THE GREEN ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURE
Think Big, Stay Positive and Work Together by CAROL ANDREWS As my career is winding down, the young people I teach at Selkirk College are just stepping into their work as environmental technologists. These learners are smart, committed, and sensitive to all the pressures, responsibilities, and opportunities this field of work has to offer. They give me such confidence in the future. In some ways, I’m envious of the work ahead for them. Society is undergoing a paradigm shift in its relationship with the environment. Engagement in public land (97% of BC’s landbase) management is at an all time high. The values that were once seen as secondary to the economic potential of our forests and lands are shifting to the forefront. Water, soil, biodiversity, fish, wildlife, recreation, cultural heritage, nature as a health provider and other values found in nature, are top of mind for many people in this province, and especially in the Columbia Basin. The recognition that a healthy environment translates to a healthy society is being understood and accepted all over the world. The shift in how we view nature is very much connected to the increased engagement with Indigenous peoples and perspectives connected to land and culture. Through the connections between western science, and Indigenous knowledge, we are finding alternate ways of answering questions on how to best protect our natural resources for generations to come. The diversity of thought will help guide us into a profoundly different way of looking at nature. In many ways, climate change has become a unifying force. In Columbia Basin Trust’s most recent Columbia Basin Management Plan, the people of the Basin asked
Some native wildflowers on Goldilocks Trail while descending into Thirst Quencher bowl. Laura Nelson Photo
