Kurt Oddekalv crossed the ice and died – VG

This was stated by the police in a press release on Monday night.

Family members have been notified of the death and the name will be released in consultation with them.

The family will make a statement in the next few days, police say.

Police first reported that they were investigating whether a person had crossed the ice in a press release at 17.17. Just half an hour later the news of the discovery of a dead arrived.

At 9:52 p.m. another press release arrived, in which the police declared who the deceased was.

Condoles erna

Prime Minister Erna Solberg is from Bergen and reminds Oddekalv of many discussions and appearances.

– It was a very sad message to receive. I want to send my condolences to the family. Kurten was a clear environmentalist who spoke out for all to hear, and I have had many discussions with him for over 30 years. His commitment was genuine and he worked tirelessly for the causes and ideas in which he believed. Oddekalv was controversial, but there is no doubt that the environmental movement has lost a clear voice, says Erna Solberg via text message to VG.

– Very sad

The Minister for Climate and Environment, Sveinung Rotevatn (V), describes Oddekalv’s environmental commitment as tireless:

– It was a sad message to receive. Oddekalv had a lifelong environmental commitment. He was an untraditional guy who generated a lot of controversy, but his commitment to nature was tireless. The environmental movement has lost a clear voice, says Climate and Environment Minister Sveinung Rotevatn.

Gustav Bahus, leader of the Vestland Frp, has been a close friend of Oddekalv for many years.

– This is very sad. Is a friend of mine. I’ve had a lot to do with Kurten for many years. He lived in Bahusvannet, I just received the message that he had died there. No, this is sad, Bahus tells VG.

– Kurt has been a controversial warrior, but far ahead of his time in many areas. A good friend and a great public debater have left, adds Bahus.

– A heart for those who needed it

Entrepreneur Trond Mohn knew Kurt Oddekalv very well and has supported the Environmental Protection Association with around NOK 100 million over the years.

– I’m really sorry, I’m really sorry. He always had a heart for those who needed him and an understanding of the environment and large contexts. He fearlessly defended his views and always with complete integrity, Mohn tells Bergens Tidende.

MDG Deputy Leader Arild Hermstad writes on Facebook that this was sad news about an uncompromising environmental activist.

– Kurten and I did not always agree on all issues, but he was 100% genuine in his commitment. He spent his entire life speaking on behalf of nature, reaching out to various people who did not always feel at home elsewhere in the environmental movement. Plus, he was brave and inventive and quite crude. I could call at the strangest moment, and I remember once jokingly threatened to lower my snail if I did not agree to protest against the poison dumping in the Oslo fjord, writes Hermstad, adding that Oddekalv leaves a great longing.

Disputed

Oddekalv, who trained as a carpenter, was the leader of the Norwegian Environmental Protection Association, which he established in 1993. He began his career as an activist at the Association for Nature Conservation, but was expelled from there due to internal disagreements. It was then that he founded his own organization.

Among the issues he is known for are his fight against pesticides in agriculture, opposition to the Hardanger Bridge and his focus on the aquaculture industry.

He was a controversial environmental activist, also internally in the environmental protection community, who performed a series of stunts and was against the law several times. Among other things, in 2011 when he sprayed a milk mixture on a fish farm, which according to the media was toxic. For this he was fined 50,000 crowns.

Oddekalv leaves behind four children.

County Mayor Jon Askeland (Sp) in Vestland, known as Oddekalv.

– This was very sad. We got a little poorer when Kurten left. He was controversial and tough, but at the same time very generous, says Askeland, who describes Oddekalv as a Vestlandsfanden guy with a twinkle in his eye.

also read

2019 VG’s Big Interview – He Talked About Life After Battles

In the VG interview: – I had a lot of fun

In an interview with VG conducted just over a year ago, in November 2019, Oddekalv reflected on life, after going through two blows:

– Everyone has their time. I have had a lot of fun. I think I’m lucky to have been here and had so much fun, he said.

He also said that he takes life as it comes and said that he was happy with most things. And that he did not regret anything.

– No. I’ve never regretted it in my entire life. That’s silly. Life is too wonderful to regret things, he said.

Oddekalv had his first stroke in 2016 while cruising the Norwegian coast with the catamaran “Miljødronningen” to film 44 fish farms. The second stroke came in the spring of 2019. After that, he was declared 60 percent disabled.

In the interview, he also said that after the blows, he forgot his ability to swim, something he discovered after he jumped into the water one summer day.