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story page 45
story page 28
story page 24
story page 12
s t o r y p a g e 10
Co ver Photo
‘14
issue no. 54
There’s a little Huck Finn in all of us this time of year; this wild child is dropping a line in the Suskwa River. Photo: Paul Glover
Fea tures 10 12 18 20 23
24
Bug Bonanza
What was behind last year’s bumper crop of bugs? By Norma Kerby
28
Cetaceans
& Citizen science in the North By Caitlin Birdsall
8 16
Tseax crater and Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park By Joanne Campbell
Wheelin in the North
Cycling attractions, on-road and off By Amanda Follett
Rainbow Carrots
New farmers bring promise to north coast agriculture By Norma Kerby
40
Diversity, Adversity, and Prosperity
A colourful history meant ups and downs for BC immigrants By Josephine Boxwell
Crop Studies
Learning more about the food we grow By Alicia Bridges
45
Skilokis Ridge
Map and trail guide By Morgan Hite
Mountain Garden
In the Kleanza Valley By Al Lehmann
Depa rtm en ts 7
Volcano
39
In Other Words
Editorial and cartoon from the seasoned and the silly
Comment
The certainties of LNG development By Michael Price
On the Fly
Fishing in northern BC with Brian Smith
Story Comm en ts?
42 46
Top Culture
Explore the rural route to northern culture with UNBC’s Rob Budde
Resource Directory
Services and products listed by category
The Barometer
A seasonal reading of the Northwest by Char Toews
Tell us what you’re thinkin’. Comment on any story at www.northword.ca
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| AUG/SEPT 14 | 5
contents
story page 8
Au gus t / Sep tember
Joanne Campbell
PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER
contributors
joanne@northword.ca t: 250.847.4600 f: 847.4668 toll free: 1.866.632.7688
Amanda Follett Hosgood EDITOR
amanda@northword.ca
Shannon Antoniak
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
shannon@northword.ca
Sandra Smith
LAYOUT, AD DESIGNER, NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
sandra@northword.ca
Joanne Campbell is many things but mathematician is not one of them. She is pleased, however, to be able to count herself lucky. She is also publisher of Northword Magazine.
Brian Smith is a writer and
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.
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.
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.
Morgan Hite is a map-maker and
Al Lehmann is a piano tuner
writer who lives —and breathes—in Smithers with his wife and two sons, a cat, and a dog.
and piano teacher at the Terrace Academy of Music in Terrace. He is published periodically in the Terrace Standard.
Amanda Follett is a Smithers-
Caitlin Birdsall is a recent
Facundo Gastiazoro is a freelance designer who focuses on logos, posters, layout and illustrations. Originally from Buenos Aires, Facundo is currently living in Smithers. His illustrations appear in every issue of Northword Magazine.
Hans Saefkow is an awardwinning 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.
based writer who, sadly, sacrificed some bike time to edit this issue of Northword. As you read this, she is—hopefully—chasing her huskies down one of Smithers’ renowned bike trails.
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.
transplant to Prince Rupert and works as a biologist and educator focused on marine conservation. She will gladly talk your ear off about whales any time.
Alicia Bridges is a Smithers-based freelance writer. She worked as both a news reporter and feature writer for major Australian newspapers before leaving her homeland to explore Canada in 2013.
Josephine Boxwell is a writer,
video editor, history graduate and newcomer to northern British Columbia who enjoys exploring local stories.
NORTHWORD MAGAZINE Northword Magazine 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.
DISTRIBUTION | 10,000 copies are distributed four times a year for FREE, to over 300 locations in 33 communities across northern BC, reaching close to 40,000 readers. For a complete list of distribution locations, log on to www.northword.ca, and click on “subscribe/find a copy.” SUBSCRIPTIONS
$30 per year within Canada, $40 in the U.S., and $50 everywhere else. Go to www.northword.ca and click on “subscribe.” Ad deadline for October/November 2014 issue: September 12, 2014.
DISTRIBUTION: Bell II • Burns Lake • Chetwynd Dawson Creek • Fort St. John • Dease Lake • Dunster Ft. St. James • Fraser Lake • Granisle • Hazelton (Old Town) • Houston • Jasper • Kispiox • Kitimat • Masset McBride • Mackenzie • Moricetown • New Hazelton Old Massett • Port Clements • Prince George Prince Rupert • Queen Charlotte City • Quesnel Sandspit • Skidegate • Smithers • South Hazelton Stewart • Telegraph Creek • Telkwa • Terrace • Tlell Topley • Valemount • Vanderhoof • Wells
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BC’s Top Read MAIN OFFICE | Smithers
Box 817, 3864 2nd Ave, Smithers, BC, V0J 2N0 tel: 250.847.4600 toll free: 1.866.632.7688 | www.northword.ca
www.northword.ca CURRENT ARTICLES • PAST ISSUES READERS’ CONTRIBUTIONS CBC NEWS – BC, CANADA, WORLD
Legalities and limitations Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. No part of Northword Magazine, in print or electronic form, may be reproduced or incorporated into any information retrieval systems without written permission of the publisher. Information about events, products or services provided is not necessarily complete. The publisher is not responsible in whole or in part for any errors or omissions. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and advertisers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff or management. Northword assumes no liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers, nor for any claims or representations contained anywhere in this magazine. Northword reserves the right to cancel or refuse advertising at the publisher’s discretion. In no event shall unsolicited material subject this publication to any claim or fees. Northword welcomes submissions but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Copyright in letter and other materials sent to the publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic and other forms. Please refer to www.northword.ca for contribution guidelines.
hans s aefkow
The sweet, simple life: bikes, tomatoes and putting down roots
editorial
In Other Words
by Joa n n e C a mpb el l ed i torial@no rt hwo rd. c a
“I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” - Henry David Thoreau If there is one through-line in this issue of Northword it surely reflects the quote above: at its heart, it’s about our search for simplicity, and for that which is necessary and real. We don’t get into how to “simplify the problem of life” because, so far as I can see, life isn’t a problem. The act of simplification—now that could be a problem, but one that’s not too great to tackle. As our bookkeeper will tell you, I’m not a mathematician, but I am pretty good at adding two and two to get five. That’s a real skill, and if I could figure out how to make it work with money, I’d bottle it and probably give it away. It’s all about getting the whole to exceed the sum of the parts,
and it’s simpler than it sounds. For example, two people, two bicycles, one Haida Gwaii highway. It should be fun, good exercise, a nice holiday. Simple. I know several people who’ve taken this trip and I know for a secondhand fact that it is so much more than four wheels and two raincoats. It’s magic. Everyone should do it. Everyone. OK, maybe not everyone. If you’re a bit flabby or have bad knees, take the car. Drive slow. Pull over, let people pass. Smell the seaweed, dodge the little deer, eat some crab. Enjoy the bejeezus out of it. Here’s another example: tomatoes. My dear tomato benefactors give me tomatoes every year: the yellow cherry tomatoes that taste like summer sun feels (thanks Hermann!) and dried tomatoes that snack like sliced candy (thanks Norma!). This year, I hope to lessen their tomato-giving burden by growing some of my own. Do the imperial math: nine tomato plants, 20 pounds of dirt, a few ounces of plastic (to keep off the pounds of aphids the rains knock down from the trees) and gallons and gallons of water. Turn on the sun and presto! I’m optimistic that it will all add up to the simple pleasure of baskets of gorgeous homegrown
tomatoes. Maybe this year, I can be a tomato fairy and give unto others what they cannot grow unto themselves. What does tomato joy weigh? Of course, it’s still early. I still have time to fail. But at least this year I’m giving it a good go and, next year, I’ll read my notes from this year and the result will be even better. The process will be simplified, and I will know more of what is necessary (and not). I will learn the truth of tomatoes and the first steps toward vegetable self-sufficiency. What else do we have in this issue besides cycling and agriculture? The simple pleasures of an alpine garden and the simple happiness of sighting a whale—and telling about it. The truth of the Tseax volcanic eruption in the Nass and early BC immigrants. The necessity of learning more about LNG and salmon beds and giant bugs caused by climate change. We have apple trees that have been climbed and ridges waiting to be hiked, steelhead to catch and First Nations landculture to learn about. “Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” We’ve got some great places to start. N
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op-ed
Comm en t
The certainties of LNG development tavis h campbell photo
“F l o r a Ba n k , l o c a t e d b e t w e e n L e l u a n d K i t s o n i s l a n d s , i s o n e o f t h e l a rg e s t e e l g r a s s m e a d o w s i n BC , s u p p o r t i n g u p t o 6 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e t o t a l S k e e n a e s t u a r i n e e e l g r a s s .”
by Mich ael P r ic e p ricem@skeenaw i l d. org
While it is true that wrapping our minds around the implications of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is anything but straightforward (see Northword’s Untangling the pipeline debate, April 2014), there are some certainties worth considering. The Skeena watershed is one of the most important wild salmon and steelhead systems on Earth. Wild salmon sustain us. The Skeena estuary is of enormous biological importance because it provides a diversity of food sources and habitats that support large populations of fish and wildlife in a concentrated area, and it plays a critical role in carbon sequestration. Flora Bank, located between Lelu and Kitson islands, is one of the largest eelgrass meadows in BC, supporting up to 60 percent of the total Skeena estuarine eelgrass. Eelgrass meadows are foundational for estuarine food webs via primary productivity, the micro- and macro-invertebrate fauna that they support, and as shelter for extensive juvenile salmon populations. All Skeena salmon use the estuary as a nursery. The BC government wishes to use the Skeena estuary as a nursery to grow money. We humans cannot eat money, but we do harvest food from the estuary: fish, seaweed, clam, crab and too many others to list. More than pipes: proposed development for the estuary A tsunami of industrial development is planned for the Skeena estuary, including a bulk-potash loading facility, an expanded rail, road and utility corridor, and two LNG terminals. The most established of the LNG terminal proposals is for the development of Lelu Island and adjacent waterways. If built, nearly all the ancient habitat on Lelu Island will be destroyed and a marine terminal with a 2.7 km-long elevated causeway to berthing docks will be positioned on the edge of the rich eelgrass meadows of Flora Bank. A DFO study performed over 40 years ago, when the last wave of pressure for industrial development of the Skeena estuary and Lelu Island occurred, reported that, “Flora Bank is the most important shallow water area of the Skeena River estuary in terms of rearing juvenile fishes. The proposed port development would completely destroy the complex Flora Bank ecosystem.” Digging deeper To enable ships to access a materials-off-loading site during construction and the marine terminal during operation, the project plans to dredge 7.7 million cubic metres of ocean bottom—the largest dredging project in Canadian history. Unfortunately, the now-defunct Skeena Cellulose pulp mill once dumped its toxic effluent directly into the area where dredging is proposed. Sediments contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDF)—all of which are listed as contaminants 8 | AUG/SEPT ‘14 |
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of potential concern in the proposed project’s environmental assessment application. Beyond being difficult to enunciate, these are nasty chemicals that will persist and harm life for a very long time. Movement of the sediment by dredging will uncover and re-distribute these contaminated sediments and will likely increase toxin concentrations near the sediment surface and onto sensitive habitats like Flora Bank. Many dioxins and furans are bio-accumulative and will bio-concentrate and bio-magnify in the food web. The bio-availability of PAHs, PCDDs and PCDFs will increase with the dredging, and there is high potential for marine life to be negatively affected. From the smallest micro-organisms to benthic invertebrates, fish and mammals, effects of PAHs, PCDDs and PCDFs may include changes in biochemistry and behaviour, reduced development and reproduction, endocrine disruption, and impaired immune function. We humans are not immune. We may consume contaminated marine life in which bio-concentration and/or bio-magnification of dioxins and furans have occurred. Effects from such exposure may include biochemical alterations, developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption and cancer. Prosperity for British Columbians The LNG industry in BC is proposed to lower global greenhouse gas production, pay off our provincial debt and create 100,000 jobs for BC families; so we are told. In its report Liquid Natural Gas: A Strategy for BC’s Newest Industry, the BC government states,
t a v is h campbell photo
“ A l l S k e e n a s a l m o n u s e t h e e s t u a r y a s a n u r s e r y.”
“BC exports of LNG will significantly lower global greenhouse gas production by replacing coal-fired power plants and oil-based transportation fuels with a much cleaner alternative.” While natural gas emits less carbon dioxide per unit electric power than coal, higher methane emissions cause natural gas to increase global warming relative to coal, particularly on the 20-year time scale. This timeframe is important because Arctic sea ice is predicted to disappear in 20 to 30 years unless global warming is abated. A reduction in sea ice is predicted to accelerate global warming through positive feedback mechanisms: as the area of sea ice declines, the warmer the climate becomes. When used as a transportation fuel, the methane-plus-carbon-dioxide footprint of natural gas is greater than for oil, because the efficiency of natural gas is less than that of oil as a transportation fuel. Not to mention that the production and transportation of LNG is one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes known. Thus, natural gas is not the “low” greenhouse-gas alternative for the next generation, as promised. How about paying off that debt? Surely we will milk the financial LNG cow until we are all full on cream. Economist Marc Lee of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives wrote about the government’s overly optimistic revenue expectations from LNG. Instead of $100 billion estimated from five LNG projects over 30 years, the number is closer to $30 billion (if BC acquired a high-end price for our gas) and more likely $10 billion—far short of the $65 billion debt that LNG is supposed to pay off.
S keen aWild
t a v i s h c a m p be l l pho t o (a b o ve ): “ A D FO study perf o rmed o ver 4 0 y ears a g o c a l l s F l o r a Ba n k “t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t sha llow water area o f the Skeena R i ver estuary i n terms of re a r i n g ju v e n i l e f i s h e s .”
” A tsunami o f i nd ustri al devel opment i s pl anned f or t h e S k e e n a e s t u a r y, i n c l u d i n g a b u l k -p o t a s h loa ding f aci l i ty, an expand ed rai l , road and uti l i ty co rri d o r, an d t w o L N G t e r m i n a l s .”
d i a g ra m ( l e ft):
ro d b ro w n p ho t o (be l o w): “ The mo st establ i shed of the LN G termi nal p ro p o s a l s i s f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f L e l u Is l a n d a nd a dja c ent w aterw ay s. I f bui l t, nearl y al l the anci ent habi tat o n L e l u Is l a n d w i l l b e d e s t ro ye d a n d a m a r i n e t e rmina l w i th a 2 . 7 km- l o ng el evated causew ay to berthi ng d o c k s w i l l b e p o s i t i o n e d o n t h e e d g e o f t h e r i c h e e lgra ss mead o w s of Fl ora B ank. ”
And what of the 100,000 full-time jobs to be created by the industry for BC families? David Broadland, in a recent article for Focus Magazine, wrote that, “a $98 billion project in BC would create 910 long-term operational jobs at LNG plants, 56 pipeline jobs and 1,456 gas field extraction jobs. If the pertinent BC Stats Input/Output Model multipliers are applied to these long-term employment figures, the total number of long-term jobs—direct, indirect and induced—rises to 21,000.” Reality check OK, I have a tainted view of the world; I admit it. My thoughts primarily concentrate on fish. Well, that’s not entirely true. I think often of
our children, and the generation to follow. I think of the strong dependence that living beings of our watershed have on fish. I think of how important salmon are to our future. I’m concerned about the continued erosion of their home, their nest and nursery—that deathby-a-thousand-cuts reality, which has served to reduce the numbers of salmon returning to the Skeena and beyond. Chum, only a century ago numbered in the hundreds of thousands, now appears to be in the thousands. Sockeye, once the reason for pioneer settlement in Port Essington and other cannery towns along the Skeena River and estuary, are now propped-up by artificial spawning channels. The rush for financial gain has bestowed such a legacy.
Here we go again. We have known for more than 40 years that near-shore areas of the Skeena estuary, like Flora Bank, sustain much more than marine life; they sustain us. Why would we now zone such an ecologically and culturally important area for industrial development? Building LNG projects atop the most productive salmon habitat in the Skeena does not fit my vision of a sustainable future. We can do so much better. Michael Price is a salmon ecologist with SkeenaWild Conservation Trust; he lives in Smithers. N
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| AUG/SEPT 14 | 9
BUG bonanza Is climate change impacting northern spiders and insects?
by Nor ma Kerby
As average summer temperatures increase in the northern interior, insect and spider population sizes will increase.
nkerby@t elus.net
A slight movement on my sleeve catches my attention: A spider—the size of a nickel. Yeow! As I fling back my arm, the spider goes flying. “Where did it go? Where did it go?” I ask Ken as we search the small cabin. That night, with Spider Godzilla still loose, every brush of the sleeping bag against my face causes me to snap awake. For someone who collects invertebrates for the Royal BC Museum and has spent a lifetime working to preserve biodiversity, my reaction is a bit embarrassing. Last summer, though, there was a bonanza in spiders. Not only were there more spiders, there were bigger spiders with large, tough webs that spread between the trees like cotton doilies: “Climate change,” one of the old-timers said while we ducked several super-sized, eight-eyed predators hanging across the path to his woodshed. “Going to be nothing but huge spiders the warmer we get.” Curious as to whether this spider invasion is actually an early vanguard to a warming climate, I contacted the Entomology Division at the Royal BC Museum. According to museum research associate Robb Bennett, the insect and spider numbers we experienced during last year’s warmer and drier summer were actually closer to normal invertebrate population levels. The last few years, northern BC has had cool, damp weather, especially in the late spring and early summer. Who can forget the summer of 2011 with its non-stop rainfall and cold temperatures? Invertebrates, such as insects and spiders, are cold-blooded—that is, their body temperature reflects the temperature around them. “Many insect and spider species suffer significant mortality and lowered reproductive capacity during cool, wet weather,” Bennett says. The outcome is that locations with warmer, drier climates support more invertebrates than ones with cool, wet springs and summers. According to Bennett, last summer’s large spider numbers, as well as attention-grabbing insects such as wasps and yellow jackets, were more an effect of local weather conditions than long-term changes in climate. In the West, our summers oscillate between drier, continental weather conditions (La Nina air flow patterns that blow from the continent to the ocean) versus oceanicdriven weather conditions (El Nino wind patterns that blow cool, moist ocean air against the west coast).
If you are a spider, this means that some years are cool and wet, with low insect numbers and slow growing conditions, while other years, such as last summer, are warm, dry and full of flying insects. Hot summers provide the perfect conditions for spiders to become large and intimidating.
Bigger bugs? But if climate change is occurring globally, what will happen to northern BC spiders and insects? Are we looking forward to a change in the number of bugs in our backyards and forests? Climate change models suggest that we are. As average summer temperatures increase in the northern interior, insect and spider population sizes will increase and species’ ranges will move northward and to higher elevations. The effects of climate change are less clear for the north coast. Some models suggest that the region and its associated inland valleys may experience wetter, cooler summers. If this happens, spiders and insects will likely decrease in numbers and diversity. These shifting weather patterns can set the stage for new, introduced insects, as well as population explosions of native species whose growing conditions exceed their natural restraints. In the last 30 years, we have had both natural and introduced plagues of aggressive insect populations. The mountain pine beetle is an example of a native insect whose expanding population has had major negative impacts on the normal ecology of northern BC. According to research by the University of Northern British Columbia and the Mountain Research Station at the University of Colorado, warmer summer temperatures most likely led to stress on pine trees, making them more susceptible to insect attack. The warmer summer temperatures, combined with less severe winter temperatures, allowed for better beetle survival. All of these factors contributed to the ability of the mountain pine beetle to spread rapidly throughout interior forests and expand its ranges northward and eastward. Similarly, introduced insect species can also become significant problems in response to climate change. An example of a non-native species spreading throughout wild crab apples and domesticated fruit trees in the TerraceKitimat area is the apple ermine moth. First detected in Kitimat in 2011, and assumed to have been brought by nursery plants from southern BC, this tiny
Unbelievable view of Glacier Gulch 6 year old home on 34 acres,10 minutes west of Smithers.
Niomi Mio
Realtor
Calderwood Realty 1175 Main Street. Smithers, BC t/f 1.800.360.3268 cell (250) 877.9040 nmio@telus.net 10 | AUG/SEPT ‘14 |
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f a c undo g a s tia zo ro
but voracious European moth has spread up the Kitimat-Lakelse valley to devastate fruit trees in the Terrace area. Building thick webs to protect themselves from predators, an infestation of the apple ermine moth caterpillars can strip a tree of leaves in a matter of days. Last year’s warm summer allowed it to spread from the localized infection in Kitimat into Terrace’s agricultural area. If the northern climate becomes warmer, then invasive species such as this can spread even farther north. Will spiders be similarly affected? Warming trends could affect both spiders’ survivability and the amount of food available for them. There are close to 800 spider species known in British Columbia, with probably another 200 waiting to be recorded. Of these, the majority are
valuable members of the province’s ecosystems, keeping local insect populations in check and providing food for predators, such as birds and amphibians. If their ranges expand, these spiders are unlikely to upset the ecological balance of ecosystems adjusting to climate alterations. From a human perspective, though, shifts in spider abundance attract a lot of interest. Some have strong emotional reactions to spiders. Other people are concerned with spider bites. According to Bennett, spider bites are rare and only one spider in BC, the western black widow, has any potential for significant health concerns. Fortunately, this species is limited to the southern part of the province. Other spider species of human concern are also still limited to southern British Columbia. The introduced giant house spider, terrorizer of base-
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ment-suite renters in Vancouver, and the hobo spider, falsely accused of causing health issues, have never been detected in the North and have a long way to expand ranges before they might occur in this part of the province. Will climate change affect the abundance of spiders and their insect prey in northern BC? Yes. Although variations in weather conditions from summer to summer will have the most impact on annual spider numbers, climate change will slowly, imperceptibly alter which spiders species occur in any one area and whether they thrive there. As you lie in your sleeping bag this summer, watching a large hairy wolf spider attack the bugs at the peak of the tent roof, you may be given to pondering a future full of spiders—big spiders— in a warming world. N
Ruth Murdoch MC, CCC, RCAT
certified counsellor registered art therapist
1012 Columbia St Smithers ph. 847-4989 www.ruthmurdochcounselling.com
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| AUG/SEPT 14 | 11
Cetaceans & citizen science
in the North
This North Pacific right whale, s p o t t e d o ff t h e w e s t c o a s t o f H a i d a G w a i i l a s t ye a r f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n 6 2 ye a r s , p ro v i d e s some hope that the species m i g h t b e re b o u n d i n g .
fisheries and oceans canada
B C C e tacean Si gh tings N e t work o b s e r v er Wal ter Thor ne sna ppe d t his p ho t o of ki l l er w h ale s a t Bish C re e k , n o t f a r from Ki ti m at .
O ne o f the more f asci n a t i n g m o m e n t s f o r BC C e t a c e a n S i g h t i n g s N etw ork o b server R en a t a N e f t i n w a s w a t c h i n g e i g h t h u m p b a c k w h a l e s bubbl e netti ng togethe r a t Tr i p l e Is l a n d , 4 0 k m f ro m P r i n c e R u p e r t . w alt er t ho r ne
re n ata n ef tin
by C a itl i n B i r d s a l l ca it lin.Birdsall@v a n a qu a . org
Phooooouuuuuuughhhhhht. A humpback whale exhales. Its loud breath is accompanied by a nearsimultaneous shriek from two young girls watching from the upper deck of Prince Rupert Adventure Tours’ wildlife-watching vessel the MV Inside Passage. While more subdued than the youngsters, several adults also let out an audible gasp as the school-bus-sized animal surfaces again. After four breaths, the whale arches its behemoth back and its huge tail rises out of the water as it slips beneath the surface of Chatham Sound. The entire boat lets out a collective, awed sigh. What is it about cetaceans (the collective term for whales, dolphins and porpoises) that is so captivating to humans? In Prince Rupert, there are no fewer than five buildings decorated with giant whale murals, a grey whale statue standing proudly at the waterfront and numerous shops selling souvenirs festooned with whale images. John Ford, who has been studying whales since the 1970s and is now head of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Pacific Cetacean Research Program, answers with a laugh: “They’re big?” He elaborates: “When you first see a big whale you can’t help but be impressed. You know you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg and when you’re 12 | AUG/SEPT ‘14 |
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close enough to hear their echoing breath—that hollow-cave sound—you just know that these are huge animals. They have inherent mystery to them.” Counting for conservation North coast citizens and mariners are being asked to take this fascination and turn it into useful data. While immensely popular, there are many questions still to be answered about the icons of the sea, especially on the less-inhabited, less-frequently-studied north coast. For more than a decade, the Vancouver Aquarium, in collaboration with DFO, has coordinated the BC Cetacean Sightings Network. The program engages a wide variety of coastal residents, recreational boaters, professional mariners and others to act as citizen scientists by reporting their sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea turtles throughout BC. While observers from across the coast have contributed over the years (compiling nearly 80,000 records), the majority of participation and data comes from the south coast. To rectify this data gap in the North, in early 2014 the Vancouver Aquarium established its North Coast Field Office to, among other things, encourage increased participation in the Sightings Network. ... continued on Page 14
A killer whale does its own observing o n t h e w a t e r s o ff the north coast.
vancouver aquarium
A ta i l o f a w h al e: A h u mpba c k wha le sen d s a w a ve to i ts admire rs a long the B C c o as t.
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Vi e w e r s e n jo y f ro n t -ro w s e a t s a s a h u m p b a c k d i v e s o ff t h e BC c o a s t . Humpback whales have the highest density along the coast in the North.
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A k i l l e r w h a l e s p yh o p s — standing upright to take a l o o k a ro u n d — n e a r Caamano Sound on the north coast.
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A l ung e- f eedi ng hump b ack w hal e puts o n an i mp ressi ve d i sp l ay f o r observers o n the north co ast. The N orth has the greatest d ensi ty of l arg e w hal es, such as f i ns and hump b acks, any w here on the coast.
... continued from Page 12
“The data we collect through the Sightings Network allow researchers to better understand the distribution and occurrence of cetaceans,” BC Cetacean Sightings Network coordinator Tessa Danelesko explains. “Eleven cetacean populations found in BC are listed at-risk under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Knowledge of when and where they spend time is key to better protect and
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manage these populations. Born in the North We want to make sure we are While the BC Cetacean collecting data from everySightings Network’s head where on the coast, including office is at the Vancouver the North.” Aquarium and its new The north coast is a special satellite office is in Prince area for cetaceans. Seventeen Rupert, this program actually species have been recorded has its roots in Haida Gwaii. in these waters, including In the early ’90s, Ford, then some that have teetered on working for the aquarium, the brink of extinction. Many BC Cetacean Sightings Network was commissioned by Parks large whale species were coordinator Tessa Danelesko Canada to conduct a cetacean heavily hunted throughout species inventory in what the North Pacific well into the is now Gwaii Haanas. On 20th century. Some species top of doing fieldwork, he have rebounded well. According to Ford, in the recruited marine wildlife viewing tour operators North “the density of large whales—fin whales, to begin recording and reporting their sightings. humpback whales particularly—is greater than “We recognized that this approach could yield anywhere else on the coast.” good data and we expanded the program to Other species have not rebounded, but this area include more of the coast,” Ford explains. Thus, offers a small glimmer of hope. Last year, for the the BCCSN and its citizen science approach were first time in 62 years, a North Pacific right whale was born. spotted off the west coast of Haida Gwaii. Scientists Citizen science is defined as “projects in which estimate there are fewer than 50 of these animals volunteers partner with scientists to answer realleft in the entire world. While Ford warns that this world questions” by the Cornell Lab of Ornisighting may have been a mere coincidence, it is still thology, which runs some of the largest and most some cause for cautious optimism: “I like to think successful citizen science projects in the world. it’s a sign that there is some hope for them.” By using the extensive numbers, experience and
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geographical range of citizens, scientists can tap into a wealth of information. To date, over 4,000 people have reported sightings to the network. Renata Neftin is one of these observers. She works as a relief lighthouse keeper throughout the coast, most often in the North near her Prince Rupert home. Since 2009, she has submitted cetacean sightings from her vantage point on the lights. In the North, she mainly sees humpback whales; just because they are common, doesn’t mean they aren’t exciting to observe. “One of the more fascinating moments happened at Triple Island, where I was able to watch eight, yes, eight humpback whales bubble netting together,” Neftin says, describing a behaviour commonly observed only in BC’s northern waters. “It is an incredible feat of cooperation and teamwork for eight whales to make a bubble net together and coordinate their timing to scoop up whatever they were feeding on.” At a time when funding for scientific research is tight, citizen science offers a cost-effective and wide-reaching way of collecting large amounts of data. “It’s also a way to engage people in the scientific process and get them involved,” Danelesko explains. “By being involved, they become invested and interested in the species they are recording. Our observers are not only the eyes and ears of the coast, but they also become stewards.” Marty and Mae Jong Bowles are two of these citizen scientist stewards. Eight years ago they purchased their 30-foot sailboat Wild Abandon. Their passion for adventure and exploring the coast led them to become observers for the BCCSN. “When we heard about the project, we knew we had to get a logbook,” Mae recounts. “When we are out on the water, we’re so lucky to see so much. We know how important it is to document what’s out there, to show the importance of an area and ecosystem.” In four years, they’ve recorded 250 sightings for the program. Discoveries and recoveries The time is right to learn as much as possible about the whales that make this region home. Improving baseline knowledge and monitoring can only bode well for cetaceans in the face of increased industry for the region. “This data helps us understand where the hot spots are,” Ford explains. The sightings can be used to better pinpoint areas of critical habitat or regions that require more study. For example, scientists only recently discovered that nearly all 20,000 grey whales that migrate through BC to the Bering Sea pass through Hecate Strait and not the west side of Haida Gwaii as previously thought. “Understanding patterns such as these is important for understanding how human activities may affect whales. “Whales have survived a lot of abuse by humans,” he adds. “They are icons for a lot of the wrongs we’ve done to oceanic animals. They are survivors. I think people are happy they’re there, that they’ve come back.”
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ph oto cou rtesy ren ata n efti n
Tra nsie nt k ille r wha le s m o v e t hrough t he wa t e rs al o ng t he nort h c oa st .
(abov e r i gh t) K i l l e r w h a l e s s w i m p a s t Ad d e n b ro o ke I s l a n d L i g h t i n Fi tz H u gh S oun d . L i g h t h o u s e s a re j u s t o n e v a n t a g e p o i n t f ro m w h i ch obse r v e r s c a n re c o rd a n d re p o r t c e t a c e a n s i g h t i n g s .
Now, north coasters are being encouraged more than ever to contribute their observations to better understand these intriguing creatures. Contribute sightings to the BC Cetacean Sightings Network online at wildwhales. org, toll-free at 866-I SAW ONE or via email, sightings@vanaqua.org. Logbooks are available upon request. N
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The Bulkley River: Clear water, dry flies and big fish D al e Freschi hol ds a steel head caug ht on the B ul kl ey R i ver i n l ate summer. Few ri vers are more revere d f or thei r d ry - f l y f i shi ng than the B ul kl ey.
by B r i a n S mit h fl yfishingnut 4 7@gm a i l . c om
When steelhead fly-fishers talk about rivers that are on their bucket lists, many come to mind; however, few rivers in the world are more revered for their dryfly fishing opportunities than central BC’s Bulkley River. Originating as a small stream from Bulkley Lake near Rose Lake (the dividing line between the Fraser and Skeena watersheds), the Bulkley gathers its tributaries from creeks and brooks along its journey, but doesn’t become a grand river until it meets the Morice River near Houston, BC. At the confluence with the Morice (another steelhead destination river), the Bulkley doubles in size and begins its legendary reputation as a steelhead river. The Bulkley runs the gauntlet to its meeting with the Skeena at New Hazelton by following Highway 16 west, but is also accessible from several points below Houston by travelling an alternate route on the Walcott-QuickTelkwa Forest Service Road on the river’s northwest side to Quick and, finally, by taking Lawson Road to Telkwa. There are many private farms and ranches along this route and access is restricted by no trespassing signs. There are, however, put-in and take-out options for drift boats at Bymac near Houston
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On the Fly
Plan to fish the Bulkley in September and early October when the water is still warm and the fish are frisky.
and at Emerson Creek, Walcott and Quick, Telkwa and the Highway 16 bridge at Smithers, as well as a few other rough spots below Smithers. Camping services on the Bulkley include Smithers’ municipal campground, ‘Ksan in old Hazelton and private RV parks. If it’s lodging you wish for, motels that cater to steelheaders are abundant in all the towns along the route: Houston, Telkwa, Smithers and Hazelton. Guided float trips and lodging packages are available through Bulkley River Lodge; guided day trips with experienced and insured locals can be arranged through Oscar’s Source for Adventure or McBike and Sport in Smithers, local experts in tackle and “what’s happening?” on the Bulkley system. So, your dreams are made of releasing a five- to 10-kg steelhead on the dry fly? If so, plan to fish the Bulkley in September and early October when the water is still warm and the fish are frisky. The reason the Bulkley is such a cerebral destination for dry-fly addicts is its origin at Morice Lake, which produces the clarity and warmth of the Bulkley’s water and fosters the instinctive memory of its fishes. Its major tributary, the Morice River, originates from Morice Lake and is almost never blown out by storms or incoming pressure systems that hinder coastal rivers. Also, the Morice system is the Bulkley’s nursery, where juvenile steelheads spend one to four years actively feeding on aquatic insects from the fertile water before maturing and heading downriver to the Skeena and the Pacific Ocean, returning to the Bulkley system to spawn after one to four years of ocean-feeding. When they return, they remember the bugs they ate as youngsters and react with aggression—simple as that! The best dry flies for the Bulkley system are by far the Bulkley Mouse, originated by Smithers-based guide Andre Laporte, and The Freddie, designed by former Babine River guide Fred Watts. The Bulkley has special regulations including Classified Water and boating restrictions—please consult the regs before you go to enjoy this amazing piece of our north country. N
The Freddie fly pa ttern
ORIGINATOR: Fred Watts, Merrit, BC (for the Babine River) HOOK: Tiemco 2312 # 6-10 THREAD: UTC 140 gray brown TAIL: elk hairs, half body lengths, stacked BODY: dubbing, Stillwater Soft Blend colour dun olive WINGS: elk hairs, 3-4 separate stacks over dubbed body HACKLE: grizzly and brown, 3-4 turns each HEAD: elk hairs clipped; use butts of last wing stack
N
brian smith
COMMENTS: This pattern is really a steelhead Mikulak and has been a standby on the Babine River system for decades. I’m betting it will work on large rivers like the Thompson and Bulkley-Morice equally as well.
Th e Freddi e, a p atter n d esi gned by f o rmer B abi ne R i ver g u i d e F re d Wa t t s , i s o n e o f t h e b e s t d r y f l i es f o r c a t c h i n g s t e e l h e a d o n t h e Bu l k l e y R i v e r.
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“So how did you become so enthusiastic about being a farmer?” I ask Anita Hein, owner of Anita Farm in Jackpine Flats outside Terrace. Hein is an energetic and dynamic young farmer who is successfully operating a part-time, multi-faceted agricultural venture tapping into consumer demand for natural food and 100-mile diets. She thinks for a moment, then answers: “I farm because I enjoy it and my family gets to eat healthy food. Making money isn’t the highest priority. I like people and like to sell good food to them.” Hein has combined her egg sales, greenhouse vegetables and market garden to make the farming venture a success. One of the regular vendors at the Skeena Valley Farmers Market, she likes to try new growing adventures, such as ochra and multi-coloured “rainbow” carrots. Asked how she learned about farming, she says she didn’t have a mentor or a family background in farming. With a natural love for growing things, much of her knowledge has come from watching YouTube videos, talking to people and reading about planting techniques, saving seeds and becoming a successful farmer. Fertile soils and the mild climate of the lower Skeena Valley, combined with regional demands for quality natural food, fuel her goal to become a full-time grower. Farming takes root Farming in the Skeena’s lower watershed is not a new idea. Agriculture has a long and successful history here. In 1914, the newly constructed Grand Trunk Pacific Railway linked north-central British Columbia with markets in eastern North America. The railroad company and the province were looking for settlers to take up farms in the fertile valleys along the route. In the lower Skeena Valley, where Terrace and surrounding rural communities are now, the land and climate were identified as being suited to agriculture. New people flocked into the area to take up large acreages. Within a decade of the railway’s completion, large fruit orchards had been planted, dairies were established and market gardens started the flow of produce along the railway—west to the new port in Prince Rupert and eastward as far as the prairies.
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Agriculture in the inland north coast area was very productive in the days before World War II. With a mild climate and large natural terraces of arable soil, local farmers were able to successfully grow tree fruits, berries, root crops, potatoes and other fresh produce. Some of the wealthier farmers had glass greenhouses for tomatoes, fresh greens and grapes. The Terrace area was referred to as the breadbasket of the North. This all started to change when Columbia Cellulose Ltd. was granted a tree farm licence in 1948. Higher wages offered in the forest industry and Terrace’s rapid growth meant once-productive farmland was converted to housing as the town expanded. At the same time, the trend toward supermarkets made it difficult for local farmers to compete with year-round supplies of imported food. The agricultural boom faded. Some farming districts around Terrace managed to maintain their agricultural emphasis through these changes. Gunther Rauschenberger’s parents and relatives moved to the Old Remo area in 1954. Attracted to the rich alluvial floodplain soils, several German immigrant families established large farms at Old Remo. They were able to make a good living growing potatoes and other crops for markets in Terrace and Kitimat. By the 1990s, though, most families were gone and much of the land was no longer used for commercial agriculture. Rauschenberger’s uncle, Dieter Bahr, is one of the last farmers to grow large acreages of vegetables for sales regionally and at the weekly farmers market.
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Everything I put into the ground, I have thought about the variety and the outcomes I want.
Rauschenberger and his wife, Carol, now operate their own part-time farm north of Terrace. As next generation farmers, Willow Creek Heri- Charles Claus, tage Farm specializes in greenhouse and market-garden heritage tomato and squash varieties, as well as market crops like lettuce and kale. The Rauschenbergers, with a lifetime of exposure to farming knowledge, spill over with information about techniques in the lower Skeena Valley. They say that farming for now is part-time work. The cost of equipment, fuel, seed and transportation, plus a four- to five-month growing season and competition with supermarket prices, would make it difficult to achieve a full-time living from field-based agriculture. The best return for effort is to use greenhouses or intensive raised beds for specialty products, such as their heritage squashes and pumpkins, and to sell to specialized markets. They see this as being a time of change for agriculture in this region, as many buying large farm acreages do not intend to farm commercially. Despite the demand for local food, the monetary return from farming, compared to the cost of living, makes it difficult to be a farmer. The future, they say, is small, part-time farmers catering to farm-gate or farmers’ market-type sales.
and no shade from forests or mountains, it has one of the region’s warmest microclimates. Claus likes to experiRiver Mist Farm ment: an avid collector of the area’s historic agricultural information, he prefers to read and research each step as he expands his farm. “Everything I put into the ground, I have thought about the variety and the outcomes I want,” he explains. Claus specializes in spring greens and early beets and potatoes, as well as late-season brassicas, such as cabbages and cauliflowers. He is passionate about historic apple varieties and has been growing rootstock and grafting trees that will do well here. In particular, he is searching for trees that are resistant to diseases introduced into the lower Skeena Valley over the last three decades. He is optimistic about the niche he is developing for his products and enthusiastic about trying methods for growing new and heritage varieties. All these new farmers are full of interesting ideas and willing to take risks to carve themselves a place in the agricultural market. “Rainbow carrots,” I quiz Hein. “How did you come up with the idea of selling rainbow carrots?” She laughs. At $3 for a dozen multi-hued taproots, Growing forward her carrots are always best sellers at the farmers’ Another new part-time farmer, Charles Claus of market. River Mist Farm, is optimistic about his investments. “People like the novelty and the different tastes,” Wanting to grow berry and fruit crops to supply she says. the specialty bakery operated by his wife, Anne, In a time where supermarket carrots sell for $4 he carefully chose his location to grow fruit trees a bag, often having spent long months in storage, and a market garden. the bright colours and snappy flavours of the Braun’s Island, in the flood plain of the Skeena rainbow carrots are giving new farmers like Hein River, is at 50 m elevation. With silty alluvial soils the opportunity to revitalize northern agriculture. N
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by Al icia Br id ge s a lic ia e b r id g e s @ g m a il. c o m
I think we are vastly under our agricultural capacity and potential and that is not because of the farmers.
In the 1940s and ’50s, federally stone mill he built to grind rye and funded experimental farms in Red Fife flour, which he sells with Smithers and Prince George were his vegetables at farmers’ markets part of a network across Canada in Smithers and New Hazelton. established to trial new crops and He says spring-planted heritage develop the nation’s agricultural wheats like Red Fife are better prowess. for making bread, but more chalStaffed by agrologists and other lenging to grow in the Kispiox researchers, the farms were a climate. Nevertheless, he believes place where producers could seek it is important to rediscover them. information about the failures and “One day it might not be so successes of certain crops to inform practical to bring all of these UNBC graduate their own growing and experimencommodity crops from as far away tation. student Serena Black as we do now,” he says. They had test plots that were Knight says climate change is open for viewing and their results another reason to retrial crops that were shared in newsletters sent to might have failed in the past. This farmers across northern BC. year, he is growing cantaloupe and corn, both of However, by the mid-1970s, both experimental which are not traditionally grown in the area. farms had closed due to reduced funding and no modern equivalent currently exists in northern Curiously cultivating BC. Today, although some trials still occur on an In a patchwork of plots behind his house on a ad hoc basis, experimentation largely falls in the property outside Telkwa, Curt Gesch also runs hands of the farmers themselves. small-scale experiments with vegetables and grains. Old is new This year, he trialled five varieties of fava beans For reasons including local food sustainability, and an Amplissimo pea, which can be used to adapting to climate change, economic growth make hummus but is more suited to a northern and plain curiosity, forward-thinking northern climate than chickpeas. He shares the results of producers are running their own trials of nonhis small-scale trials in Just Farmers, a monthly traditional crops and new varieties. agriculture newsletter that he emails to a network Kispiox Valley farmer Jonathan Knight is not of peers. only experimenting with new crops, but also Gesch says he is driven by sheer curiosity. revisiting old ones. “I do lots of things because I’m curious,” he says. At his organic farm and market garden on “I think that in general people have an inertia and a stunning pocket of land between mountain they tend to not question their basic assumptions. ranges, Knight is growing older, purer types of They might need somebody else to help them grains known as heirloom or heritage varieties. along.” A trained baker, he started using heritage He records his results for future reference and grains at the True Grain Bread bakery he owned shares the knowledge with others: “If it’s given in on Vancouver Island until 2008, before he started a good format, if it’s in an accessible way, people WoodGrain Farm in the Kispiox Valley. will read it,” he says. He hopes producers farming “The theory is that a lot of the problems people on a larger scale will use his results to help have with modern wheats is (because) of the high increase profits. adulteration that has happened to grain, so that’s “I would like other people who work very hard one reason to try the older varieties,” he says. at what they are doing to get a decent reward for “Another is just that I believe it’s very important their labour instead of just scraping by,” he says. to keep old varieties around and not end up with Although institution-run crop testing across the just one or two highly regulated, patented variregion has declined significantly since the days eties of all these foods that are essential to our of the experimental farms, trials still occur as continued existence.” funding is made available. This year, he grew five acres of Red Fife wheat, In 2012, University of Northern British Columbia Canada’s oldest successful variety, and trialled a graduate student Serena Black ran a greenhouse further 40 heirloom grain varieties. Knight uses a trial to test how more commercial, hybrid forms
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Ki s p i o x Va lle y fa rme r J o nathan Knig ht in the test pl ots w h ere h e i s exper i m en ti n g w i th d o z en s o f w he a t va rie ties.
of barley responded to stress compared with heritage barleys. Prompted by interest from producers, the trial indicated that hybrid varieties had a largely uniform response to stress, while the heritage breeds were less predictable. But the project provided more than just scientific insight. In consultations with producers after the trial, Black says the strongest message was that, in order to conduct crop trials that asked the right questions, the university should dedicate more time to consulting with farmers. It opened the doors to a larger project, which could bolster crop research and maximize the region’s potential in the longterm. Working with UNBC associate professor Scott Green, Black has spent the past two summers consulting with farmers throughout the central interior. Their goal is to establish strong relationships with farmers and to work with them to ensure the university’s crop trials tackle the most relevant and important questions. “The more producers we talked to the more they started referencing the old experimental farms,” she says. “They said, ‘You really need to go back to those if this is what you are looking at because there is so much information that has already been done and collected and researched.’” Black adds that she doesn’t want to just get the information she needs and then move on: “I think this really needs to have longevity,” she says. “I don’t want to just waste farmers’ time.” She says small-scale experimentation like what Gesch and Knight are doing plays a big part in helping the local industry progress, but there should be more support for farmers who wish to experiment.
“I think we are vastly under our agricultural capacity and potential and that is not because of the farmers,” she says. “In order to see this potential and show people how many opportunities there are out there, there is a huge need to start giving these producers more support and research is just one component of that. “Everybody has a way to step up and that’s just going to your local market, to your local farmer, buying direct off the farm.” Long-term sustainability Even if a return to the experimental farm model is unrealistic in the current economic climate, Scott Green says the UNBC project could start to develop a knowledge base that is accessible and sustainable for the long term. “If we’re able to get different seed varieties we could do field tests in the Bulkley Valley on different types of soils, different years, wet years, dry years—we can start to build a database of seed suitability information that would be very useful to producers in helping them to make those types of decisions,” he says, adding that right now there is limited historical data to help farmers make informed decisions about which crop varieties to grow or trial. “Right now, one, there is no choice and, two, there is very limited information for them to even have in front of them to make those types of decisions. “Our goal is really to meet with and speak with as many other producers in Smithers as possible,” he says, “to introduce the idea of strengthening the partnership and beginning to develop a research program that could support the specific challenges, interests, needs that producers in the Bulkley Valley are facing at the moment.” N
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Mountain garden a l le hma nn
Discovering grace in the great northern wilderness
by A l Leh ma n n l eh mann2@t elus.net
There it was, word for word, The poem that took the place of a mountain…
Th e au th or (cen tre ) s t a n d s w i t h h i ki n g p a l s R o b a n d K e l l y i n an alpine meadow as fog meanders past.
-Wallace Stevens It was another perfect Saturday among the many this summer. Early sun glowed through the large firs at the side of Rob’s yard and colourful flowers lined the driveway and the pebbled sidewalk leading to his front door. “God I love flower gardens,” I thought to myself. The smell of coffee welcomed us through the screen door before we knocked. Rob was pouring the steaming fluid into his thermos bottle. “Want some?” he asked, as we let ourselves in. But we were in a hurry to go, this being our second hike in two weeks. Kelly was already in the living room, retying his bootlaces for the second or third time. “Kelly’s looked up the turnoff on the computer,” Rob informed us jovially. “Once we find it we’ll have to hope the CRV can get us up that old logging road. We’ll find the trail once we’re up 1,000 feet or so. Then we’ll head for alpine on foot.” We piled our gear—climbing poles, packs and bear spray—into the vehicle and buckled up. Our conversational drives to the trails are nearly as much fun as the hikes themselves. Today’s impromptu subject became the true meaning of “grace” and how that word relates to “gratitude.” For 15 minutes the CRV rolled smoothly down the highway; then we turned and rattled onto the logging main, heading into the backcountry. The secondary logging road was right where the map had indicated. We turned onto the narrow track and began bumping our way upward. The road ascended in switchbacks, occasionally yielding spectacular views out over the Kleanza Valley. The old bridges looked rickety from the approaches, but they were solid and reliable. Finally Kelly called out, “There. Just before that next bridge.” He pointed at a small pine where a pink ribbon was tied to a branch. “That ought to be the trailhead.” Rob parked the CRV and we retrieved our gear. In moments, half the mosquito population on the mountain seemed to have sensed our arrival and for a minute or two the sounds of slaps and
muffled curses and the scent of bug dope floated in the morning air. Rob fastened his gaiters, murmuring, “It might get wet up there.” Swinging up off the road, Kelly found the trail, barely visible as a path but locatable by the ribbon markers that we trusted to mark the easiest route. The trail was rudimentary at best, often obstructed by blown-down evergreens or intruding undergrowth. Hiking upwards was just short of bushwhacking. Perhaps one or two other hikers had been through in the past week. Sweating and breathing heavily, after an hour and a half we broke out of the forest into steep upland meadow, thick with moss and grass. Much of the ground was squishy with the last of early summer’s melt-water. Footing was somewhat treacherous, and we were grateful for the hiking poles that stabilized our footing. The old-growth timber was giving way to subalpine species: stunted firs and spindly pine, wild grasses and fewer mosses and ferns than below. But the meadow wildflowers really caught our attention. “Who put this garden here!” exclaimed Rob. Balancing on his hiking pole, he gestured at the profusion of wildflowers spangling the subalpine slope with colours—red, white, yellow, blue and purple. We were all agog, gaping at the display. Columbine Canadensis, with its characteristic red petals surrounding yellow stamens, drooped coyly amid hosts of white and yellow daisies. Spikes of lupines stood out among lower saxifrage. Pink and white paintbrush quivered beside our footfalls. Innumerable daubs of colour and white speckled the mountainside. Rob’s exclaimed comment was a bit of irony, and none of us was genuflecting to some mythical religious designer identified by Thomas Aquinas. As the Zen master says, the world is its own miracle. I thought of the French writer Stendahl’s assertion that, “Beauty is the promise of happi-
ness.” We were happy and on some strange level suffused with existential gratitude: our consciousness of bloodbeat and stretched muscles, of sweat and hunger, of the pleasures of light and colour and of cool, fragrant air. Ed stopped repeatedly to unpack his camera, snapping shots of his friends amid the natural splendor. I captured a few images on my iPhone. Slogging carefully up the slope, we finally emerged into the alpine and made our way to the spine of the ridge. An immensity of sky spread above us, piles of cloud, torn with blue and irregular sunlight. Someone had erected a small cairn on a secondary ridge a couple of hundred yards away. Beyond the main ridge, three or four stream cuts gurgling with melt-water from higher up tumbled toward the far valley, splitting the uneven terrain into green segments. Purple heather hugged the steep hillsides. A marmot whistled from a nearby boulder. We gazed back the way we had come, across the Kleanza Valley to the rougher east-facing mountain slopes a half dozen miles away. Wild cloud scraped across the peaks, casting irregular shadows over the forest and the aged clear-cut scars below. To our left, a few hundred feet above us, the final peak beckoned. Slinging off our packs, we collapsed onto the heather, digging out roast beef sandwiches and water bottles. Rob passed around some seaweed. “Salt?” he asked. Kelly snapped apart some dark chocolate and offered it around. Looking upslope over our shoulders, we debated whether or not to leave the peak for another day. I checked the time. No, the peak would have to wait. It’s not going anywhere, I thought to myself. Besides, walls of grey mist were advancing and retreating unpredictably along the shoulder of the mountain below, teasing us with the threat of a fog-shrouded descent. We carefully gathered our wrappings and stowed them in our packs. ... continued on Page 38
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O IN
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AR KY
D O n c e t h e l a v a re a c h e d t h e v a l l e y b o t t o m , i t f a n n e d ou t, c re a t i n g a w i d e , f l a t p l a i n 1 0 km l o n g a n d th re e km w i d e . L i c h e n s , m o s s e s a n d s m a l l t re e s are s l o w l y re c l a i m i n g t h e s h a t t e re d l a n d s c a p e .
joan n e campbell
Nass Valley volcano Tseax crater and Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park j oanne@no rt hwo rd. c a
As a child, I was terrified of volcanoes. Every eruptively-colourful sunset would send me cowering under my bed like a citizen of Pompeii. Skip ahead many years and imagine my surprise that one of Canada’s most recent volcanic eruptions—and its most deadly—happened just a few hours down the road from where I live. What better way to exorcise old fears than to hike up a cinder cone to stare down a crater or stand atop a field of black lava? The Tseax Cone and Nisga’a Lava Bed Memorial Provincial Park are situated in the Nass Valley, just over an hour’s winding drive north of Terrace on Nisga’a Highway 113.
There are several ways you can experience the park: just drive the highway and be amazed at the alien expanse of the lava beds that stretch on for kilometres. If you prefer a bit more structure and information, take the do-it-yourself Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park Auto Tour: pick up your self-guided brochure at the Nisga’a Visitor Centre at the campground on Hwy 113, the Nisga’a Lisims government office in New Aiyansh, or the Terrace Visitor Centre. If you want to include the Tseax crater in your exploration, you’ll need a guided tour; check with the visitor information centres for details. Fully guided tours of the entire Tseax volcano system are also available. My friend Sandra and I joined Nass Valley Tours owner-operator Steven Johnson and Lands Manager for the Nisga’a Lisims government, Mansell Griffin, for a guided tour to the Tseax crater.
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joa nne cam pbe ll
by Joa n n e C a mpb el l
rk, run thr ou gh the pa Gl ac ier -fe d str ea ms b of om yc ne ho es int o the dis ap pe ari ng at tim un d. roc k be ne ath the gro
T h e Ts e a x Cone is t he site o f o ne o f Canada’s m o s t re c e n t a n d most d e a dly vo lcanic eruptio ns.
The eruption The Tseax volcanic eruption happened approximately 250 years ago, in the mid-to-late 18th century. Standing on the lip of the crater, Griffin tells how the lava flow blocked Tseax Creek where it came out of what is now Lava Lake, enlarging the lake to its present size. Lava then ran down Tseax Valley until it hit the Nass River, which it pushed across the valley, redirecting the river from the south side to where it is now. The lava continued down the valley, eventually stopping near Gitwinksihlkw. From start to finish, the flow is about 20 km long and covers about 40 square km. As Johnson explains, lava engulfed villages along the Nass River; although the flow was travelling too quickly to be outrun, it was toxic fumes and generalized chaos that killed an estimated 2,000 people. Nisga’a oral history notes that only four people from the affected villages survived. Today’s Nisga’a are descended from survivors whose villages were situated outside the Nass Valley. Eventually, the Nisga’a resettled on the north side of the Nass at Gitwinksihlkw (Canyon City) and Gitlaxt’aamiks (New Aiyansh).
sa nd ra sm i t h
Man s el l Gr i ffi n poi n ts ou t l i c h e n s t h a t a re f i r s t t o es tabl i s h a footh ol d i n t h e v o l c a n i c e c o s y s t e m .
Tseax volcano crater: Laxmihl, Where the Fire Ran Out This 100-metre-high cinder cone is where the eruption began. Hiking to the cone takes about four hours round trip and the guided tour starts at the park’s visitor information centre on Highway 113. After driving to the trailhead, your guide will lead you along a
s andra s mith
mossy trail through a mature forest of towering hemlock, cedar, spruce and balsam. Devil’s club and berry bushes congregate at stream crossings. At Melita Lake, the scenery changes from the forest’s cool shelter to a rubble field of moss and lichen-covered lava boulders; pumice crunches ... continued on Page 26
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jo a nne c a mpbe ll jo a nne c a mpbe ll
T h e N i s g a ’a M use um st ands just o ut o f reach o f the l av a fl ow at L axgal ts ’ ap (Green v i l l e). S h ow cas ed i n s i d e t h i s st yliz e d Nisg a’a lo ng ho use are o ver 300 pr i cel es s ar tefacts th at h av e been retu r n ed to th e Nis g a ’ a pe op le . Ce re mo nial m ask s, reg alia, spiritual i tem s an d ar tefacts from dai l y l i fe are beau ti fu l l y d i s p l ay ed —a st unning t estam ent to the resilience, c r afts m an s h i p an d creati v i ty of th e N i s ga’ a peopl e.
underfoot as your guide reminds you not to stray from the path. Mosses hide thin spots in the lava crust where a hiker could fall through; the crust’s edges can be sharp as glass. The three-kilometre trail is through thick forest and crosses fast-
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flowing streams and steep, slippery slopes. Black bear and grizzly are plentiful in the area. Staying on the trail isn’t just for your protection. The lava bed’s ecosystem is fragile and can be damaged by people walking off-trail through the slow-growing lichens. Also, as Griffin explains, “Nisga’a are animists. Everything has a soul, even the creek. Be careful walking because even the rocks have souls.” After you turn left on the highway that leads to Gingolx (Kincolith), you see the lava bed’s expanse as it flooded the broad valley. This portion is 10 km long and three km wide. In places it looks like an epic bulldozer bucked up a giant parking lot, leaving slabs of blacktop stacked in random heaps beside the road. Stop at the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park sign and walk around. You’ll see lichens making soil from rock, right before your eyes. Watch closely—and be very, very patient. It’s tempting to take a souvenir, perhaps just a
san dra sm ith
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T h e n e w v e h i c l e b r i d g e c ro s s i n g t h e N a s s R i v e r t o G i t w i n ks i h l kw i s b o u n d e d b y f o u r t o t e m p o l e s , e a c h re p re s e n t i n g t h e a n i m a l c re s t o f t h e d i ff e re n t N i s g a ’a c l a n s : e a g l e , r a v e n , w o l f a n d ki l l e r w h a l e .
for more information
There’s much more to the Nass Valley than a volcano and lava beds, but food and accommodation or camping facilities are limited. If the campground is full and local resorts are booked, you can set up basecamp in Terrace and explore the Nass in day-trips. Pack a cooler with picnic supplies and drinks. For more information on the Tseax Cone and the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park, and the variety of attractions the Nass Valley has to offer, check out these websites—or go to this story on Northword’s website (www.northword.ca) and click on the links:
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tseax_Cone • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nass_River • www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/nisgaa/ • www.nisgaanation.ca/ • www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/nisgaa/
san dra smith
S t a n d i n g o n t h e 4 0 0 -f o o t s u s p e n s i o n b r i d g e t h a t c ro s s e s the Nass River at the village site, S t e v e n J o h n s o n p o i n t s o u t w h e re the lava flow abruptly ends, forming the southern boundary o f t h e r i v e r.
little piece of pumice as a reminder of this exceptional place, but the Nass Valley Tours website requests that you don’t: “We honour the stories and legends passed to us by our ancestors. For each of our generations we have honoured the passing of the 2,000 Nisga’a buried beneath the surface of the lava to the point we consider each and every rock as part of their collective headstone or grave marker. For that reason we ask that you do not remove the lava from the park.” Nisga’a oral tradition At least as important to the Nisga’a as geological events is their account of the eruption as it has been preserved by oral tradition. Each Nisga’a house has its
Unique. Cultural. Experience.
own version of the eruption story that agrees with the others on basic details, but vary in the way it is told. Among coastal First Nations, stories are sacred and may not be shared without permission. This version of the eruption event, from the Nisga’a oral tradition, is found on the Nisga’a Lisims government site: Long ago, two children were playing down by the river. One child caught a salmon and slit open its back. The child stuck sticks into the salmon’s back, set them on fire, and returned the fish to the river. The children were amused to see the salmon swim erratically, smoke rising from its back. The other child caught a salmon and slit open its back, inserted a piece of shale, and put it back into the river. The salmon floated on its side, weighed down by the shale. The children laughed at the
V i s i t the Nass
Lava Cone Tours & Cultural Excursions NASS Knowledgeable Guides • Traditional Lunches VALLEY with • Nisga’a Museum • Salmon BBQ • Campground TOURS 250-633-2733 • WWW.NASSVALLEYTOURS.COM
... continued on Page 38
One heart. One path. One nation.
We have stories of wonder, tragedy, and triumph to tell. 250-633-3050 • WWW.NISGAAMUSEUM.CA
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NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Wheelin’ in the North
amanda follett
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by A ma n da Fol let t afo llet t @bulkley.n e t
Haida Gwaii Distances can make bike touring in northern BC a daunting task for the novice cyclist, but if there’s one place to rely on pedal power it might just be this stunning archipelago off the west coast. If you’re visiting Haida Gwaii, save yourself hundreds of dollars by parking your car (for free!) at the BC Ferries terminal in Prince Rupert and boarding with your bike (five bucks extra!) and all the camping and rain gear you can fit into your panniers. From the Skidegate ferry terminal, communities to the north—Tlell, Port Clements, Masset—are spaced a convenient half-day’s ride apart, making this a great destination for doing a little biking mixed with a little relaxing and sightseeing. On your travels, don’t be surprised if you pass a herd of road bikers. The islands have a small-but-dedicated road-riding community, which meets ... continued on Page 30 28 | AUG/SEPT ‘14 |
www.n o rthword.ca
amanda follet t
Road trips are great, but there’s really no better way to see a new place than from the seat of a bike. Whether you’re spinning your wheels on a deserted stretch of seaside highway, hurtling down the side of a mountain or towing your home and all the belongings you’ll need for a stint on the road, there’s not much that beats pedal propulsion to get from A to B. If you’re considering a trip to or through northern BC, bring your bikes—all of ’em. While the region has seen massive trail development in recent years, it also offers spectacular views for road riders, bike tourers and commuters alike. When you arrive in a new biking community—helmet-clad and bike in tow—it shouldn’t take long to get excited locals to tell you about the best rides. If all else fails, find your way to the nearest bike shop or cycling club for directions.
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Wheelin’
J o n a t h a n We b b r i d e s t h e P a c k h o r s e t r a i l o n Te r r a c e Mo u n t a i n . T h e a re a h a s s e e n m u c h d e v e l o p m e n t i n re c e n t ye a r s .
ezra brous s eau
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Terrace Terrace’s mild climate and compact downtown make it a commuter-friendly community, but this northwest city isn’t inclined to stick to the pavement. “Terrace has always had a really committed mountain bike community,” says Tara Irwin, vice president of the Terrace Off-road Cycling Association (TORCA). “As the community grows, the mountain biking community grows.” Two local trail riding areas, Terrace Mountain and Copper Mountain, offer a variety of riding styles for different skill levels. The former, which offers crosscountry riding, has seen much development in recent years, with a $117,000 grant in 2011 from the province. TORCA, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, the City of Terrace, the Terrace Community Forest and the Wildfire Management Branch have joined forces over the past decade to develop 16.5 km of singletrack trails in the area. Copper Mountain, which offers steep downhills with the option to shuttle, was recently sanctioned by TORCA, allowing the association to direct more funding and trail-building efforts to the area—watch for more work in the area in the coming years. “It’s great for families. We’ve noticed an increase in families using the area— moms shuttling with kids,” Irwin says. TORCA covers both trail and road riding, organizing events for both each year, and Irwin’s quick to recognize the area’s immense road-riding potential: “I think a lot of people are really surprised by how good the road biking is here, too,” she says, counting six directions a rider can leave town and pedal paved roads with stunning scenery. “It’s a mecca for road biking.”
The ri d e f ro m H ai da G w a i i ’s f erry termi nal i n Ski d e g a t e north to T l el l takes o n l y a f e w ho urs and o ff ers bea u t i f u l vi ew s and ocean bre e ze s al ong H ecate Strai gh t .
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NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
amand a f ollet t
informally on weekends to ride breezy Highway 16 as it follows the shoreline and undulates across the island. “I enjoy going up to Tlell, right along the ocean,” says local rider and carver Ben Davidson, who owns All About U Arts in Skidegate. “This time of year if you get a nice sunny day you can pretend you’re in Hawaii.” Davidson was one of 40 riders who recently pedalled from Masset to Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital to deliver a totem pole he’d carved. The trip raised $400,000 for the hospital foundation.
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rach elle van z an ten
Wheelin’
B a b e s i n B al an ce he a d c oa c h A udre y D uv a l lead s an 1 8 - km ri d e a l o n g Razorback Tra il ne a r Bur ns La k e . This annual w eekend re t reat offers bi ki ng, y oga a nd c a mping ne xt to K ager Lake.
Smithers Smithers is another northern community that has seen extensive trail development, with more than $500,000 in funding over the past six years, resulting in a new network of cross-country trails at the popular Bluff area and two downhill trails, Huckin’ Eh and Pump Daddy, at the Ptarmigan Road Trails. But this year, Smithers Mountain Bike Association set its sights, well… a little smaller. Smithers’ latest—and much-used—trail addition has become known simply as the Kids’ Trail. The loop, which leaves the Boardwalk Trail entry to the Bluff’s cross-country and downhill trails, takes about 20 minutes to walk and has berms, a skills park and a gentle, flowing grade. “It’s perfect for children and anyone new to trail riding,” C.O.B. Bike Shop owner Dave Percy says. “Folks can get there with kids, grandparents can get up there with the kids,” Percy says. “With that trail on the Bluff, it’s awesome because all skill levels can go there.” According to McBike & Sport owner Peter Krause, the many gravel roads in the Smithers area have also spurred an interest in cyclo-cross bikes, a hybrid that’s light enough to travel quickly on pavement but durable enough to withstand rough-and-tumble, off-road cyclo-cross racing. For those who would like to get out and see the countryside, Krause suggests visiting www.strava.com, a website that works with GPS to map your ride, track your distance and record your stats. For a longer ride, he suggests taking Tatlow Road from Smithers to Telkwa and, if you still have energy to burn, continuing down Lawson Road to Quick. From Quick, cross Highway 16 and tour around Round Lake and Tyhee Lake,
shanno n i rvi ne
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We e kl y g i r l s ’ r i d e s a re o rg a n i ze d b y C .O.B . B i ke Sh o p i n Sm i t h e r s . G ro u p r i d e s t a ke p l a c e re g u l a r l y in communities a c ro s s t h e North and can be accessed by contacting local c l u b s a n d b i ke businesses.
before heading back toward Smithers. The entire loop is roughly 50 km. Also not to be missed are spectacular views from the Telkwa High Road, which stretches between Telkwa and Moricetown and offers the chance to loop back along Highway 16. “Those are all really cool routes with little traffic,” Krause says. “That’s the beauty of that type of bike—it’s so versatile.” Every Tuesday from April to October, a road-riding group meets at 6:30 p.m. at McBike on Main Street to ride. Burns Lake Last fall, the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) announced that Burns Lake’s Boer Mountain Trails would be Canada’s first-ever IMBA Ride Centre, a designation that recognizes large-scale mountain-bike facilities ... continued on Page 34
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NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
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Wheelin’
Ste v e W ye r r i d e s t h e c ro s s -c o u n t r y t r a i l a t Ot w a y. D uri n g t h e s u m m e r, P r i n c e G e o rg e ’s c ro s s -c o u n t r y s k i t r a i l s b e c o m e c ro s s -c o u n t r y b i k i n g t r a i l s .
Devon Budd, Like a Lion Photography
offering something for every rider. While the announcement may raise the popular trails’ profile internationally, the area is already a favourite for mountain bikers in northern BC. Burns Lake has been developing bike trails since 2006, when the Burns Lake Community Forest purchased 160 acres on Boer Mountain, which it then leased to the Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association. With more than 40 km of trails, the area was designed by the same professional mountain bikers who created the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Located next to great camping on the shores of Kager Lake, this year local musician and mountain biker Rachelle van Zanten took the local biking scene up a notch by creating a women’s-only mountain bike and wellness weekend, Babes in Balance. The retreat-style biking-and-yoga weekend will be an annual event, she says. “I started mountain biking back in my days with the female rockers, Painting Daisies. I needed a way to stay fit and sane on the road and strapping a bike to the van worked perfectly,” van Zanten says. “My home base is now back in the Lakes District, home to epic, world-class trails. Babes in Balance seemed like a great way to get women stoked on riding.” Also at Boer Mountain, the annual Big Pig Mountain Biking Festival happens Aug. 15-17 this year, including shuttles, kids’ events, races and relays. Prince George Prince George offers a variety of biking options. Last year, the Prince George Cycling Club invested nearly $80,000 in funding to expand Pidherny Recreation Site with a five-km trail expansion and new wooden structures, for a total 30 km of trails. The result, a new trail called Papa Woods, features ... continued on Page 36
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aman da foll ett
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Wom en ’s bi k e cl i n i cs are a g re a t w a y t o d e v e l o p s ki l l s i n a s u p p o r t i v e en v i ron m en t. H ere, i n s tr u c t o r G a b e N e w m a n t e a c h e s t h e a d v a n c e d g ro u p at th e i n au gu r al B abes i n B a l a n c e re t re a t i n B u r n s L a ke .
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Wheelin Dev o n B u dd, L i k e a L i on P h otogr a p h y
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berms, skinnies and steep drops. The area also boasts a skills park. Club president Steve Wyer describes Pidherny as “old school cross-country climbs” that are steep and rooty. An upper parking lot, recently cleared by Ministry of Transportation, offers access from both top and bottom. “Typically, what people do is take longer travel suspension bikes and ride up the road,” Wyer says. The region also offers mountain biking at Cranbrook Hill (steep and often shuttled) and Otway, which is operated by Caledonia Nordic Ski Club and offers “fast flowy, undulating cross-country trails,” according to Wyer. While mountain biking here is as active as anywhere across the North, Wyer adds that, “urban biking is just as active right now,” with road races and events garnering the greatest turnout. This spring, the club was busy advocating for urban cycling by holding the city to its promise to add paved bike shoulders along North Nechako Road. “We’re very active making sure the components of the Active Transportation Plan are included in new projects,” Wyer says. “We got the paved shoulders in the end.” The club is now focusing on creating networks between isolated bike routes. Mount Robson If you’re passing by Mount Robson with your mountain bike, take the time to stretch your legs and ride the first seven km of the Berg Lake Trail. Graded easy to moderate, this is one of the Rockies’ most popular hiking trails and biking is allowed until Kinney Lake. If you want to continue past Kinney Lake, secure your bike at the metal bike rack and continue the remaining 15 km to Berg Lake for spectacular views of Mount Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The trail starts at the parking area two km past the Mount Robson Visitor Centre. N
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Th e S prock i ds progr am u s es th e Ki ds ’ Tr ai l , w h i ch w as recen tl y i n s tal l ed i n th e B l u ff area. Th e n ew tr ai l i n cl u des a s k i l l s par k an d can eas i l y be w al k ed by paren ts .
kri st i na g ra ha m
Jac o b Mu l l en , an empl oy e e a t Ruc k us Sk is Bik e s B o ard s i n P ri nce Geo rg e, r i d e s a t Pi dh er n y Mou nt a in. Pidhe r ny is a Princ e Geo rg e C y cl i ng C l ub d e si g n a t ed zon e for m o unt a in bik e t ra ils a nd t ra i l bui l di ng.
Getting into the spin
Interested in doing more cycling and not sure where to start? Consider contacting your local cycling club or bike shop for information on clinics and group rides. As well, these programs are a great way to get you pedalling. Bike to Work Week Bike to Work Week started 10 years ago in Victoria and now has more than 35 communities participating province-wide, including nearly a dozen across the North. The program—which includes events and prizes—encourages commuters to ditch their cars and ride to work, either in teams or individually. To get involved or find out if your community participates, visit www. biketowork.ca.
Women’s clinics Women’s-only mountain bike clinics are gaining popularity and provide an encouraging, supportive environment to develop trail-riding skills. Women’s weekends in the North include the SMBA Women’s Weekend in Smithers (www.smithersmountainbike.ca) and Babes in Balance mountain bike retreat in Burns Lake (www.burnslaketrails.ca). Sprockids Developed 25 years ago on the Sunshine Coast by schoolteacher Doug Detwiller, Sprockids teaches children the skills, values and strategies to succeed in mountain biking, as well as in life. With programs in 19 countries, Sprockids is offered in Smithers, Burns Lake, Prince George and Vanderhoof, and several other northern communities have expressed interest in the program. For more information, visit www.sprockids.com. N
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“Hallo!” called a voice from up the slope. We turned to see a husky man in his mid-40s and an adolescent girl, lithe as an antelope, climbing down the hillside toward us. They had bushwhacked up via another route and, after relating their experience and consulting his GPS equipment, they decided to come down the potentially easier trail with us. Our descent went more quickly, landscapes reversed, gravitational challenges requiring other postural strategies. Several of us slipped in the wet, laughing at simple tumbles that as easily could have resulted in a sprain or broken bone. “Lucky this time,” someone mentioned. “Stay careful,” another cautioned.
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We regained the road after an hour of endless downsteps. At least there were no serious blisters, and the odd mosquito bite and some sore muscles would prove a simple price to pay for such an experience. It was quieter in the vehicle on the way home. Not all thoughts need to be spoken, I thought to myself. I rubbed a stiffening knot on the front of my thigh. Later, sipping scotch on Rob’s deck, Ed said, “Make sure you send around your pictures.” The mountain had been beautiful. I looked at Rob’s garden hollyhocks and the mixed herbs, lush within their raised bed. Yes, very beautiful. A garden of grace. N
Nisga’a are animists. Everything has a soul, even the creek. Be careful walking because even the rocks have souls.
struggling fish. An elder happened upon the scene and warned the children, “Take care what you do. The salmon will curse you and the Creator will respond in kind.” The ground began to tremble and shake. Nature’s harmony had been upset. A scout was sent to investigate. From the top of Gennu’axwt, he saw smoke and flames and ran to warn the people of their fiery destiny. In panic, some villagers fled up the mountain. Others Nisga’a elder canoed to the far side of the river but were killed by the lava. As the people watched the lava flow over their villages, Gwaxts’agat (a powerful supernatural being) suddenly emerged to block the lava’s advance. For days, Gwaxts’agat fought back the lava by blowing on it with its great nose. Finally, the lava cooled and Gwaxts’agat retreated into the mountain where it remains to this day. Nisga’a culture was profoundly affected and shaped by the Tseax eruption: villages were destroyed and the salmon run was disrupted for years. The cautionary tale embedded in the account is a reminder to honour the wisdom of your elders and respect the sanctity of the salmon.
“Salmon were to us much like Christ was in Christianity. If you’re a Christian you believe Christ came to earth to die and save everybody from damnation. It’s through his death that Christians are saved,” Griffin explains. “Well salmon, we believe, did that every single year. Over and over and over again. Not just once every 2,000 years, but every year. Salmon Mansell Griffin come up the river knowing that we’re going to catch them because it happened last year. Their spirit never dies.” The Nisga’a believe that when salmon do die and their meat is eaten, their spirit goes back to their village underneath the ocean so they can return the following year. Being animists, they believe that if the fish are hurt, the people won’t be deserving and the salmon will no longer return. Maybe in the same way I’ve returned to face my fears, peering into a volcanic cavity and finding myself renewed. Perhaps not Christ-like (or even salmon-like) but with a new appreciation for the history, cultures and natural phenomena that surround us here in northern BC. N
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column
Top Culture Where is here?
s ha wn ha ywa rd
Lhe id li elder, sto ryteller and c a rve r Robert F rederick carved on e side o f the co tto nwo o d c a noe bef o re it was g if ted to UNBC students to co m plete.
by Rob Budde rb ud de@shaw.ca
Lheidli-Prince George history is coming alive before our eyes. Through the courage and hard work of elders, artists and other leaders, Lheidli T’enneh culture is re-emerging in this place. This resurgence comes from the indigenous families and the resolve of First Nations communities, but also, I believe, comes from a growing awareness, an awakening, on behalf of settlers. This change in climate seems to be heralding a new era of cultural understanding and openness to questions concerning where we are and the colonial context in which we live. The Idle No More movement and, before that, the Nisga’a Treaty and the formation of a strong independent Haida Nation, has created a fascinating political environment and a unique opportunity for northern BC to influence world politics. It is no coincidence that the North is one of the world’s greatest undeveloped (in the Europeanmodelled agrarian-industrial sense) expanse of land and also some of the most concerted examples of indigenous counter-colonial activity. The land sustains hope. The connection between land and culture was recently reiterated by Thomas King in The Inconvenient Indian: “Land. If you understand nothing else about the history of Indians in North America, you need to understand that the question that really matters is the question of land. Land contains the languages, the stories and the histories of a people. It provides water, air, shelter and food. And land is home.” This connection is subtly imprinted in the new offerings of the First Nations Studies Department at UNBC. The Making a Cottonwood Canoe course was the completion of a canoe made from scratch, which was subsequently launched into the Nechako River at the Lhezbaoonicheck reserve,
where the course took place. Lheidli elder, storyteller and carver Robert Frederick says this was the first time a cottonwood canoe has been launched in 60 years. Frederick carved one side before it was gifted to UNBC and the students carved the second side in the winter 2013 course. The canoe’s carvings tell the Lheidli traditional story of the salmon, featuring the figures Eustace and Raven. The course, taught by Frederick with the assistance of Edie Frederick and Jennifer Pighin, demonstrated the connections between the land, the cottonwood tree, the river, the story, traditional tools and methods, and the carved images transmitting the culture of the Lheidli T’enneh. The canoe was recently displayed at the triumphant opening of NEKEYOH: Our Home at
Prince George’s Two Rivers Gallery. This show featured a variety of art forms by and about the Lheidli T’enneh. It is permanently displayed at UNBC, with the June 21 unveiling (National Aboriginal Day) part of UNBC’s 25th anniversary celebrations. I look forward to more cultural revival as northern BC further allies itself with First Nations and their efforts to retain their culture and maintain the land. And, more than that, I imagine historians might look back at the North at this time and realize it was a turning point for indigenous rights, for environmental justice and for the health of the planet.
I imagine historians might look back at the North at this time and realize it was a turning point.
N
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T hi s photo, taken i n 1 9 1 0 , sho w s the ori g i nal 1 8 8 9 b unkhouse at the N orth P aci f i c C annery w here the C hi nese w orkers l i ved.
cou rtesy of n orth pacific can n ery arch i ves
cou rtesy of n orth pacific can n ery arch i ves
T h e s e b u n k h o u s e s w e re t h e o r i g i n a l buildings that housed Japanese men who worked at the North Pacific C a n n e r y. S o m e f i s h e r m e n c h o s e n o t t o s l e e p i n t h e b u n k h o u s e s , p re f e r r i n g their boats.
Diversity, adversity and prosperity A colourful history meant ups and downs for BC immigrants by Jos eph i n e B ox wel l j b oxwelledit @g ma i l . c om
In the mid- to late-1800s, northern BC’s non-aboriginal population exploded. Newcomers were attracted to the region’s natural resource wealth, particularly its gold. What we know of that era today usually relates to the people who dominated that society: white Americans and Europeans. Yet, the population was culturally diverse and the historic sites and stories that reflect that diversity are worth exploring. Journeying into the harsh northern wilderness during the Omineca and Cassiar gold rushes in the 1860s and ’70s wasn’t easy. As they had done farther south, Spanish American (predominantly Mexican) packers used their skills to lead mule trains loaded with supplies across long distances. Many early Spanish American packers were mestizo; they were of both aboriginal and European descent and considered outsiders by BC’s colonial establishment. However, they were vital in providing supplies to remote outposts.
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In northern BC, as in other parts of the province, white miners did their best to exclude the Chinese, perceiving them to be a threat to their own ventures.
While men from other cultural backgrounds learned the packing trade, the techniques and terms the Spanish Americans introduced endured. The pack train leader, for example, was known as the cargador and his deputy was the segundo. The Fort St. James National Historic Site was an important northern centre for packers and, in 1893, the Hudson’s Bay Company leased its pack train operations between Fort St. James and McLeod Lake to Sanchez and Aguayo, two Mexican former employees. An invitation During the Fraser Gold Rush of the 1850s, BC’s first governor, Sir James Douglas, invited black Californian residents to settle in the province. Thousands of white Americans entered BC at that time, bringing with them not only dreams of riches but an idea that terrified Douglas: the annexation of this abundant land to the United States. Douglas believed black Californians would be more loyal to his young province because the British had already abolished slavery (while California was technically a “free state,” its laws were nonetheless oppressive for non-Europeans). Douglas himself was mixed race, born in British Guiana (present-day Guyana) to a Scottish father and a Creole mother, and he had a brief but eventful stint working for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort St. James earlier in his career. The impact of Douglas’ invitation stretched far beyond the Fraser Gold Rush. John Robert Giscome was born in Jamaica. After spending time in the California goldfields, he joined the
joseph in e boxw ell
jo se ph in e boxw ell/ barkerville h istoric tow n
Up to s i x me n w ou ld sha re the space in a Chinese m in er s ’ cabi n l i k e th i s on e, re-created i n B ar k er v i l l e.
California black migration of 1858-9. Once in BC, he met his prospecting partner Henry McDame, who was originally from the Bahamas and had also accepted Douglas’ invitation. Giscome’s most famous discovery occurred by chance, when a First Nations guide showed the pair an ancient shortcut across the Continental Divide—a trail that connected the Arctic and Pacific watersheds. They were the first nonaboriginal people to travel the route and Giscome wrote of the journey in the Victoria Times Colonist. The trail eventually became known as the Giscome Portage and it was widened into a wagon road in 1871 during the Omineca Gold Rush. The trailhead is located near the Huble Homestead Historic Site, approximately 45 km north of Prince George. Though the homestead was built years later, the site features interpretive information on Giscome’s life. Giscome’s partner also left his mark on the maps of northern BC; McDame Creek, for instance, sits on a Dease River tributary. McDame struck gold there in 1874 and his discovery helped spark the Cassiar Gold Rush. Three years later, BC’s largest gold nugget was found in McDame Creek. Chinese roots The Cassiar District and the Chinese have a particularly interesting connection. Theories have circulated suggesting the Chinese reached the Americas before Columbus, possibly even before the Vikings. While these claims have been widely disputed, two intriguing discoveries have been made in the Cassiar. In 1882, a string of ancient coins was unearthed in an area that appeared to
have been undisturbed and in 1885 more coins were found in a vase wrapped in the roots of a tree that was about 300 years old. Lily Chow takes a broader look at Chinese migration to northern BC in her book Chasing their Dreams: Chinese Settlement in the Northwest Region of British Columbia. Barkerville emerged as a major centre during the Cariboo Gold Rush and today the National Historic Site offers the province’s best gold rush interpretation. A historical tour of Barkerville’s Chinatown highlights the reasons so many Chinese men emigrated and the cultural and political values they brought with them. Most Chinese migrants came from the Pearl River Delta. Typically, a Chinese company would pay for the passage of impoverished men to British Columbia and, if they survived the horrific condi-
Au g u s t a n d Se p t e m b e r a re i d e a l m o n t h s t o h i ke t h e 8 .5 km G i s c o m e Po r t a g e Tr a i l n o r t h o f Pr i n c e G e o rg e a s t h e re a re f e w e r flies and the swampy land is at its driest.
tions onboard the ships, it would take years to repay their debt. In northern BC, as in other parts of the province, white miners did their best to exclude the Chinese, perceiving them to be a threat to their own ventures. Nonetheless, the Chinese successfully worked sites that had been abandoned by the white miners and explored other areas. During the Omineca and Cassiar gold rushes, the Chinese camped at their claims during the summer and ... continued on Page 43
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in the off-season lived among the white people in nearby communities like Hazelton, Telegraph Creek and McDame Creek. A few places were named after Chinese miners; Ah Lock Lake near Manson Creek, for instance, is named after a miner who worked the area during the Omineca rush. Multicultural cannery On BC’s west coast in the mid- to late-1800s, a different kind of natural resource was being exploited: salmon. The North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site (22 km south of Prince Rupert) was founded in 1889. By this time, Japan had eased its strict emigration policies and men from Japanese fishing villages were among the cannery’s first employees. The workers lived onsite during the fishing season in a village that was divided, like their jobs, along racial lines. Operations were managed by the Europeans, who also worked as fishermen alongside Japanese and First Nations employees. The Japanese proved to be skilled net menders, while jobs on the cannery line were given to the First Nations and Chinese, and the Chinese cooked. While most of the original village buildings have been lost, a Japanese bunkhouse that was built in 1930 is very similar to the structures that existed in the late 1800s. The Cannery Life Tour at North Pacific Cannery provides an in-depth view of the different cultural groups that worked at the cannery. The experiences of early migrants to northern BC varied greatly. They faced hardship and discrimination, but a few also prospered. Many eventually returned to their homelands, while others settled and started families in Canada. Their stories construct a more complex idea of what life was like for the diverse group of people who helped build BC’s foundations. N
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m o rg a n hi t e
SKILOKIS RIDGE Stairway to heaven
by Morga n H ite morganjh@bulkley.ne t
Skilokis Ridge is a remarkable trail that makes the claim to having you above treeline—on a spur of Blunt Mountain—in 30 minutes. It does it at the expense of some pretty steep hiking and an access road that screams, “Flat tire!” But it’s well worth the visit, even if you take your time on the way up and don’t make treeline for, say, 45 minutes. From Highway 16, about 10 km east of Hazelton, turn onto the (unsigned) Suskwa Forest Service Road. The Suskwa FSR is a good road and you can do about 70 km/h, but watch out for the potholes. Just past the six kilometre marker, look for the smaller Skilokis Forest Service Road forking off to the right. If the Suskwa FSR is an active road, the Skilokis is in the process of being forgotten. It’s in very
good shape—no pothole dodging for you here— but you’ll find yourself reduced to 20 km/h or less. The next nine km will take you about 30 minutes. Drive for more than five km on the Skilokis FSR, ascending through beautiful forest rich in cedar. At 5.5 km, you will come to a fork, just after the road descends for the first time. Bear right at the fork. Now kilometre numbering begins afresh, so soon you’ll pass kilometre one again. There are no high-clearance issues on this final section of the road, but for long sections its surface is sharp stones and you’ll readily picture your tires being put to the puncture test. You’ll feel more confident if you have a set of quite durable tires. The trailhead is 9.1 km from the Suskwa FSR (about 3.6 km past that last turn you took), clearly marked on the left with a brown sign (“Skilokis Ridge”) on a pole. Can’t miss it. Pull over and leave passing room for any other vehicles that may happen by.
Trail Map sponsored by Valhalla Smithers
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The trail is steep, but well worn and easy to follow, ascending through moss-intensive spruce forest. After 30 minutes, reach timberline (end of solid forest) and enter a parkland zone of heather, krummholz and lichen. After 15 minutes, there will only be a few scattered patches of krummholz ahead and you are effectively above treeline, with fabulous views in all directions. The trail continues up the obvious, narrow, grassy ridge to the south. It’s not always obvious where it runs exactly, but you can keep finding traces of it by staying more to the ridge’s east side. The ridge is interrupted by a few little sags and the trail runs through the east end of each sag. The ridge narrows to a knife-edge (but an easy-to-walk one) that leads up to the rounded Skilokis Peak. It goes up the steep final dome of Skilokis (intimidating, yes, but not as long as it looks) between scree fields: a ski pole or walking stick is a good idea here. And then you’re on top! To the south an interesting and inviting jumble of unnamed peaks continues on. Allow two hours for ascent and 90 minutes down. This short trail is just over three km with 400 m elevation gained. It is dry! Carry water. N
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Ba rom eter
An apple in autumn
by C h a rlyn n To ews edit or ial@no rt hwo rd. c a
The apple tree in my backyard oversaw my work, digging my first garden over 20 years ago. We bought the house in Terrace for three reasons: there were mature fruit trees, a wired shed, a yard to dig in and, oh yes—we can sleep in that little house. The apple tree didn’t know I insisted the possession date be moved up from June 1 to just before Victoria Day so I could plant on the day prairie folk plant. I have observed that the apple tree waits patiently every spring for the cherry tree to blossom, then leaf out: only then will it leaf out and then blossom. I mowed around it with my first lawn mower: a narrow and light manual-twirling thing, quiet as some bees. It healed nicely from the small bumps I delivered to its lower trunk as I accidentally rammed it. At first, we pruned it badly—too late or not enough or too much—and it forgave us. The apple tree stoically allowed our stray cat’s kitten to be taught how to climb it with her sharp
TELKWA BAECKEREI KAFFEEHAUS HWY 16 @ THE COINTÉ RIVER INN 250.846.5400 46 | AUG/SEPT ‘14 |
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I don’t know if we are younger or older than the apple tree, but it is certainly wiser.
little claws. Mother cat demonstrates: run fast, then up! Kitten follows. Good! Run fast, then up! Try it again. The apple tree considerately provides shade for people who cut grass and cats and babies, light shade in spring, then a cooler, deeper shade as it gets hotter. One fabulous day, I lay on my back in the shade of the tree, dangling my chubby six-month old above me and sang till he smiled, “Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me,” like my dad had sung to me. Now the apple tree tolerates our old cat climbing up and hanging out in its branches like a leopard. It tolerates her jumping from its branches to the tarp over the barbeque and back again. It does not allow ravens to sit in its branches and caw; only the cherry puts up with that. The apple tree invites small birds only and cats and tent caterpillars.
We have learned from our apple tree that tent caterpillars are no big deal. At first we attacked the caterpillars like invaders: we burned them alive, we cut off whole branches and we yipped like banshees while doing it. One infestation year, we decided to do nothing: to wait and to watch. The caterpillars tented, they ate some leaves, they crawled around and then they were gone. They had done less damage to the tree than we had. I don’t know if we are younger or older than the apple tree, but it is certainly wiser. The tree produces apples every year—some years hardly any, some years just right. That apple tree kindly produced way too many apples the autumn my husband was unemployed. He happily spent many hours picking and juicing apples. He cheerfully went to the shed to create bigger and better industrial-sized juicer machines. Apple trees and wives agree: if there is an unemployed husband about the place, even just for a month or so, it is better if he is whistling and spending time in the shed and the backyard doing productive work. The apple tree knows how to deal with cuts and scratches and bumps and chewed leaves, years that are too wet or too dry or too cold. And the apples themselves contain this knowledge. Every fall, the Transparents are ready to give one to the teacher on the first day of school. An apple in autumn is sweet crunchy wisdom. N
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