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August / September 2016

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Glaciers

get ‘em while they’re hot

Aspens under pressure

Streams can’t take the heat

Canneries revisit the past

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Mammoths still a mystery

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Co ver Photo

‘16

contents

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Au gus t / Sep tember

issue no. 64

Camping, old school, on Bornite Mountain near Terrace, BC. Photo by Paul Glover

Fea tures 6 9 12 14

A new threat to our northern forests Paul Glover

Disappearing Waters

How climate change is threatening our fish streams By Norma Kerby

Gone but not Forgotten

8 25

24 28

Port Edward’s defunct canneries offer everything from history to beachcombing to quiet accommodation By Amanda Follett Hosgood

Great Glaciers

Experience these prehistoric beauties before they’re gone By Matt J Simmons

The Path of the Herbalist

A little hunting and a lot of knowledge unearths a natural medicine cabinet By Emily Bulmer

McDonell Lake Trail

Follow the historic hoof prints of hunting guides to a parkland of stunning vistas By Morgan Hite

A Mammoth Discovery

Decades later, fossils still shrouded in mystery By Jane Stevenson

Depa rtm en ts 5

Are We Losing Our Aspens?

In Other Words

Editorial and cartoon from the seasoned and the silly

Top Culture

Explore the rural route to northern culture with UNBC’s Rob Budde

28 30

On the Fly

Fishing in northern BC with Brian Smith

The Barometer

A seasonal reading of the Northwest by Char Toews

Resource Directory

Services and products listed by category

Story Comm en ts?

Tell us what you’re thinkin’. Comment on any story at www.northword.ca

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Joanne Campbell

contributors

PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

joanne@northword.ca t: 250.847.4600 f: 847.4668 toll free: 1.866.632.7688

Amanda Follett Hosgood EDITOR

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ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

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Sandra Smith

LAYOUT DESIGN, NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

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Brian Smith is a writer and

Paul Glover is a piano technician, photographer, editor and naturalist who lives in the hills outside Smithers. In his 40 years in northwest BC he has paid particular attention to forest ecology and the effects humans have on natural systems.

Hans Saefkow is an award-

Rob Budde teaches creative writing and critical theory at the University of Northern British Columbia. He has published seven books (poetry, novels, interviews, and prose poems). His most recent book is Finding Ft. George from Caitlin Press.

photographer who has fly-fished BC’s waters for over 45 years. He recently published his second book, Seasons of a Fly Fisher, and lives with his wife Lois in Prince George.

winning editorial cartoonist, illustrator and set designer. If you see this man, do not approach him, feed him, or listen to his idle chatter. It is simply best not to encourage him.

Morgan Hite has lived in Smithers for 20 years, makes maps, goes hiking, gets lost, writes articles, reads things and dreams about travel.

Charlynn Toews has published

in daily and weekly newspapers, national magazines, and loves a good regional. She writes a regular column for Northword from her home in Terrace.

NORTHWORD MAGAZINE Northword Magazine is the only independent, regional magazine that covers northern BC from border to sea. Our goal is to connect northern communities and promote northern culture; we put a vibrant, human face on northern life with great articles and stunning images. Northword Magazine—BC’s top read, for a reason.

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Shannon Antoniak

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Matt J Simmons writes about BC’s incredible landscapes, both natural and cultural. Author of The Outsider’s Guide to Prince Rupert, Matt is always seeking his next big adventure, but has a habit of choosing cold, mosquito-infested landscapes...and loves every minute. Jane Stevenson is the author of

two historical books. Her fiction has appeared in journals across Canada. Jane is forever grateful to Northword, the first magazine to ever say“yes.

Amanda Follett Hosgood is

tta part-time writer and full-time mom who lives in a straw-bale house full of old, rusty things just outside Smithers.

Norma Kerby is a Terrace-based writer and environmental consultant. Her passions include amphibians, natural ecosystems, sustainable living and adaptations of wildlife and people to northern British Columbia. She occasionally writes poetry about the North’s uncertain future. Emily Bulmer is a longtime Smithereen who enjoys subjecting herself to unscientific experiments in living. She occasionally records her findings and reports positive results most of the time. Facundo Gastiazoro is a freelance designer who focuses on logos, posters, layout and illustrations. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Facundo is currently living in Smithers.

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editorial

In Other Words

Surviving change by Joa n n e C a mpb el l

On my drive home, I see a mountain in the Telkwa Range just south of the Bulkley Valley. Every time I see that mountain I think, Now there’s a survivor! I’m not referring to the mountain, strictly speaking, but what’s eroding out of it on the other side. If you were a bear going over that mountain, what would you see? If you were a very clever bear with a GPS, you would find a prehistoric singularity, perhaps the only one of its kind in the world. It predates mammoths. It predates most dinosaurs. It even predates the continents. It is a fossilized coral reef, remnants of one of the earliest, and perhaps the only reef to survive the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event approximately 200 million years ago. The cause of that extinction is still debated: climate change, asteroids, massive volcanic eruptions. Whatever the cause, over a period of just 10,000 years more than half of Earth’s life became extinct, including most corals. But not our corals. What remains on the other side of that mountain is evidence of an ancient survivor from an arc of tropical islands in the ancestral Pacific Ocean, then located near the equator. And it’s practically in our backyard. The proof that we northerners are survivors is right there. The stuff that makes us tuff is not in the air or the water. It’s in the rocks. The physical evidence of this fossil reef—right there where I can almost see it—makes me inexplicably happy and hopeful. It also works as a metaphor for surviving change, something that resonates across this region right now. Economically, businesses are holding their breath to see which changes will happen with LNG, Site C, oil tankers on the coast, mining development, even the US election—just a few of the events that may impact cash flow across the region in one way or another. Climate change is a significant player that is affecting our forests, first decimating pine stocks and now possibly threatening our aspens. Streams are warming up and drying up, affecting our salmon runs.Glaciers are melting. Creepycrawlies are migrating. But, change isn’t all bad—and we are resilient, after all. Tourism is flourishing (got to see those glaciers before they’re gone). Historic sites, such as the Port Edward canneries, are being revived and First Nations exhibits in northern museums satisfy those in search of enlightenment. Fossil aficionados are travelling north to see dinosaur remains in Tumbler Ridge and they can explore the new Global Geopark while they’re there. The resource industry can also respond to changing public concerns with some pretty amazing innovations. Just ask Harvey Tremblay at Hy-Tech Drilling about his new closed-loop drilling centrifuge that reduces fresh water usage by up to 90 percent. We roll with the punches because we’re survivors. And, we’re still here—which begs the ques-

hans saef kow

edit o rial@no rt hwo rd. c a

tion, “Why are we here?” In many cases, it’s the same as asking, “Why are we here?” Which, of course, brings me to Hunter S. Thompson and his thoughts on finding purpose in life: ...a man must choose a path which will let his ABILITIES function at maximum efficiency toward the gratification of his DESIRES. In doing this, he is fulfilling a need (giving himself identity by functioning in a set pattern toward a set goal), he avoids frustrating his potential (choosing a path which puts no limit on his self-development), and he avoids the terror of seeing his goal wilt or lose its charm as he draws closer to it (rather than bending himself to meet the demands of that which he seeks, he has bent his goal to conform to his own abilities and desires). In short, he has not dedicated his life to reaching a pre-defined goal, but he has rather chosen a way of life he KNOWS he will enjoy. The goal is absolutely secondary: it is the functioning toward the goal which

is important. Or, as he put it more succinctly: Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living WITHIN that way of life. When I decided to move back to the valley after a time away, I didn’t have a job waiting for me. I decided that this was where and how I wanted to live and that I would work at whatever I could find to support that desire. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to immerse myself in Northword—work that gets what we all love about this northerly place. And I hope I will always be so lucky, wherever I am on life’s path. Like our Jurassic reef, we survivors of change know a good place to make a stand during changing times. It’s called “right here.”

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er pa

T h e s i l h ou e t t e of d e ad aspens is beco m ing a mo re common sigh t in o ur reg io n each year.

r u o g n i s o l Are we

pa ul g lo ve r

? S N E ASP

En t o m o l o g i s t Ken White examines a dead aspen s a p l i n g . D yi n g saplings and suckers in aspen clones is a disturbing t re n d .

by Paul Glove r p aul@no rt hwo rd.c a

It’s a beautiful day in May 2012 and the air is filled with millions of tiny, fluttering moths. In spite of their numbers they are easy to overlook; they resemble bits of ash or dust drifting on the breeze. But as small as they are—with a wingspan of just a few millimetres—these moths may be bringing major ecological changes to our forests. A few weeks later, when aspen trees have fully leafed out, it is plain to see that their leaves have a silvery hue rather than their usual rich green. Closer examination shows a whitish, maze-like trail on the leaves. It appears that nearly every leaf on every tree is affected. This is the work of the aspen serpentine leafminer—the larvae of the moths that emerged en masse that May. A dawning awareness Until 2012, the leafminer could be found in aspen forests in small numbers, with occasional outbreaks of higher populations. But the infestation of the past few years is a true epidemic and has not gone unnoticed. Many people have commented on the difference in the trees’ summer appearance and in autumn, when we expect brilliant yellows and oranges across our valley landscapes, the leaves turn directly to brown and fall to the ground without any decorative fanfare. People wondered if leafminers could actually damage the aspens. “Naah!” I’d reply. “Aspens are indestructible!” But just last year I started to notice some changes in the aspen woods around our house. Many young saplings and sprouts at the edges of mature tree clusters were dead and individual mature trees here and there were dying with no apparent reason. The density of leaves in the remaining trees seemed to be thinning, too. Elsewhere in the Bulkley Valley and across the Northwest I see the same thing. This year it looks a little worse. Could the leafminers be responsible for this? Well, let’s see: All the trees in a cluster, or “clone,” of aspens grow from one big root mass, which sends nutrients and water up into the trees. The 6 | AUG/SEPT ‘16 |

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leaves, on the other hand, photosynthesize sunlight and send this energy back down to feed the roots. If the leafminers affect the leaves’ ability to photosynthesize, the root mass will suffer and in turn will have less ability to support the trees. Although these large root systems have tremendous reserves, they cannot keep putting out nutrients without sufficient energetic input from above.

Alex Woods, regional pathologist with FLNRO, has also been paying attention to what’s happening to the aspens in our area. “I’ve already observed considerable mortality in mature aspen trees in the Bulkley Valley,” he says. “Even if the leafminer infestation dies back, a lot of damage has already been done, leaving aspens more susceptible to diseases and insects.” Tree diseases are Woods’ What the experts say specialty and he is troubled that Ken White, regional entomologist the weakened state of our aspens Alex Woods for the Ministry of Forests, Lands may leave them open for largeand Natural Resource Operations scale attacks from diseases like (FLNRO), is concerned. “Aspens Venturia leaf blight. This fungal are not too happy in general,” he disease has been found in BC says. “Several years of severe leafminer infestation at low levels since 1966, but there are signs that has taken a toll.” it could be on the increase. Numerous other Besides growth reductions, early leaf-fall and diseases are known to attack aspens and may loss of autumn colour, the all-out assault from come out in force when conditions are right. leafminers stresses and weakens trees, making “It’s kind of spooky when a species we think of as them vulnerable to other health problems—of indestructible turns out to be vulnerable,” he says. which there can be many: “Aspen leaves are rich in nutrients and are sought by numerous species The bigger picture of insects. Tent caterpillars may be the next big In 2002 there were reports of entire aspen stands threat and when they defoliate a tree there will be dying in southwestern Colorado. Surveys in 2006 very little photosynthesis taking place.” showed some 12,000 hectares were dead, but Besides this possibility there already exists a by 2009, just three years later, this had jumped plethora of troublesome aspen pests, with more alarmingly to 220,000 hectares—almost 20 times potentially arriving as northern winters become as much. Nearly 15 percent of the state’s aspen less severe. While cutting an aspen in my yard forest had just plain died. this spring I discovered large galleries (tunnels Researchers have called this phenomenon and chambers) bored in the heart of the tree. Sudden Aspen Decline, or SAD, and it is occurring After examining the wood, White says he believes throughout the western US. The reasons for the this is the work of the poplar borer, an insect that drastic increase in aspen mortality are not fully has not previously been found this far north. The understood, but most agree that the main culprit larvae—up to five cm in length—live in the tree’s is lack of water. Much of the western US has now trunk for up to five years before maturing and can been experiencing dry or drought conditions for chew through a lot of wood in that time. 15 years, accompanied by warmer temperatures.

It’s kind of spooky when a species we think of as indestructible turns out to be vulnerable.

A s er pe nt ine le a fmine r ( Ph yl l o c nis t is p op u lie lla ) sets to w o r k o n a n a sp e n le a f . Hatching f ro m eg gs la id in e a rly spring by a t i n y m ot h , t he la rva e burro w t h ro u g h t h e surfa c e of the leaf a n d s p e n d t he ne xt t wo week s t u n n e l l i ng b a c k a n d forth between it s u p p e r a nd low e r layers.

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Although evidence indicates that droughts have come and gone over millennia, climatologists suggest that future droughts are likely to be more severe than in the past, thanks to accelerated climate change and the effects of deforestation and urbanization. Some even think we could be in the early stages of a “megadrought” that could last 100 years and transform our western forests into desert scrubland. While BC has not been as droughty as the western states, we are currently in our third consecutive very dry year. Longer, more severe droughts are forecast for here as well. Climate connection Is there a connection between our warmer, drier conditions and the success of aspen pests? It looks pretty likely. Our warmer winters could be allowing higher populations of leafminer moths, which have to survive the winter tucked into crevices on aspen trunks and in duff on the forest floor. Increased overnight temperatures in August may help the spread and virulence of the Venturia blight disease. Drought stress makes the trees more vulnerable to all the various organisms that prey on their leaves, bark, trunk and roots. “Variability of weather is tough on these trees,” Woods says. Could we lose our aspens or a significant portion of them? Both Woods and White are concerned we could. We have two recent precedents: In the past 20 years we have lost half the province’s lodgepole pines to a single species of beetle and many of our two species of large willow trees in northwest BC have been killed by a weevil. While the main threat from mountain pine beetle has passed, young pines in some areas are now beset by a fungal disease that is exacerbated by warmer summers and winters. The recovery of willows is still in its early stages and their future is unknown.

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It is difficult to imagine our valleys without aspens. The changes would be huge. Their ecological importance is high; some call them a “keystone species,” linked to all other ecosystems we depend on. They moderate spring snowmelt and help retain soil moisture and groundwater. Their filtered light creates micro-ecosystems that nurture many plants and animals. Many songbirds are dependent on aspens for habitat and food. And, of course, they are an important part of our visual landscape. Is it really the leafminer that’s causing problems for our aspens? Yes and no. There appears to be such a complex web of interwoven elements that it’s impossible to isolate a single factor—except that we are living in a warming world, a fact that seems to lurk behind all the other effects. N

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column

Top Culture

Forces of yes: Positive affirmations for Pacific salmon and healthy watersheds

by Rob Budde rb udde@shaw.ca

Discussions around natural gas obtained through fracking and carried by pipelines across the province to terminals on the coast, where it is liquefied for export, have been draped around arguments about the region’s economic wellbeing: We need the projects for the strength of the GDP, to get resources to market, for jobs, for families etc., etc. It’s a debate framed by absolutes: jobs versus no jobs, prosperity versus poverty, yes versus no. It spawned the infamous phrase “the forces of no,” coined by BC Premier Christy Clark in an effort to vilify resistance to these industrial projects. In speaking with those standing in the way of these developments, indigenous land stewards like Freda Huson and Goot Ges, I see these “forces” as much more positive and industry’s arguments based on a false dichotomy.

When I mentioned the phrase “no pipelines” to Goot Ges in so-called Prince Rupert, she replied “yes to salmon.” A single mom, she is standing tall for the future of her children and for the safety of the land she so clearly loves. Her mother comes from the Nisga’a Nation, the village of Skulls from the house of Txaatanlax’hatkw. Her father is Tsimshian from Metlakatla and Haida from Old Massett. Her cause spans the Northwest and is more involved with a continued assertion than any negation: yes to traditional ways of life, forms of harvest and environmentally sustainable practices; yes to an assertion of First Nations’ land rights; yes to a vibrant economy that already exists and has existed for thousands of years. Pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are the forces saying no to these lifegiving practices: no to clean water in rivers and along the coast; no to people in the region who

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value the land in favour of those who value corporate bottom lines; no to those who refuse to take action to stabilize a rapidly changing climate. Capitalism, hand in hand with colonialism, has a long history of selling destruction in the guise of salvation. LNG is in this tradition. I would hope that others would stand and say yes to salmon. Stand with Goot Ges, Lax Kw’alaams Hereditary Chief Yahaan, and Donald Wesley and Gwishawaal, Ken Lawson, both of the Gitwilgyoots Tribe of the Lax Kw’alaams. Stand with all those that make their livelihood from one of the largest salmon runs in the world. Stand with those protecting the longterm health of the environment, an environment that means everything to the region’s economy. The traditional economy is referenced in the Lelu Island Declaration signed by hereditary chiefs: “Our ancestral knowledge, supported by modern science, confirms this area is critical to the future abundance of the wild salmon our communities rely on. It is our right and our responsibility as First Nations to protect and defend this place. It is our right to use this area without interference to harvest salmon and marine resources for our sustenance and commercially in support of our livelihoods.” Pipelines crossing sensitive watersheds, terminals on the coast interfering with eelgrass flat nurseries, compressor stations, cutlines, roads and work camps will bring a miniscule return for northern BC next to the damage that it will reap. Perhaps nowhere on this planet is there a better opportunity to preserve ecosystems and transition to sustainable energy sources. Clean water, healthy forests, thriving salmon and independent, strong communities are worth far more than a fist full of industry dollars. Say yes to salmon. N

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T h e i n ab ilit y of fish t o enter d e w at e re d st re a ms w ill lik ely h av e an imp a c t on sa lm o n re t u r n s a s w e ll a s t h e ir p re d a t o rs a n d sc a ve ng ers.

DISAPPEARING WATERS

How climate change is threatening our fish streams by Nor ma Kerby nkerby @t elus.net

“There must be a small salmon run up this stream.” My fellow field worker and I are looking at a dead, half-eaten salmon stretched out on a beach log. Other than the obvious concern that some predator of a good size caught it and enjoyed most of it for lunch, we are watching a school of salmon flickering along the rocky bottom of the lake, unable to enter the stream due to an exposed, above-water sandbar blocking the entrance. This is not a major salmon stream, but its small contribution to the fish ecology in the Lakelse

The exposed sandbar across the mouth of the little stream will be a more frequent occurrence and small salmon runs will have almost negligible chances of survival.

watershed has some significance, not only for the genetics of the offshoot population, but also for the nourishment provided annually to the predators and scavengers that congregate in a small patch of old-growth coniferous forest next to it. The low-water flow in the stream, with exposed, dry sections of gravel, means the year’s coho run will fail, with subsequent ramifications for the cyclic return of salmon three or four years in the future.

Dry streams in summer were not that common when continuous forests covered much of northwest BC. They acted as reservoirs, sopping up rainfall and melting snow, then slowly releasing it as groundwater throughout the thaw season. ... continued on Page 10

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... continued from Page 9

Estates Ready ers w o N n Units ale by Ow For S

Fry left high and dry This little stream, flowing down a moderate slope into a large lake, is dependent upon snowmelt and rainfall for its discharge. A prolonged rain-free period combined with harvested hillside slopes means that it failed to receive enough groundwater or rainfall to keep even a small amount of water. The result is catastrophic for fish populations. As the forests grow back, will a stream like this be able to again provide stable fish habitat? According to climate change models from the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria and UBC’s Centre for Forest Conservation Genetics, average temperatures in northern BC’s coastal zone have risen close to two degrees Celsius since the early 1900s and are projected to rise another two degrees over the next four decades. For small streams at low elevations, this will lead to lower levels of winter snowfall and earlier spring snowmelt, as well as higher summer stream temperatures, all of which can be deadly for rearing salmon fry. As to whether summers will have more or less rainfall as climate patterns alter, the models are uncertain. From any perspective, though, small streams without upper elevation feed of stable groundwater and snowmelt will become uncertain habitat for aquatic organisms. The exposed sandbar across the mouth of the little stream will be a more frequent occurrence and small salmon runs will have almost negligible chances of survival.

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With the removal of forest cover by clearcut logging, agriculture, residential growth and infrastructure development, larger amounts of runoff occur after heavy rainfalls or during prime snowmelt time, rather than soaking into the forest floor and being slowly released over the spring and summer. Surface water now leaves the watershed at a much quicker and more erratic rate than when the valleys were forested. Stream levels can rise and fall significantly with each precipitation event, rather than the even-water flows that historically characterized salmon streams. For fish and other aquatic organisms, rapid, erratic changes in water levels and speeds increase bank erosion, put sediments into the water, make the energy cost of living in a stream higher and often lead to dewatering of channels: that is, leave sections of aquatic habitat without water during periods of low water flow. Exposed streambeds are vulnerable to predation and the death of aquatic organisms, and they provide a barrier to fish movement. Lower water flows can warm stream temperatures, often fatal to resident trout and rearing salmon fry.

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New threats to old ice As we walk upstream along the banks, a robin flies up from one of the residual pools, most likely feeding on exposed aquatic insects and possibly even the fry trapped in the receding water. These small, low-elevation streams are in sharp contrast to the snowmelt-fed watercourses originating on mountain slopes, but many of climate change’s future impacts will be similar. A warming climate will dramatically destabilize the volume of water and the temperatures of summer water flows higher up, with effects on aquatic life similar to those we were finding in our little creek. In the mountainous portions of northwest BC, the stability of mountainfed stream discharge and fish populations is a direct result of melting subalpine and alpine snowbeds—where snow accumulation can persist for more than one season—and glaciers. During the neoglacial Little Ice Age (approximately 1550 to 1850 AD), lower annual temperatures and larger precipitation amounts in British Columbia’s Coast Mountain ranges were such that large glaciers and icefields re-established themselves. These accumulations of ice have allowed summer stream flows to be maintained at levels and temperatures that, historically, could support substantial Pacific salmon populations. During the 1900s and, in particular, since the 1950s, this has all begun to change. Rapid glacial retreat is well documented in British Columbia and in our region, as snowbeds and glaciers diminish, the security of summer water flows in major salmon streams becomes less. According to UBC’s climate models, at the current rate of climate warming alpine zones will retreat significantly in size over the next 40 years and, with them, the snowpatches and glaciers that feed the mountain streams and salmon-bearing watersheds. During major El Nino events, such as 2016, the early warm spring temperatures and low winter snowfalls mean that mountain snowpacks in the Skeena-Nass and Stikine basins are significantly lower than normal. Even if the subsequent summer is wetter, the lack of snow and diminishing glaciers to provide meltwater and groundwater within watersheds leads to vulnerable, erratic flows. Adding to the problems of less clean, cool water coming from mountainous watersheds is the issue of projected warmer temperatures. Not only will

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they affect the survivability of resident fish and salmon fry due, in part, to increased vulnerability to diseases both in themselves and their prey, the temperature increases will lead to more rapid evapotranspiration rates: As the air warms, the amount of water being evaporated directly into the atmosphere increases, as does the amount of water lost through transpiration by trees, further decreasing water availability for fish streams due to diminished water tables. What can be done? Is there anything that can be done to save snow and glacial-fed watercourses from experiencing low or no summer waterflows as the effects of climate change increase? In Europe, some small glaciers have been covered with matting to decrease their melt rates. In our vast and rugged terrain, it is unlikely that this could be a solution.

If we ever wonder, especially those of us who live on the wetter side of the Coast Mountains, as to whether climate change has much significance to us, go out and visit your local stream and question, will this still be flowing during the summer 100 years from now? The projections are not favourable, but we can only hope that, similar to the coordinated global initiatives to address the ozone depletion issues of the 1980s, global efforts to reduce the rate of climate change may slow the number of salmon bearing watercourses becoming obsolete in a warming world. An interactive, detailed computer model for climate change projections in British Columbia is available through UBC’s Centre for Forest Conservation Genetics at cfcg.forestry.ubc.ca. This model allows close evaluation of projected climate change for all valley systems in northern BC. N

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gone but not forgotten

T h e re c e n t l y re s t o re d C a s s i a r C a n n e r y i s a r a i n b o w re t re a t t h a t l i e s a t t h e e n d o f t h e ro a d f ro m Po r t E d w a rd .

by A ma n da Fol let t Ho s go o d amanda@nor t hwo rd. c a

For a lot of people it was their favourite time of their lives.

jus tine c ra wfo rd

Port Edward’s defunct canneries offer everything from history to beachcombing to quiet accommodation

A freight train rumbles past not 50 feet from our red-hued When the couple bought the 74-acre property 10 years ago, cottage, a throwback to an age when rail was the only way into it looked more like an abandoned, debris-filled junkyard this once-remote outpost on the northwest coast. Deflated, I than the thriving community it once was. The longest continlearn that I could have been dropped at the door of my Cassiar uously running salmon cannery on the BC coast, Cassiar Cannery accommodations if I had arranged in advance with operated from 1903 until 1983. By 2006, it had been stripped VIA Rail. of everything of value and fallen into neglect. Out of a half Instead, I arrived the way of the modern traveller: car dozen cottages, some had power, some had water, but none Justine Crawford loaded with husband and one-year-old, bikes, baby chariot, had both. They camped in one as they made it their home laptop, multiple clothing changes and more than enough and then continued to refurbish the Coho, Steelhead and food for our two-day stay. We drove west under clear skies Halibut cottages, as well as our own home away from home, and, just before Prince Rupert, turned left, driving through Sockeye House. Port Edward (pop. 500) and along a road that gently undulates—not just up The next morning, bluebird skies have given way to a soft, coastal mist as and down with the rise and fall of the coastline, but the back-and-forth sway we set out to explore the area by bike, pedalling back toward Port Edward of a boat, as if it had been paved by a drunken sailor. under old-growth spruce and hemlock forests. The bitter, distinctly coastal This 10-km stretch once boasted four canneries, each housing hundreds smell of skunk cabbage reminds us that tidewater lies a short distance away of residents: Cassiar, Sunnyside, North Pacific and Inverness. Of those, two as we follow the tracks, which follow the passage. still stand: The refurbished managers’ cottages at Cassiar are run as guestJust a few kilometres from Cassiar a faint pathway through the underhouses, while North Pacific was made a National Historic Site in 1985 and growth takes us to the pilings that once supported Sunnyside Cannery, averages 9,000 visitors each year. Sunnyside and Inverness both long since which operated from 1916 until 1968. In 1986, it was burned for the filming of plunged into Inverness Passage, which runs between Port Edward and the Trapper Jack and evidently little was salvaged before the blaze. Skeena estuary. I’d envisioned our low-tide beachcombing mission as an exciting treasure BC’s canneries once numbered in the hundreds, but today they are rememhunt; instead, it’s impossible to step without your foot falling on a barnaclebered in museums and refurbished accommodations such as these. Last year, encrusted piece of BC’s history—old bricks, Chinese medicine bottles and a the province’s last cannery closed when Prince Rupert’s Canfisco reduced cast-iron bathtub are just a few remnants so consumed by the sea as to only operations to gutting and packing fish for processing elsewhere. Dwindling be recognizable by their distinctive shapes. I pocket a glass bottle and we salmon stocks, consumer preference for fresh or frozen fish and international return to the road. trade agreements are blamed for the closure, which cost the region several hundred jobs and spelled the end of an era. Canned history Next on our journey is North Pacific, the most extensively refurbished cannery Rainbow at the end of the road on this strip, where I’m consumed by my love of old things: Rusty things. Cassiar Cannery marks the end of the road with a row of rainbow-painted Broken things. Paint-peeling-in-multiple-layers things. I’m overtaken with cottages overlooking the passage. Had we arrived by train, we would find faded-board-and-batten-and-rust-streaked-metal giddiness. ourselves a 25-minute drive from Prince Rupert with no vehicle, no cellphone The cannery’s shabby-chic appeal has made it popular not only with coverage and no neighbours for several kilometres—making for the perfect history buffs, but photographers and event planners. Where fish guts once getaway. Owners Justine Crawford and Mark Bell are capitalizing on their ran through wide-plank flooring to tidewater below, brides now swish their idyllic isolation by offering a variety of retreats: four women’s weekends this crinolines and tourists spend the day strolling boardwalks and sipping lattés. year, an annual Ecology Week in May, and plans for a writers’ retreat, couples’ “A lot of people just like to come out and walk the boardwalks, have a cup retreat, fitness bootcamp and photography workshops. of coffee—even on the rainy days,” general manager Lesley Moore says. 12 | AUG/SEPT ‘16 |

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Sleepy Port Edward is part industrial, part bedroom community, part retirement hub for those intent on living out their lives on a fishing boat. Coalfilled train cars rumble below terraced lawns, a reminder that new resources now travel through this passage. Port Edward looks out at Lelu Island, the current focus of controversy for industry slated for the northwest coast: a proposed LNG terminal that could threaten the very salmon stocks that first attracted people here. Before roads and rail, cannery operations provided an entire community for a ma nda fo lle tt ho s g o o d

a ma nda fo lle tt ho s g o o d

Whether a bright and sunny day or a moody, misty one, the cannery provides a place for reverie and the chance to peek into BC’s recent history. Beginning in the late 1800s and operating as a cannery until 1968, North Pacific continued to process fish until the late 1970s. While much exterior restoration work has been completed, planning is currently underway for the restoration of building interiors. The bunkhouse, constructed in the early 1950s to house single men working at the cannery, offers hostel-style accommodation during the summer season.

To da y, t h e w e a t he re d ex terio r o f No rth Pacif ic Can n er y m ak es a w h i m s i c a l b a c kd rop fo r wedding s and o ther event s h el d on th i s q u i e t pa ssa ge ne a r P o rt Edward.

From May through September, regular admission ($12 for adults) affords visitors the chance to tour the boardwalks and main canning building, which offers a self-guided tour, and a guided tour provides access to the general store and net loft, with its high ceilings, ethereal light and ghostly, hanging fishermen’s nets. A new era Continuing to Port Edward, we follow a narrow property that snakes along the passage where Inverness Cannery once sat. Today, it’s been divided into smaller lots, “for sale” signs adorning the trees as we glide past. One section is already occupied, its slopes boasting machinery and llamas. There’s little for the passing tourist, save a sign describing the cannery’s history as the first of its kind on the north coast until its closure in 1950 and ultimate demise— burned by kids—in 1973.

Vi s i tor s t o t h e N o r t h Pa c i f i c C a n n e r y c a n c r u i s e t h e boardw a l ks a n d p e e k i n t o t h e p a s t a t t h i s p o p u l a r N a t i o n a l H i s t o r i c Si t e n e a r Po r t E d w a rd .

their workers, some of whom were Japanese brought over on contract (until Pearl Harbor, when they were sent to internment camps) or First Nations who travelled from as far north as the Stikine. The train came through in 1914 followed by the road in 1957, diminishing the canneries’ community as staff began to move off site. Many who spent their childhoods here return today to reminisce: “For a lot of people it was their favourite time of their lives,” Crawford says about the steady employment and strong social fabric offered by the canneries. “I find this place really timeless. The days go really fast.” This morning’s gentle rain has turned to a steady downpour as we head back to our cozy cottage, where a warm shower and bowl of soup await. It’s easy to pass the afternoon lodged on our cottage’s couch, staring out at the passage where otters play and eagles soar. Indeed, it does boast a sense of timelessness. More than ever, I wish I’d taken the train. N

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Y R E V O C S I D H T O M M A ry e t s y m AM n i d e d u o , fossils still shr

fa c undo g a s tia zo ro

Decades later

by Ja n e S teve ns o n cobwebresearch@gm a i l . c om

In the summer of 1971, men and machines were working on removing the overburden (mining lingo for “dirt”) on Noranda’s Bell Mine on the Newman Peninsula of Babine Lake when their work revealed a jumble of ancient, oversized bones. Labourers stopped machines and spoke to one other. They examined the bones, discovered large tusks and surmised they must have belonged to an enormous, ancient elephant. The workers called their supervisors, who called the managers, who came together and considered their situation. What happened next is up for debate. Some say work was halted and the area was immediately roped off for preservation while experts were notified. Some say an order was given to excavate the bones and bury them elsewhere so work could progress on schedule. The prohibitive costs of a lengthy paleontological excavation may have led to decisions that were not in the interest of science. There was talk that the bones were so many, they must have belonged to more than one ancient beast. Some say that outside agencies were only notified when all but one of the remains had been removed, destroyed and buried elsewhere. Even impartial scientific reports and National Research Council publications mention that souvenir hunters compromised the discovery site by removing some of the earliest exposed material.

What is known for sure is one of Canada’s best and brightest geologist, Howard Tipper, happened to be in Smithers mapping the region for the Geological Survey of Canada. Tipper and a team of students were sent to the discovery site north of Granisle to lead the excavation of what would become known as the Babine Lake mammoth. Racing the time clock The Bell Mine manager and labourers aided Tipper and his team. Normal stripping operations were stopped for two days while they documented and excavated the bones from a 100-square-foot area. “Work was hampered by heavy rain and had to be rushed so that stripping could continue,” a 1973 scientific report states. “A bulldozer and a backhoe were used to speed up the work.” Tipper would later recall that he’d never in his life seen a bulldozer operated so gently. “It was most unscientific but we were racing against time,” he said. In spite of poor weather, shortness of time and the churning of sediments by heavy equipment, Tipper managed to pack 12 large crates with tusks, vertebrae, leg bones, ribs and key geological samples and sent them to the National Museum of Natural Sciences, now the Canadian Museum of Nature, in Ottawa.

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On July 14, 1971, the Smithers’ Interior News reported that, “The 20,000-yearold remains of an ice-age elephant found in the Babine Lake area began arriving at the National Museum of Science in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 7. Initial assessment indicates that the beast was a mastodon.” At the museum, Richard Harington received the bones and studied them thoroughly. The Order of Canada recipient and ice-age vertebrate expert concluded that, “The Babine Lake mammoth would have had an estimated height at the shoulder of 10 feet, 10 inches or perhaps 11 feet, four inches in the flesh.” The bones Tipper collected and sent east showed Harington that the Babine Lake mammoth was a hairy-coated Mammuthus columbi, a very large mammoth—much larger than the American mastodon. It had tusks that curved gently downward, outward, then inward. The dark organic silt that Tipper collected from the pit was analyzed for pollen content and showed an ancient environment of birch, grasses and willow. Soil showed the Babine Lake mammoth lived in a cool grassland habitat with some shrubs and scattered trees. Harington and other experts studied the bones, the descriptions made on site and photos from the excavation, and worked with Tipper to determine that the mammoth died at the site 34,000 to 43,000 years ago. Another report, from 1974, states, “Radiocarbon analysis of bone collagen from an anterior rib fragment of the Babine Lake mammoth gave the date of 34,000 (± 690) years before present.” Harington concluded the Babine Lake mammoth was trapped in the black mud of a bog and evidently sank deeper as it struggled. The scientists could find no evidence it was killed by humans. Around the time it died, Tipper explained in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, ice was retreating along the valleys of Babine Lake and the Bulkley River. These scientific conclusions were based on a partial skeleton, excavated in adverse conditions by an ad hoc team of nearby professionals. Both Tipper and Harington noted the site was suspiciously lacking all the teeth, which usually are preserved the best. Scientific reports published by Tipper and Harington all allude to or state directly that the site was compromised and mammoth bones were removed from the discovery location before Tipper’s arrival. The mystery deepens In 2002, the wife of a machine operator who worked at Bell Mine in 1971 made a donation to the Bulkley Valley Museum in Smithers. She said the bones were smuggled off-site by a worker at the time of the Babine Lake mammoth discovery. Museum staff sent photos to Harington, who was still working in Ottawa. He confirmed that they were bone fragments from the Babine Lake mammoth. The donor confirmed speculation that teeth and other bone fragments were removed from the site shortly after discovery and alluded that others in the area may still have the mammoth remains. Tipper, who was also contacted, stated in a 2002 Interior News article, “There were pieces (of mammoth remains) found in the dump area that didn’t come from the site we excavated. Some of the bones found weren’t the right size (for the mammoth they were digging up).” A former mine employee told the Interior News, “There were a great number of bones and tusks taken out by the workers, it would be great if they could be recovered.” The machine operator’s wife said workers hauled millions of yards of coalembossed bog with mammoth bones and bulldozed them into a nearby overburden dump. For 1971, this compromise of an ancient paleontological site was not unusual. Tipper and Harington both credited the mining company and the machine operators with taking remarkable steps for science, considering the era, by allowing them to excavate. Every minute the workers weren’t working meant thousands of lost dollars for the company.

l i sa rees

S c i en t i st s e st ima t e t he B abine Lak e ma mmo t h w ou ld ha ve m easured 10 f ee t , 1 0 inc he s a t t he sho ulder, o r pe r h a p s 1 1 fe e t , fou r inches in the f l e s h . If more fossils were tur ned into t h e m u s e u m, it c ould g reatly increase sc i en t i f ic know le d ge abo ut the G r a n i s l e a re a ’s a nc ie nt histo ry.

lis a re e s

R epl i ca casts of the l eg b o n e s and a vertebra o f the B a b i n e L a k e mammoth are vi si b l e at G r a n i s l e ’s Vi si tor C entre and M use u m a n d t h e f ri end l y resi d ents o f Gra n i s l e i n v i t e y ou to co me by and tak e a l o o k .

While the bones excavated in 1971 remain at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, those donated to the Bulkley Valley Museum are in its secure storage. Replica casts of the leg bones and a vertebra of the Babine Lake Mammoth are visible at Granisle’s Visitor Centre and Museum. Harington has stated that, “The Babine Lake mammoth is significant because it is one of the most complete ones found in BC.” He encouraged others to come forward because, “Even if fragmentary teeth can be found, or other bones in the skeleton, it would help to precisely identify this magnificent skeleton.” In a 2002 Interior News article, Harington implored anyone who may have additional Babine Lake mammoth bones to donate them to a museum where they could add to the specimen’s scientific value and contribute to understanding the ancient Granisle area. Any mammoth teeth, tusks or bone fragments sitting in a basement gathering dust can be donated: there will be no fines, museum staff would contact experts and science will thank you. If scientists could glean the age, size, diet and cause of death from a partial skeleton in 1971, imagine what additional mammoth bones could reveal today. N

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Great glaciers

Great glaciers Experience these prehistoric beauties before they’re gone

by Mat t J S i m mo ns th ewrit er@mat t jsim m on s. c om

The glaciers are melting. When I took my kids down the Icefield Parkway in Jasper National Park a couple years ago, we hiked onto the ice of the park’s most iconic and beloved glacier, Athabasca. To get there, we walked past markers that poignantly point out where and when the glacier previously had its edge. It’s a striking illustration of how much ice is disappearing and at what rate. Athabasca is far from being alone. Glaciers all over the world are being impacted by climate change and, as UNBC glaciologist Brian Menounos says, “Their future isn’t good.” Because glaciers in BC are a convenient, natural system of freshwater storage, this rapid depletion of our province’s ice means our future is directly linked to the big melt. But what exactly that future looks like is a subject for another article. This one, instead, is intended to celebrate our ice and get you out into the landscape to check out our amazing northern BC glaciers—while you still can. 16 | AUG/SEPT ‘16 |

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Hiking in late summer or early fall is a pleasure. The bulk of the biting bugs have run their course and the weather has a habit of cooperating. The alpine offers panoramic views and cooler air, a perfect end to any sweaty adventure on the trail. Our region has plenty of amazing glaciers that are accessible without needing a helicopter. The following are just some of many that can be found in northern BC (as well as a couple just across our borders). Best bet for finding your way to some of the more remote glaciers included here is by picking up a copy of the Northern BC Backroad Mapbook. Remember that glaciers are dynamic and can be dangerous places; never hike onto a glacier unless you have the skills and knowledge to stay safe. And this may seem a bit obvious, but glaciers are cold. If you do intend to hike out onto the ice, remember to bring layers, even on a hot day. ... continued on Page 18

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matt j. simmon s

Sometimes it’s the rough, rocky landscape at the foot of a glacier that is most dangerous. Watch your step if you’re navigating areas like this: on loose rocks, a sprained or broken ankle would put a serious damper on any hiking adventure.

Travel o n g laciers sho uld n ev er be tak en l i gh tl y. Crevasses, lik e these o ne s on S am u el Gl aci er i n Ta tshenshini-Alsek Park , are o ften h i dden u n der s n ow.

mat t j . s imm ons

McBride The Robson Valley around McBride has a few great glaciers accessible by foot. Kristi Glacier is about 11 km from the trailhead and features a backcountry campsite. Castle Creek (aka Roberts) Glacier can be seen by driving or hiking the Dore South Forest Service Road. The Eagle Valley trail takes you to Eagle Glacier and a cabin you can stay in by contacting the local alpine club. Check out www.visitmcbride.ca for more details.

... continued from Page 16

The Rocky Mountains Mount Robson hogs the sky. It’s a beast of a mountain that draws visitors from around the world. To check out the park’s glaciers—Mist, Berg, Hargreaves and Robson—hikers can follow the Berg Lake Trail. The route is well maintained and climbs from the river valley at Highway 16 up to the base of the mountain at Berg Lake, where ice regularly calves from Berg Glacier into the water. There are numerous backcountry campsites along the way, at the lake and beyond, but check to make sure you’ve got a spot before hiking the 21-km trail—this park is super busy in the summer. Highlighting glaciers in or around our region wouldn’t be complete without including Jasper and Banff. Driving the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Lake Louise is always rewarding. There are more than 100 glaciers on the 250 km stretch of road, including the aforementioned Athabasca. Be patient if you head down in the summer—the road bottlenecks with countless tourists and the views, if you’ve never seen them before, tend to make you drive really, really slow.

18 | AUG/SEPT ‘16

Telkwa The mountains in Telkwa Pass are home to numerous glaciers. The most accessible is Fubar Glacier, in the Howson Range, on the south side of the pass. Telkwa Pass connects the Village of Telkwa to Terrace via a forest service road. A popular route for bikes and off-road vehicles, the FSR is about 120 km long, with the Fubar Glacier close to the halfway point. For experienced mountaineers, the Howson Range has some impressive summits on offer, including Howson Peak itself, located on the edge of Tazdli Wyiez Bin/BurnieShea Provincial Park. Smithers Kathlyn Glacier nestles between the peaks of Dzilh Yez, also known as Hudson’s Bay Mountain. Views of the glacier can be had from Smithers and its surrounding areas, but for a close look at the ice, head up to Twin Falls Recreation Site. There, the Glacier Gulch trail climbs to the base of the glacier. It’s short, but steep, and on a hot day the icy air at the end of the trail will be welcome. Hazelton The Blue Lake Trail, a moderate Hazelton-area hike, takes you to Silvertip Glacier in the Rocher de Boule Range and, not surprisingly, a cerulean blue glacial lake. From the lake, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can continue hiking into the alpine. Seven Sisters Provincial Park is south of Kitwanga, between Hazelton and Terrace. The seven jagged mountains can be seen from the highway, but to get a good look at the glaciers that tumble down from the summits, you need to hike in. The seven-kilometre Whiskey Creek Trail takes you right to the

glaciers of northern bc

... continued on Page 20

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glaciers of northern bc

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aman da follett h osgood

A ro ad s i d e p u l l o u t a t t h e Be a r G l a c i e r a ff o rd s vi si t o r s a n e a s y o p p o r t u n i t y t o g a w k a t t h i s i mpressiv e m a s s o f i c e , w h i c h o n c e c o v e re d t h e val l ey w h e re t h e h i g h w a y n o w r u n s i n t o S t e w a r t .

mat t j. s i mmo ns

Terrace If you already know about Wesach, it’s probably in the context of backcountry skiing. The mountain and its namesake glacier are a popular spot for skiers, but it’s also a great hike in the summer. North of Terrace, near Kitsumkalum Lake, logging roads get you close to the subalpine and the hike up to treeline won’t take too long, where you’ll be rewarded with some spectacular views.

Bob Quinn Lake If you’re driving up the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) to the Stikine or Spatsizi, or even farther to the Yukon, it’s worth a quick stop at Bob Quinn Lake to check out the glaciers that surround Faisal Peak. Just past the Bob Quinn airstrip is a little dirt road on your left (if you’re heading north) that leads down to the lake. Faisal, and its glaciers, can be seen from the shore.

Wo r l d s c ollid e in M o unt Edziza. A to rtured, b a r ren volc a n ic la ndscape is juxtapo sed ag ainst t h e i c y, mount a inou s back dro p.

... continued from Page 18

foot of one glacier, which, if you have the skills, knowledge and equipment, you can hike up onto and continue into the mountains. Be aware that you have to cross the creek on this trail; it can be dangerous if the water level is high. Late summer and early fall should be relatively safe, but be prepared to turn back if necessary. Alternatively, check out the Oliver Creek, Cedarvale and Coyote Creek trails. Information about each is available on the BC Parks website.

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Stewart and Hyder On the road to Stewart, north of Kitwanga, Bear Glacier is a good example of retreating ice. The glacier once filled the entire pass where the highway is now. Strohn Lake formed from glacial melt in the 1940s as the ice started receding. The glacier and lake are protected as part of a provincial park, which has no facilities. There is, however, a pull-out on the highway where you can stop to check out the scenery. The Salmon Glacier is accessed through Hyder, Alaska, just on the other side of the US border from Stewart. A rough dirt road takes you to a viewpoint overlooking the glacier, about 25 km from the town. From there, you can hike (or drive) farther up to the old Granduc Mine and check out Berendon Glacier.

Edziza Mount Edziza Provincial Park is otherworldly. The juxtaposition of a volcanic landscape with snow-capped mountains and big glaciers is truly awe-inspiring. Tenchen Glacier spills from the mountain down into a tortured, barren landscape of volcanic rock, ash and dust. Most visitors to the park get dropped by floatplane or helicopter, but hiking in is possible. There are a number of rough routes and trails, but make sure you check current conditions before you head in—the weather here is volatile and trails can be washed out by flooded rivers or choked with fallen trees.

glaciers of northern bc

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matt j. simmo n s

T h e f e el i n g of cros sing un d e r neath a gl aci e r, lik e t his i c e c a ve i n Tats h en shini- A lse k P a r k , i s n ot u n l i ke tha t hushe d f e e l i n g of aw e on e e xpe rie nc e s e n t e r i n g an ci en t cat he dra ls.

(l eft) Gl aci er s , n ot to m en ti o n a t t i re w o r n f o r g l a c i e r tr av el , h av e ch an ged dr am a t i c a l l y o v e r t h e p a s t c e n t u r y. H ere, a grou p v i s i ts th e Gre a t G l a c i e r a t t h e St i ki n e R i v er n ear Wr an gel l , A l as k a o n Ju n e 2 1 , 1 9 1 4 .

u . s . n a t i o n a l a rc hi ve s a nd re c o rds a d m i ni st ra t i o n

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Stikine Surrounding the lower Stikine River, near where it crosses the border into Alaska, much of the landscape is a vast icefield and glacial landscape known as the Stikine Icecap. Great Glacier Provincial Park protects part of the icecap on the Canadian side. Hiking to check out these glaciers is pretty much out of the question, unless you have all the time in the world, but rafting or paddling the lower part of the river is an amazing way to experience these glaciers and an astonishingly beautiful and wild landscape.

Tatshenshini Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is a little triangular wedge of BC, accessible only through the Yukon or Alaska. Both of the park’s namesake rivers travel through a massive glacial landscape and the park itself is part of the world’s largest protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rafting the rivers requires a lot of planning, but hiking in to see some of the glaciers is relatively easy. Samuel Glacier, in particular, is an easy hike from the highway and an impressive sight. If you’re extremely lucky, you might complement your glacier sighting with a glimpse of the rare glacier bear, a blue-grey subspecies of black bear found only here and a small area across the border. Atlin Atlin’s Téix’gi Aan Tlein Provincial Park is accessible only by boat. To get to the impressive Llewellyn Glacier, hikers need to take a boat to either Llewellyn or Sloko inlets. From there, trails lead to viewpoints and a glacial lake. N

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The path of the herbalist

A little hunting and a lot of knowledge unearths a natural medicine cabinet

ily

T h e w i l l o w ’s i n n e r b a r k i s e a s y t o p e e l o ff t h e w o o d y s t e m a n d c a n b e g a t h e re d w h e n e v e r i t i s n e e d e d .

by Emi ly B u l m e r adv ent uremily@ya h oo. c a

Imagine dried herbs, ground-up roots and powdered barks carefully labelled and arranged in neat wooden boxes, dried berries wrapped in a deer skin pouch or willow bark being boiled in a cast iron pot over an open campfire. Before pharmacies, prescriptions and pills were commonplace, people from all cultures relied on medicinal plants to treat their aches and pains. These remedies were often passed down informally from generation to generation or from an elder healer in a village to a younger person who showed promise. Even as modern medicine offers multitudes of neatly prepared creams and pills, the use of medicinal plants is making a comeback. ee

r r n-f Wi chen lute ! G e y & l , d Spr tsch! ian Frien tar Deu Vege le. Pet

Jean Christian, a practising herbalist, has spent much of her life learning and living with the healing power of plants. She spent several years living off the grid, far from doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. During that time, she made remedies that would successfully calm and heal many common ailments, treating herself, friends and family with plants gathered from her property. After many years of practise and study, Christian is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others. “I see it on two levels. It is very easy to teach people medical and herbal terminology and have people take notes, and it is also very easy to point

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at all the plants and say what the medicinal properties are and the conditions they can be used for,” Christian says. “What I would really like to add is the relationship of (plant medicine) to your life itself—seeing the earth as a source of medicine— both for your body and your being in all its ways.” The path of plants I signed up for Christian’s Path of the Herbalist workshop series to satisfy a longtime interest and curiosity in traditional plant medicine. In addition to learning how to make remedies, I see it as a way to better understand the forest and environment where I live. I show up to my first class with plastic bags for collecting, a notebook, a sharp knife and leather workgloves. Before gathering any plants, we discuss the need for respect and awareness of the plant community’s condition and the impacts of harvesting. In some areas, plants like devil’s club have been over harvested to the point where the local population is wiped out. Taking only what is needed in a way that does not kill the plant is emphasized. Christian describes what she calls the path of the herbalist as a deep learning journey: “Get to know the plants in a multi-level way—not just their properties, but how the plants affect you on all levels.” She explains, “If your skin eruption is a result of anxiety or fear or stress then the plants we are looking for are going to be relaxing, soothing and connecting us. ... continued on Page 26

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“Going into the field is different than getting a bag of dried herbs because now (you) are developing a relationship with the living entity itself and its home. That’s what the path of the herbalist means—not just going to the health-food store

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and buying a bottle of the herb, but getting to know the whole life context, the spirit of the plant and its environment.” Christian challenges us to get to know a few plants, rather than become overwhelmed with memorizing dozens of plant properties and ailments. I feel my knees creak in the damp and think about my torn ligament. Or the strange eczema flare-up on my arm. I have no shortage of opportunity to put my new-found knowledge into action. I settle on making an infused oil for pain and inflammation using arnica, highbush cranberry (also known as crampbark) and devil’s club, for their properties in treating inflammation, and willow, which reduces pain. It will take me four separate collection trips to gather the medicine, compared to the 10 minutes it would take to run to the drugstore and buy a trusty tube of RUB-A535. I think about the time to make this remedy as I plan my trips to coincide with when the plants are ready for harvest. It is clear that I take the medicines in my bathroom cupboard for granted. Collecting At each site, before I start collecting, I offer a silent thanks for the medicine I’m about to gather. I take in the birdsong and sounds of the forest. Though I’m not sure it will cure my sore knees, being alone in the forest is soothing. All the sites are within walking distance of my house, so at the very least I am getting those knees moving as I make my way along the trail. The arnica is relatively easy to find and gather. I gently pull petals off the wilting flowers at the side of an old road. Leaving the flower’s centre allows it to go to seed and continue its lifecycle uninterrupted. It takes a while and I slap at mosquitoes as I slowly fill my bag. Willows are abundant in the wetland near my house and I enjoy the walk as I listen to red-

winged blackbirds declare their territories. I cut a branch with sharp pruners to not harm the plant and peel off the inner bark to see how much a single branch will yield. Estimating how many I will need, I cut about a half dozen branches. Highbush cranberry is a little tougher to find. Going to an area where I’ve picked them to make jelly, I gather a couple of branches from each plant, careful to spread my harvest around. The inner bark crumbles off the branch in small chunks as I work at it with my knife. Devil’s club is my last ingredient. I approach it with more caution, as this powerful plant demands a high degree of respect: I wince at the memory of picking small, poisonous spines out of my skin for weeks after pitching off my bike headlong into a clump. My heavy raingear and tough leather gloves protect me well and I oh-socarefully clip a few 12-inch spiny stalks with my pruners. Placing my plant material in an old crockpot, I add sunflower oil and turn the heat on low. The end result is a greenish oil that smells sharp and bitter. Rubbing some of the pungent remedy into my knees, my skin feels gently warmed. I’m not sure how well the remedy will work, but I’ve committed to keep using it and see where this particular path in my herbal education will lead. Regardless of the efficacy of my first trial batch, I have learned how narrow the collection window is for arnica and how painstaking it is to gather high-bush cranberry bark. I still feel uneasy about collecting devil’s club—maybe this is the plant’s way of telling me to be respectful of its power. I also think about how abundant willow is and how necessary it must have been before the advent of Tylenol. The slow pace of gathering allows for a lot of reflection. With so much to learn, I’m convinced that the path of the herbalist will take a lifetime to walk. N

mo rg an h it e

McD on el l L ak e Tr ai l , l ocated an h ou r ’s dr i v e from Sm i t h e r s , i s l i ke l y t h e l e g a c y o f a h u n t i n g gu i de acces s i n g n ear by al pi n e an d offer s u nu s u a l v i e w s o f B r i a n B o r u a n d H a n ki n Pe a k.

MCDONELL LAKE TRAIL

Follow the historic hoof prints of hunting guides to a parkland with stunning vistas by Morga n H ite morga njh@bulkley.ne t • m ore m a ps a t bvt ra i l m a ps. c a

The McDonell Lake Trail is an old horse-packing route that historically began at the lake, opposite Copper River Ranch. Presumably, hunting guide Lefty Gardiner built it to access the alpine areas on the ridge due south (commonly called Microwave Ridge today). Today, road access is from the McDonell West Forest Service Road, about a kilometre from the lakeshore at 900 m elevation. To reach the trailhead, follow Hudson Bay Mountain Road from Smithers as if driving to the downhill ski area, but turn left on McDonell Lake FSR at 13.7 km. Follow this resource road for another 13.8 km and, just after Dennis Lake Rec Site, turn left at a sign for McDonell South FSR. This stub of a forest service road runs over a bridge (the nascent Zymoetz River) and comes to a dead end after 1.2 km. Here, the McDonell West FSR begins: turn right and drive about nine kilometres. Be careful to turn left at 3.6 km where, if you go straight, active logging is occurring. Just

past the 9-km marker, the trailhead is on the left and a small parking area is on the right. If you cross a single-lane bridge, you’ve gone too far. All told, since the roads get slower and slower as you approach the trailhead, it’s about an hour’s drive from Smithers. For the first two kilometres the trail ascends gently through mossy spruce-fir forest and you can hear an unnamed stream rushing along to your right. About an hour into the hike this section ends as the trail suddenly turns right, descends and crosses the creek. (Is it just me or does the stream’s noisy grumbling seem to produce bass notes from upstream and treble notes from downstream?) Now the trail ascends more steeply: first through a boggy section to the base of the mountain and then right up the side of the ridge. Cresting at about 1380 m, just as the trees are getting smaller and views begin to appear, it takes

an unexpected dive down (this can be a shock— prepare yourself to give up some of the elevation you’ve gained) to return to the forest and gain the centre of the drainage. Perhaps this was done to keep the trail in the trees as long as possible, to give cover in bad weather. The trail now crosses a few small creeks and ascends what passes for treeline here: a parkland of alternating copses and clearings with great views. All told, it is just over two hours to this point. In early summer there is a lot of water available. You are now in an alpine basin that opens to the north. You can enjoy a stunning and unusual view of Brian Boru towering beyond the rounded Hankin Peak. There is also the interesting feature of the layered volcanic rocks on the ridge that bounds the basin on the east. The top of Microwave Ridge can be reached by continuing south on the trail, which leads toward the col at its southeast corner and then up onto the main ridge. N

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On the Fly

The Hopper: A fly for hot days, grass meadows and lazy rivers

by B r i a n S mit h fl y fishing nut 47 @g m a i l . c om

Northern BC’s summers are often too short; however, August and September can bring some of the most interesting and fun kinds of fly-fishing: stalking the banks of low-water rivers for big, fat rainbows with large grasshopper patterns. Grasshopper fly patterns have been around since the early 1900s. My pattern has evolved from Joe’s Hopper and Dave’s Hopper. Joe’s Hopper was originally designed by American Art Winnie in 1913 and called the Michigan Hopper, which was popularized in the western US in the 1930s by renowned angler Joe Brooks and renamed Joe’s Hopper. Dave Whitlock, perhaps one of America’s most famous fly fishers, redesigned the fly in the 1950s by marrying Joe’s pattern with Dan Bailey’s Muddler Minnow and calling it Dave’s Hopper. The pattern I’ve designed takes these models one step further by using sheet foam to create an

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Hoppers are best fished on rivers that run through grass meadows and during hot, lazy summer afternoons.

extended body, which continues to float after many fish and drownings. Grasshoppers go through three stages in their one-year life cycle: eggs, nymphs and adults. They mate in late summer and fall, leaving their eggs in burrows under logs, deep in grasses or safe structures. The following spring, eggs hatch into small nymphs without wings; the insects will molt many times, developing wings as they near adult stages in late summer. As adults, they fly to find mates and restart the cycle, and this is when they become targets for fish. Hoppers are best fished on rivers that run through grass meadows and during hot, lazy summer afternoons when the best fishing is

usually over for the day, but the grasshoppers are active and flying. They are clumsy swimmers and you must fish close to or inches from the river’s bank to be successful. Use a floating line paired with a two-metre-length 4X tippet, as this will turn the large fly over properly and also survive savage strikes from heavy trout in shallow water. Pound the banks, keep your casts short and look for structure like logs, grass clumps, small deep pockets or little riffles; these are places where trout prefer to hide when they are prowling for a ’hopper meal. N

brian smith

Brian’s Hopper Hook:

Tiemco 200R # 6-10

Thread:

UTC 140 hopper yellow

Tail:

calf’s tail fibres, red

Extended body: sheet foam, yellow over brown Abdomen:

dubbing, Hare-tron #15 pale olive

Legs:

legs-on-a-stick (knotted pheasant sword fibres), olive

Wings:

oak-coloured turkey primary sections, laid over body

Head:

deer hair natural, tapered bullet style

The most important thing to consider when tying this pattern is to leave lots of room for the bullet head, so begin your tying at the two-thirds point of the hook shank. First, prepare your foam strips

for the extended body by cutting a five-mm-wide strip of brown and yellow and cementing them together with a few drops of Krazy Glue. Attach a few fibres of red calf’s tail for the tail. Attach the foam strip and bind it back to the rear of the shank; trim to length of tail as per photo. Form a dubbing loop and dub the body, stopping at the shank’s two-thirds point. Attach the legs, then primary strips. To form the bullet head, begin with a five-mm strip of deer hairs. Place it on top of the shank, hair points to the rear, and bind softly at first, then very tightly. Do the same under the hook shank. Trim both top and bottom. Now take another five-mm strip, trim the tips off, place it across the shank, bind it tightly and allow it to spin freely around the shank. Pack it rearward tightly with your thumb and first finger; repeat until the shank is filled to the eye with spun hair. Tie your fly off. Finally, use a pair of curved scissors to carefully trim the spun hairs to a bullet shape. N

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Ba rom eter

Manual labour

by C h a rly n n To ews edit o rial@no rt hwo rd. c a

Did you know you can “save money and garage space” with a brand-name 12-amp compact blower vacuum? The blurb says it “assists with tiresome yard work.” And “while able to exceed hurricaneforce winds, this product can be eased to a gentler setting to work delicate gardens and flower beds,” all for $158.99. Better yet, for $399.99, get a gas-powered 29CC backpack leaf blower that features a powerful and easy-to-start X-Torq engine combined with an effective fan designed to deliver high air speed and high air flow. Leaves, hear me roar! I went for the 24-inch fan rake for $27.99 to save even more money and garage space, because I don’t find yard work tiresome in the least. I know that even having a yard is a great privilege, as is having the leisure to spend time in it. While I usually have two or three jobs, they do not exhaust to the point that I only have time to work, eat and sleep—no, I can putter for hours in the long evenings of our midnight sun.

And, while I cannot exceed hurricane-force winds, I can be eased to the gentler setting needed to work around my veg and flowers. In fact, I think “gentle” is my only setting in the yard. Another thing I know is what “keeps the yard neat and tidy,” and it’s not a what, it’s a who: me. OK, and my hubby and my kidling. I prefer my lightweight and stubborn manual mower, the kind Grandma had. It makes a soothing clicking, clattering sound, quiet enough not to wake the neighbour’s baby. It also offers a clever alternative to paying to go to a gym, as I do not simply walk behind it pushing effortlessly. It provides an awesome workout for my core, as I yank it back and forth, this way and that, over and over to get it to actually cut the grass, not just push it over. Built into this heroic effort is the need to take numerous breaks to rest and sip cool drinks, admiring my results so far. However, if I let the grass get a bit too long, my manual can no longer cut it. Both hubby and kidling claim the manual mower “doesn’t work,” and I ask them how the grass got shorter for the past 20 years. Anyway, the menfolk prefer noisy gas-powered weed-whackers and lawn mowers and I sometimes ask them to pollute the air and peacefulness of our neighbourhood with some petroleum products, and they are happy to oblige.

Did you know that manual mowers are mulching mowers? That’s right, no need to rake. Hubby’s beast of a mower growls and burps and spits up great green wads of grass that, if left in place, will kill the grass underneath. Because the rake is not gas-powered, hubby and kidling do not like to use it, so I happily clear up the clippings and pile them around the garden perimeter to prevent the need to use the weed-whacker anywhere near my precious tomatoes. Hubby puts away the mower and deservedly goes inside to rest after his 10-minute walk around the yard, so he does not see me rake. In fact, he believes that I do not rake, because he says the grass seed he purchased is “Miracle Grow with Auto-Migration Technology™ by CIL available at Canadian Tire.” Yup, that’s right: the clippings make their own way to my vegetable garden edges. Inside, I trip over hubby’s giant Sound and Fury™ vacuum cleaner that takes up one-quarter of the spare room, its dragon-like tails coiling dangerously underfoot. My straw broom stands neatly and compactly at attention, ready for me to work my abs and upper arms with brisk whisking. It’s not an actual competition (wait, I think maybe it is), but if you to go head-to-head, vacuum to broom, on that cat hair stuck to the doormat, guess who wins? Manual labour rules! N

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M A S S E T

AUGUST, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 7PM - 9PM Each Wednesday evening, meet Way Clinic practitioners & facilitators – these 2 hour workshops are on learning techniques and advancement of self awareness, (self) healing and intuition.

AUGUST WEDNESDAY NIGHTS Bioethique Group Facials

kombucha peel

OCTOBER 12 Family Constellation

SEPTEMBER 7 Somatics with Larry Hewwit

OPEN DAILY FROM 1PM TO 5PM

June 1 to September 6 IncluSIve All other DAyS: 2pm - 4pm SAturDAyS & SunDAyS

ADmISSIon $3 per perSon muSeum memberS & chIlDren unDer 16 Free 2183 collISon Avenue (beSIDe the Inlet) 250-626-6066

run your constellation = $60, representing $20

SEPTEMBER 14 Muscle Testing Taught by Way Clinic Intuitive Practitioners SEPTEMBER 21 Tool Box: Emotion Pain & Physical Pain SEPTEMBER 28 Family Constellation

OCTOBER 5 Holistic Nutrition with Angela Young

run your constellation = $60, representing $20

OCTOBER 19 Somatics with Larry Hewwit OCTOBER 26 Tool Box: Consciousness Medicine Techniques with Laura Cook All evenings $20/per person/per workshop or $100 for 6 workshops.

Space is limited • call 250.643.3441 to register PRE-REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED FOR ALL EVENTS.

w w w. no rthwo rd .ca

AUG/SEPT ‘16

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