. Cary Hughes in 1969 and served until 1971. Space is internationally known in the zoological field for his many accomplishments. His success in breeding the last pureblood pair of Hokkaido bears and returning the cubs to the Uneo Zoo in Japan was recognized by the Japanese government. Wild Hokkaido bears had been bombed out of Japan during W.W. II. Space also helped to restore South Korea’s elk herd and Taiwan’s fallow deer herd with specimens from his world-renowned zoo. He also reared an orphaned Kodiak bear cub to Guinness World Record Book size. Visitors to the zoo remember Goliath fondly. In 2007, Space penned his second book, “Ralph Space, the Legend & Tales of Beemerville,” showcasing his love of local history and the entwined history of Space Farms. The book has become a Sussex County best seller. He vacations a few weeks a year hunting or fishing at his cabin in Colorado, and takes wife, Mira, to Florida every spring. Although he insists he is retired, his motto is “Most people get up to work, I get up and go to LIVE!” He still puts in long days at Space Farms, collecting road-kill deer, skinning said deer, and greeting visitors to the zoo. He actively participates in advising his son, Parker, daughter, Lori, and their families, on the day-to-day running of the complex. Fred Space has many plans for the future. His favorite? Hunting with grandson Hunter Space, passing on the American tradition of education and conservation, while bringing home meat for the table.