Northword 2014 12

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December / January 2014-15

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Geo-Parking Tumbler Ridge

Digging

Avalanche Dogs

Squawking Raven’s Tale

Anticipating Winter Games

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s t o r y p a g e 10

‘14 Co ver Photo

story page 12 s t o r y p a g e 14 s t o r y p a g e 18

The grass is always greener on the underside of the hoar frost.

Photo: Paul Glover

Fea tures 8 10 12

story page 37

issue no. 56

14

Tumbler Ridge Wins Global Geopark Status

16

How Raven Found His Lunch

18

Bats in Winter

30

A Nose in the Snow

37

What’s next for northern BC’s geological mecca?

By Amanda Follett Hosgood

Stories across cultures of an eternally hungry bird

By Emily Bulmer

Volunteers help monitor sub-zero flying mammals

By Norma Kerby

How avalanche dogs are making the northern backcountry safer

By Emily Bulmer

Depa rtm en ts 7

36 34

In Other Words

Editorial and cartoon from the seasoned and the silly

On the Fly

Fishing in northern BC with Brian Smith

35 38

contents

story page 8

Dec‘13/ Jan

Stone Women

The water girls

By Sheila Peters

Playing Games

Touring Northern BC with the Canada Games

By Matt J Simmons

Cohousing Communities

A green alternative to the northern housing crunch

By Norma Kerby

Atop the Telkwa Alps Map and trail guide

By Morgan Hite

Resource Directory

Services and products listed by category

The Barometer

A seasonal reading of the Northwest

by Char Toews

Top Culture

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

Story Comm en ts?

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

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 5

Joanne Campbell

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contributors

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Amanda Follett Hosgood EDITOR

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Sandra Smith

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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.

Amanda Follett Hosgood is a

writer, editor and communications specialist who—finally—lives in a straw-bale home near Smithers with her husband and two huskies.

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.

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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.

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.

Sheila Peters is a writer and

publisher (Creekstone Press has published poetry by Gillian Wigmore and Fabienne Calvert Filteau) living in Driftwood Canyon near Smithers. Her most recent book is Shafted: A Mystery.

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

Morgan Hite is a map-maker and writer who lives in Smithers with his wife and two sons. Among the four of them there are six possible two-way relationships.

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.

Emily Bulmer is a longtime Smithereen who enjoys subjecting herself to unscientific experiments in living. She occasionally records her findings and reports positive results most of the time.

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editorial

In Other Words

Enough with the semantics already.

by Joa n n e C a mpb el l

Now that winter has arrived and put me in my place—which would be in my big blue chair in front of the fire—I have time to contemplate northern life. On this cold, dark day, while waiting for some snow to brighten up the place, I have come to the conclusion that…

You know how sometimes after you’ve read a word a few times it stops making sense? You’ve stared at it so long that its symbolic content has leached out, leaving a useless blot of random letters? This just happened to me with the word place. Here, try it for yourself: Place. Placeplaceplaceplaceplace… place. Place.

Place. P-llaay-ss. Has its meaning dissolved for you yet?

Here are a few definitions to help bring it back: The point in space where you keep your etchings, as in, “Your place or mine?”

The locale where your geographical sentimentality resides, as in, “There’s no place like home.”

Your position in hierarchical society, as in, “She sure put me in my place.”

Your mind’s favourite destination, as in, “I’m going to my happy place.”

And, of course, your spot in the universe, as in, “I lost my place.”

You can also verb it, as in, “Place your trust in me,” or “I can’t place your face.”

Place is a mighty word loaded with a multitude of significant symbolisms. Even so, repeated too often, it can become just another mouthful of plosives, fricatives and diphthongs.

It’s intriguing that such a fundamental word can so easily dissolve into meaninglessness. This

hans saefk ow

ed i tor ial@no rt hwo rd. c a

phenomenon is called “semantic satiation.” (The Urban Dictionary describes semantics as, “the study of discussing the meaning/interpretation of words or groups of words within a certain context; usually in order to win some form of argument.”

In my dictionary, satiation is defined as “being full of it.”)

Curiously, semantic satiation seems to affect not just hapless individuals but also whole populations. Repeat certain words or phrases in the media enough times and people will eventually start to disassociate their sounds from their meanings.

With enough repetition, words loaded with symbolism (such as democracy, transparency, world-class, consent) become verbal fluffs, whiffles of air that merely hint at their origins. At such times, it’s wise to hold one’s nose and reassess what’s really being said. The same talking points, cycled ad infinitum, will eventually cause the reader’s eyes to glaze over, with the information going in one eye and out the other. Clever, if that’s what you want.

There you go: semantic satiation, your concept for the day.

Bonus concept: The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon,* otherwise known as “frequency illusion.”

You’ve probably experienced this one too: after experiencing a new concept or getting a new thing, you then see it everywhere. If you become pregnant, suddenly everyone is pregnant. If you have a pipeline, soon everyone has a pipeline.

How is this possible?

It’s a two-part process: the first part is selective attention—what you unconsciously look for, you will inevitably see. Then, confirmation bias kicks in, affirming your belief that the thing you’re seeing, now that you’ve looked, has magically appeared everywhere. Things like the phrase “confirmation bias,” which co-incidentally (really!) also appears in Hans’ cartoon on this page. You can be pretty sure it’ll come again soon to a place place place near you.

*Coined by a chap after he heard the name Baader-Meinhof, an ultra-left-wing German terrorist group, twice in 24 hours.

N

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 7

Tumbler Ridge wins

GLOBAL GEOPARK STATUS

kevin sh arman

What’s next for northern BC’s geological mecca?

H i k er s cel ebr ate th ei r a s c e n t o f T h e ro p o d Pe a k, n e a r Tu m b l e r R i d g e .

by A ma n da Fol let t Ho s go o d af ollet t @bulkley.ne t

Folks in Tumbler Ridge aren’t strangers to uncertainty.

Perhaps that’s why a delegation at the sixth International UNESCO Conference on Global Geoparks in Saint John, NB wasn’t going to celebrate until they heard the name they were waiting for: Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark.

After five days spent at the conference and many months wooing the committee to grant the region geopark status, it came at the final evening’s banquet, at the end of a list of 11 new geoparks worldwide: a little joke played by the National Geopark Committee on the host nation’s newest globally designated geological attraction.

“It was quite tense,” remembers Charles Helm, a Tumbler Ridge physician and one of seven delegates from northeastern BC who attended the conference.

“Everything boiled down to the last moment.”

A volunteer group pulled together an application for the 7,722-square-kilometre geopark in a matter of months, submitting it to the Global Geopark Network upon recommendation by

a visiting Canadian National Committee for Geoparks. An international delegation visited Tumbler Ridge in June, announcing their decision at September’s conference.

“It was by no means guaranteed. We were optimistic, but not unreasonably so,” Helm says.

According to UNESCO’s website, at the start of 2014 there were 100 Global Geoparks in 30 countries. While geoparks were traditionally concentrated in Europe and China, they now span all continents. Tumbler Ridge’s designation is Canada’s second, after Stonehammer Geopark in New Brunswick.

Struggle not over Tumbler Ridge was incorporated in 1981 to house employees of local coalmines and, more than 30 years later, the town has seen its share of ups and downs.

While its recent designation and increasing recognition as a tourism destination bode well for the community’s future, Tumbler Ridge was

recently shaken by the news of more economic challenges ahead. Of the community’s existing coalmines, one is currently idling (with no current plans to reopen), another plans to shut indefinitely in December and plans were cancelled to open a third.

But along with uncertainty, Tumbler Ridge is also familiar with resilience.

During a 2001 economic downturn, Helm’s son Daniel, then eight years old, discovered dinosaur footprints while river tubing with a friend. That discovery led to others and, in 2003, paleontologist couple Rich McCrea and Lisa Buckley started the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre and later the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery, which sees thousands of visitors each year with numbers increasing 10 to 15 percent annually.

Along with its prehistoric resources, the community is famous for sitting within hiking, driving or boating distance of 36 waterfalls and boasts more than 100 kilometres of hiking and biking trails. In winter, there is cross-country

charles h elm

ch arles h elm

FA R LE F T: I t ’s h o p e d t h a t Tu m b l e r R i d g e ’s pal eo n t o l o g y, s u c h a s t h i s t h e ro p o d t r a c k a l o n g th e ba n ks o f t h e Wo l v e r i n e R i v e r, w i l l l e a d t o a n i n crea s e i n t o u r i s m s i n c e i t s d e s i g n a t i o n a s a Gl oba l G e o p a r k.

8 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

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N E A R L E F T: C a b i n Po o l i s o n e o f a s e r i e s o f pool s o n a f o u r- ki l o m e t re - re t u r n h i ke t h a t b o a s t s preh i s t o r i c d i n o s a u r t r a c ks . Sh o w n h e re i s a th erop o d t r a c k.

N ew di s cov er i es , s u ch as th e rem ai n s of th i s preh i s tor i c m ar i n e repti l e, are bei n g m ade al l th e ti m e i n Tu m bl er R i dge.

Come see what c ha rle s he lm

UNBC Northwest

kevi n sha rm a n

Tr i as s i c fi s h A l ber ton i a i s j u s t on e exam pl e of th e m an y pal eon tol ogi cal fi n ds i n th e Tu m bl er R i dge area.

skiing, ice climbing and snowmobiling. It’s hoped that the recent designation will raise awareness for these attractions.

At a geopark in Greece, the designation caused the region’s tourism to grow from 5,000 to 100,000 annual visitors in a decade, Helm says. Although a similar effect would be welcomed in the Northeast, it’s unlikely to happen overnight. While Global Geopark designation is encouraging, the hard work is still ahead.

One of two geoparks in North America—that can only be a jump in the right direction.

Roxanne

Growing into geopark The job of bringing increased tourism to the region now falls mostly to local entrepreneurs, Helm says, and the next step is educating the business community on local geology and what it means to be a Global Geopark. That is currently starting with an education strategy and securing funding for a full-time education coordinator.

“It’s not immediate. It still takes time to do the work and get the benefits,” Helm says. He encour-

ages local businesses to jump on board the geology theme. For his part, the local physician takes photos of newborn babies with a dinosaur bone in their hand— hokey, he admits, but he hopes it will inspire others to find ways to incorporate the theme into their businesses.

“The brand is there,” he says.

“People have to have the entreGulick preneurial spirit and say, well, I would like to do this.”

The Gulicks have been involved with the local business community since moving to Tumbler Ridge several years ago. Randy, who has been a riverboat operator on and off for nearly two decades, learned about local rock formations when he brought a geologist on a search for features in preparation for the geopark application; he also toured the UNESCO committee that evaluated the region’s geopark status.

“I hope it brings an influx of tourism,” says Randy, who has visited the area since he was a kid ... continued on Page 33

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 9

fa c undo g a s tia zo ro

How Raven found his lunch

Stories across cultures of an eternally hungry bird

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

Corvus corax. We-gyet. Trickster.

The many names we have for the common raven reflect all the angles of our fascination for the creature. Known for its intelligence, problemsolving abilities and the tendency to get into trouble, we are drawn by its mystery and, perhaps, by a sense of kinship.

The Gitxsan have as many stories about raven as there are stones in the Skeena River. These stories pass on observations of raven behaviour

and provide insight into our own human flaws and follies, including pride, greed and vanity.

Many stories tell an act of creation—how raven made the sun and stars or how he made the rivers.

And many stories feature raven stealing food.

“We-gyet (Raven) never does anything from the goodness of his heart,” Dr. M. Jane Smith cautions. “He might do something that ends up being good for people, but that’s not his intention.”

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human form and plays tricks on people and other animals alike. A researcher, educator and storyteller living in Hazelton, Smith is a fluent Gitxsan speaker and tells We-gyet stories as they’ve been told to her: “We-gyet, he’s always looking for his next easy meal,” she smiles, starting off the story of Raven and Salmon, “and he never wants to do the work…” (See inset for story.)

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Constable. Conspiracy. Unkindness.

Across cultures and generations, our collective fascination with raven has persisted. The field of animal behaviour has provided some scientific insight into why these old labels and stories ring true.

While watching ravens one winter near his camp in Maine, researcher Bernt Heinrich noticed a peculiar phenomenon. He observed that when a lone raven came across an animal carcass, it would call out noisily, attracting the attention of other ravens. Since food is scarce in winter, he wondered why these birds would call out to others, increasing the competition for food. One carcass could easily feed one or two birds all winter, and sharing would not be advantageous. Even if no others came at that moment, the following day up to 50 ravens would descend on the carcass, suggesting that the original raven had told its friends about a feast nearby.

This telling of an object that is not present is known in scientific terms as displacement and is known to be shared only by bees, ants, humans and ravens. Eager to solve the mystery of the sharing ravens, Heinrich spent many cold days in a blind, watching ravens and taking notes. Eventually, he discovered an interesting interplay between territory, dominance and the ravens’ language. The ravens that would call out and share were juvenile birds unable to defend a carcass from the adult ravens that held that territory.

The story of Raven and Salmon One day, like many days, We-gyet was hungry. It was a great day, a beautiful day. He wonders, “How will I get my next meal?” He has an idea, and he changes into his human form, and walks down to the river. He says, “Hey, Salmon! Do you want to play a game? It’s called Guxw good’y mi’lit’—charge at my heart. You are so strong, you will probably beat me.”

Salmon is flattered by the compliment and is excited to play the game. But, before they start playing, We-gyet takes a rock and hides it in his raven cloak. Because he doesn’t know how to fish or set a net, or do any real work, he needs to be creative.

When the rock is safely hidden he says to Salmon, “Guxw good’y mi’lit’—charge at my heart!” Salmon jumps up and charges toward We-gyet. We-gyet falls back, splashing in the river. “Oh, you got me!

You are so strong and brave! Let’s play again!” And Salmon, now very proud of himself, charges at We-gyet again.

They continue to play the game and on the fourth time, Wy-gyet slips the rock from underneath his raven robe and hits Salmon. With his last breath Salmon says, “I always knew it was you, We-gyet,” which is what everyone says when they see that We-gyet has tricked them.

Now, We-gyet has this beautiful salmon and he walks up the shore with it and he realizes he doesn’t know how to cook and so he asks his father. His father laughs and says, “Go and ask your poop,” because it is a question that can’t be answered. So he takes it literally and the next time he takes a bowel movement, he asks it how to cook the fish. Amazingly, in a small voice, he hears the instructions: “You dig a pit and lay rocks in it; build a fire; lay the salmon on the rocks, cover the pit and leave the tail out. When it disappears you know the cooking is done.”

When the cooking is done, his brother the crow comes along to admire the salmon. Crow says, “That’s really fine cooking. It deserves a really beautiful tablecloth.” We-gyet says, “Yes, it is very fine, go and get your nice tablecloth.” The crows get little bits of bark and twigs and lay them on the ground. Raven says, “That’s not a good tablecloth. I’ll show you a good tablecloth.”

So he leaves his salmon and goes to get a fine tablecloth made of woven cedar. He comes back and sees that the crows have tricked him and eaten up all his fish. We-gyet is so angry that he kicks the crows in the rear end, and that’s why today crows walk with such an awkward gait.

But what he didn’t realize is that because he’s brother with the crow he also hurt himself—which is why Raven walks that way too. To this day, fishermen enjoy the fight with Steelhead, thanks to Raven and his game, “Charge at my heart.”

Dr. M. Jane Smith

Young ravens that had not yet established themselves and struggled to hold a territory would fly long distances to find food. When they found something, they would tell their friends and create a posse of other hungry youngsters that would overwhelm the dominant adults holding that territory, forcing them off their rightful food.

In this way, younger ravens that would otherwise go hungry co-operate with each other to steal food from their elders. The full telling of this story can be read in Heinrich’s book, Ravens in Winter.

Interminable trickster Hearing these stories brings other tall raven tales into focus. A raven repeatedly dropping sticks on horses in a field is probably an attempt to scare them off their grain long enough to gobble it down.

Watching a raven fly dead centre down an empty road or railway track likely indicates it’s looking for fresh road kill, not dutifully following Drive BC directions to the next town. Large groups of ravens gathered on a playing field are not just being social; they are eating up worms that surfaced from the last rainstorm. If a raven is doing something you can’t quite explain, it probably has to do with its next crafty scheme for lunch.

It doesn’t matter whether these stories are passed down through the generations, printed in a scientific journal or shared between neighbours over the fence. Whether it is true admiration or just a grudging acknowledgement, we have to admit the inky bandit has genius. Next time you tidy the trash strewn about in the driveway and re-bungee the garbage can, don’t blame the dog. Instead, look at the sky and say, “We-gyet, I always knew it was you.”

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m ic h a e

l p ro c to

Nelso n-based bat exper t C or i Lausen ho p es th at recordi n g bat calls wi l l h el p s ci en ti s ts better under s tan d th e fl y i n g m am m al s ’ w i n ter h abi ts .

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Bats in Winter

Volunteers help monitor sub-zero flying mammals

by Nor ma Kerby nker by@t elus.net

The wind blowing down the Skeena River is strong and cold. Nelson-based bat expert Cori Lausen carefully adjusts the leads to the 12-volt battery. “If the light is green,” she says, “the solar panels are working and the battery is charging. If the light is red, you need to change it.”

I mentally think ahead to January. Unlocking the equipment box with bare, freezing fingers, then attaching cables to the data loggers would be a bit challenging, but, if bats can be out flying in the middle of winter, we should at least be able to keep Lausen’s equipment working.

Recording bat calls in the dead of winter seems to be one of those research projects that causes people to roll their eyes and talk about wasting public money. Lausen’s research is none of this. On the leading edge of

documenting where bat species are located in BC, she is also a key Canadian researcher studying white-nose syndrome (WNS), an introduced European fungal disease that has killed thousands of bats in eastern Canada. Lausen’s winter bat call program is an important tool in determining normal bat activity in British Columbia before this deadly disease hits the province.

Little is known about bats in northern BC. Many are not even aware that we have bats this far north. There are 17 different species in BC of which nine are limited to the South. Of the remaining eight, the northern bat is found mostly on the far eastern side of BC’s North and the rare Keen’s bat is found only along the coast and coastal inland valleys, along with the more common California bat. The most common northern species are the little brown bat

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B a t Nap : L ily t he ho ary bat lo st a wing in a car col l i s i on a nd now acco m panies Co ri Lausen o n s ch ool visits. T he no ctur nal creature appear s und isturbed during her daytim e nappi n g.

and the silver-haired bat, which both occur widely throughout North America. Three other northern bat species—the big brown, long-eared and long-legged bats—have small populations throughout their provincial ranges.

Lausen’s specialized equipment records the ultrasonic calls that bats make when they are pursuing insect prey or flying between locations. Each species has a signature echolocation voicing, which allows her to identify the calls picked up by her sensors. By using solar panels to recharge a battery powering the data recorders, she is able to leave the recorders for days at a time in remote locations.

Combined with netting programs, Lausen and her research associates are expanding the province’s scientific information on where and when bat species occur in northern BC. Insect control The wind is blowing so strongly we are surrounded by a shower of autumn leaves. A pair of hikers doing the circuit passes: “Hi, Elaine,” I shout cheerfully.

Elaine and her friend stop, starting a lively discussion about the monitoring program and where to find local bats.

The majority of reports about bat activity in the Terrace area come from people living at Lakelse Lake to the south. They range from sightings of large numbers hunting insects over water in late evening to a maternity colony of little brown bats under the shingles of someone’s cabin. When Lausen and her research partner netted bats next to the Lakelse River this summer, they detected both little brown bats and Yuma bats in significant numbers.

The Lakelse area is a rich location for bats, but there is also a surprising number throughout most of northern BC. Seeing them is a matter of timing and location. The majority of species belong to the evening bat family; therefore, northern bats are most active just before dawn and in the late evening or early night. They like to feed on insects that fly over water or open areas.

A steep cliff face, river, wetlands, lake or even a wide, warm road just at dusk can be a good location to watch them.

Bats are important predators of flying insects. It is estimated that a single little brown bat will eat in the range of 900 insects an hour. During a recent monitoring session in the Nass Valley, 1,200 separate calls from four different bat species were recorded over a single night. With each bat consuming in the range of 4,000 bugs a night, the volume of prey consumed by northern bats can be a significant factor in controlling biting insects.

Mysteries of winter Although the summer habits of northern bats are reasonably well understood, there is a dearth of winter bat knowledge. Very little is known about what species do and where they go during cooler months. Recording bat calls cannot only help to determine if they are out and moving in winter, it can also address such questions as whether bats are moving up and down the Skeena River valley at certain times of the year, if there are waves of migrating bats in the fall passing south through the northern interior or if the majority of bats are hibernating close to summer habitat.

Understanding the winter ecology of northern bats might also be essential for their long-term survival. In Eastern Canada, winter bat movement has been strongly associated with white-nose syndrome. The extensive, itchy growth of fungi on the bats’s skin is assumed to rouse them out of hibernation, causing them to fly out into the cold winter air to their deaths. In Western Canada, where WNS has not yet been found, Lausen’s work in Alberta and BC has shown that some bats naturally awake in winter and leave their hibernacula to fly about at temperatures as low as -8 C. The causes for these flights are not known, although suggestions have been made that dehydration or disturbance or some physiological need to move may be driving the bats to leave the warmth and security of their colonies.

Of the eight known northern bat species, little brown bats have been assumed to migrate south, although some individuals or small colonies might be hibernating in spots below the frost line, such as in deep rock cracks of cliffs, caves or abandoned mines. Other species, such as the long-legged bat and the long-eared bat, can also hibernate in caves, rock crevices or mines, but the silver-haired bat most commonly hibernates under bark or in holes on large trees, moving to rock crevices and mines during extremely cold weather events. Others, such as the big brown bat, may be hibernating in old buildings. Disturbance in winter can cause these bats to be active in sub-zero temperatures.

norma kerby

No one knows for certain where northern bats go in winter. Lausen’s research will help find answers to this important question. Call recorders have been placed across the Highway 16 corridor from Vanderhoof to Prince Rupert and north to the Nass Valley. Volunteers will watch over the equipment throughout the winter, changing batteries and data cards when necessary and ensuring that the equipment and solar panels stay upright despite storms, moose and flooding. When the data is gathered next spring and scanned for bat calls, some answers to intriguing questions will emerge.

As Elaine and her friend continue on their walk, Lausen checks the chain linking the equipment box and solar panels. “Most people want us to know more about bats,” she says. “Let’s hope this works.”

If you see a bat during winter or find a winter bat hibernaculum, please contact Cori Lausen at clausen@wcs.org N

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A nose in the snow

How avalanche dogs are making the northern backcountry safer

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

Stewart-based Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) handler Bree Stefanson remembers the first time she and her four-

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legged companion responded to an avalanche independently.

“I was working on a ski hill. That day we were closing several areas due to snow pack conditions and I was just two towers from getting off the chairlift to close another ski area when I got a call that the area had avalanched and a family of five was under the debris pile,” she remembers. They searched the area, but found nothing. “My dog didn’t pick anything up and I organized a probe line to be sure. As we were probing, I realized that the person who triggered the avalanche was in the probe line, so I questioned him.”

As it turned out, the family believed to be buried was watching the search unfold from the sidelines.

No one else was buried.

“My dog was right on the first pass—there was nothing in there. All the training we did was really intense and high pressure, which helped me be very clear on the day I had to do it by myself. That day, I really learned how to trust my dog,” she says.

Certified handlers and dogs play an important role in avalanche rescue and retrieval, and there’s more to being successful than just following their noses. For a handler and dog team, at least two years of coursework and training is needed before they are “validated,” or certified to work independently at a scene.

“It is a rigorous process,” says Smithers resident Christopher McLean, past CARDA member and owner of a retired dog. Dogs are accepted into the certification program between the ages of six months and two years, and not just any dog will do. “You need a dog that can handle -20 C for extended periods of time, has a high retrieve drive and a high work drive, and preferably a size you can pick up and carry or ski with, or put into a helicopter.”

McLean chose Chephren, a Belgian shepherd.

Search theory To find a human buried in snow, dogs have to learn how to find a scent in the air and follow it through changing weather and snow conditions.

McLean explains, “A living, breathing person emits a lot of scent all the time. The air picks it up and carries it in different patterns, depending on the weather and wind conditions. A strong wind draws the scent out in a long, thin ribbon, while a light breeze feathers it out in a broader path. Gusty winds blow it all over the place and it can be strong in one moment and gone in the next.”

This pattern is called a scent cone, and locating the scent cone is the dog’s main job. A reward system is used to train air scenting. High-drive dogs need a high-drive reward and this reward is called ragging, known to trainers as a high-energy game of tug-of-war.

“This is the ultimate search reward,” McLean says. “You need to get the dog excited to play this super-fun game of tug-of-war before the course.

They have to think it is the best game ever, and reserved only for searches.”

The training process is a very structured series of search games. The handler first gins up the dog, or gets them excited, elevating their prey drive. Then he or she gives the leashed dog to another and runs off to hide. This hide-and-seek game gets progressively more difficult with longer time delays and also introduces other people to the mix so the dog has to find a person with an unfamiliar scent.

“This training can be difficult. Dogs are very smart and can outwit you during training. They can start tracking (following scent on the ground) instead of air scenting, which isn’t what you want,” McLean remarks. The final challenge is to find articles of scented clothing buried in the snow. As the articles are not alive, the scent is weak so they are harder to find. This mimics what it would be like to search for a body.

c hris to phe r mc le a n

C h e p h re n , a B e l g i a n s h e p h e rd , i s a re t i re d a v a l a n c h e d o g l i v i n g w i t h C h r i s t o p h e r M c L e a n i n Sm i t h e r s .

Search practice Bree Stefanson has been working with her dog, Aurora, for three years.

“When I’m called to a search I confirm with the RCMP dog handler that I can attend. We have to make sure the scene is safe; that’s our first priority. An assessment is done, then avalanche control if needed, and then the dog is put out on the deposit,” she says, referring to the debris that remains after an avalanche.

When a handler and dog search a deposit, they work independently. The handler does a hasty search with a transceiver and probe and looks for clues, such as clothing. The dog is searching independently, air scenting and working its way across the deposit.

“For many of the searches I’ve been on, you have to do it all: make sure the scene is safe, organize people, work your dog and run a transceiver and probe,” she says. “When we have more than one handler, we split the deposit up depending on how the dogs interact. When we train, the dogs can get very possessive of the article they are searching for and not want anyone else to get it, so it can be important to keep the dogs separate.”

The movement in a dog’s ears, nose and tail also help communicate how the search is going: “You

Search motivation Since being a dog handler is a volunteer position, one with an incredible amount of preparation and work, you could say that McLean and Stefanson have high service drives. Between courses, they keep their dogs working on their skills. It is clear that helping others is what keeps them practising.

“It isn’t going to be a happy day by the time I’ve been called out to a search. Time is working against you. For me, it is about bringing closure to the family. Instead of exposing a whole bunch of people and having extensive long searches and probe lines, I can put a dog on there and get the job done,” Stefanson says.

In addition to search events, McLean and Stefanson have independently participated in several demonstrations to community groups, Scout troops and classrooms to bring attention to mountain travel safety.

“We speak about avalanche awareness and how a dog uses its nose. We talk about avalanche hazards on ski hills and dangers of skiing out of bounds. The dogs provide a good entry point to encourage education and safety,” Stefanson says.

The pair helped start the Northwest BC Search and Rescue Dog Association to support local handler and dog teams by providing equipment or helping with bursaries for courses and travel. It provides needed community support, assistance in training and motivation for members.

“It is an incredible group of people full of passion, drive and compassion,” Stefanson says. To learn more about the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association, visit www.carda.ca.

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really have to watch your dog because their body language is incredible,” Stefanson says.

c hris to phe r mc le a n

Training for handlers includes Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) Avalanche Operations Level 1, a Ground Search and Rescue ticket from the Justice Institute and an 80-hour first aid course. Once complete, dog and handler are tested by the RCMP and CARDA. They have to demonstrate a search standard, an obedience standard and a mountain-travel standard. Dog and handler must be revalidated every year and take a course every second year to stay current.

B re e St e f a n s o n and her dog Au ro r a a re a validated s e a rc h t e a m living in St e w a r t .

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 15

pho to s c o ntribute d by the fa mily

F ab i e n n e Ca lve rt F i l t e a u ’s an d Ji l l W i g m ore ’s g r an dmo t h e rs, Ma rg a re t a nd He le n, w ere bo r n a ye a r ap ar t t o R oss a nd S us an S t o ne of Van d e r h o of.

Stone w omen: Fabi enne C al vert Fi l teau (l ef t) and J i l l W i gmo re share a co nnecti o n that spans di stances and g enerati o ns.

STONE WOMEN The water girls

by S hei l a Pet e r s s pet ers@creekst o n e pre ss. c om

what is it with us water girls always looking for the current in the current, the secret in the water that is the water…

The bond was strengthened when Fabienne started tree planting. “My summer pilgrimage to the bush always involved a stop at Jill’s house in Prince George. Her space became my summer retreat from planting.”

By that time, Jill had two children. “Fabienne was like this breath from the outside world because I was really cloistered with the kids when they were little. And then to read her work and realize she was having this intense relationship with the landscape like I was, only I was doing it differently.”

Fabienne spent nine summers tree planting while Jill and her family spent every moment they could hiking, skiing, canoeing and camping. A trip down the Dease River led to Jill’s novel Grayling, one of the books Fabienne took with her when she and her partner canoed the river this past summer.

While Orient is Jill’s fourth book, Second Growth is Fabienne’s first. Her experiences tree planting contributed pivotal poems to the work; family relationships are also central to both women’s work, relationships nurtured by vacations at Stones Bay.

So begins Gillian (Jill) Wigmore’s poem “Water Girls” in her 2012 book, Dirt of Ages. The poem is for Fabienne Calvert Filteau, Jill’s second cousin. Their grandmothers, Margaret and Helen, were born in 1917 and 1918 to Ross, a physician, and Susan Stone of Vanderhoof. Stone women. Each of them had two children, including Fabienne’s father Phil Calvert and Jill’s mother Judy Wigmore. Each granddaughter has a book of poetry out this fall: Jill’s Orient from Brick Books and Fabienne’s Second Growth from Creekstone Press.

“Stone women,” Jill calls them, connected through generations by summers spent at the family cabin at Stones Bay on Stuart Lake just under the shadow of Mount Pope.

Jill sums it up: “If any woman in our family is acting what is it with us water girls always looking to be clean particularly stubborn, or wilful or ambitious or inscrutable, exercising real hard then jumping in the water… we joke that she is definitely a Stone. We are so proud of our grandmothers’ accomplishments and proud to be their The Stones have a taste for adventure that goes way back.

Fabi en n e C al v er t Fi l teau ’s descendants. We have these women to live up to. Both Fabi- gr an dm oth er, Margaret C al v er t After graduation, Ross worked for 16 months with Hazelenne and I take it quite seriously.” ton’s medical superintendent H.C. Wrinch; once the train (S ton e), an d J i l l W i gm ore’s Energy reverberates between this pair of Stone women: great au n t i n h er du gou t can oe connection was completed in 1914, he moved east to Endako Fabienne, in her late 20s, and Gillian, in her late 30s. It was and finally Vanderhoof. In 1916, he returned to Montreal to on S ton es B ay, S tu ar t L ak e. the summer Fabienne was 19, Jill says, that she saw her, not marry Susan and bring her west. as a little kid, but as an equal.

“We come from generations of people who have moved a “That might have been the first time it was possible to approach each other lot—so travelling great distances and coming together across them has been as peers. … I realized we were kindred spirits and we stayed up all night something we’ve all carried,” Jill says. talking in the old cabin; it’s like the conversation has never stopped.”

Susan took the train from Vanderhoof to Hazelton to have each of her first “I used to always look up to her—she had this wild beauty and I loved two daughters. Fabienne moved there with her partner Greg Horne in 2013 listening to her songs,” Fabienne says. “We could talk about words for hours.” after finishing her creative writing degree from the University of Victoria.

Although both women grew up in very different places—Fabienne’s parents Once there, she found out about the early connections. “I felt a tug for this were in the diplomatic service and her childhood was spent between Ottawa place and think of the connections passed on through ancestry—walking and Asia while Jill’s parents were rooted in Vanderhoof—their lives have and looking up at that mountain and thinking, wow, they did that too.” Her always been connected. work in perinatal care doing outreach and support for expecting families is “Sometimes I think of our lives as having been the same because Jill and I another connection. always see each other in the exact same place,” Fabienne says.

That first daughter, Margaret Marion, got a nursing degree at the UniverThe Stone family cabin was built by their great-grandparents in the late ’20s. sity of Alberta and played hockey on the varsity team. Fabienne, who rowed “Of all the places I’ve lived, it’s the one that feels most like I belong there,” competitively at University of Victoria, is an inch taller than her 5’11” grandFabienne says. “Whenever my dad spoke about the cabin, such a sense of love mother. Margaret served in the army as a nursing sister during the war, married was connected with it.” in 1952 and eight years later, a widow with two sons, moved to Prince George 16 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

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flying fish

“O f a l l t h e pl aces I ’ve l iv e d, it ’s t he o ne t h a t f eel s m os t l i ke I be long the re , ” F abi en n e Cal ve rt Filt e a u sa y s a b o u t t he cabi n at S tone s Ba y.

...cooking, living & giving

T he cabin in the 1930s.

F abienne reads h e r co usin’s no vel, Gra yling , while p a ddling the Dease River—where the no vel is set.

where she worked as a public health nurse until she retired in 1979. Fabienne’s poem “Slim” is a vivid portrait of a woman comfortable in the bush:

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She wakes in washed-out light, her fly rod caught in the door screen. Tree-bodied woman, moose-toothed woman, her skin has thinned to ash. She opens the woodstove to embers gone blank, her feet brush the floor with their numb toes lolling, she says, This goddamn century has turned me to paper. Century of euphemisms. Her fly rod casts a blazing opus of curses at the sky. The last light scarlet.

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Jill’s relationship with her much-shorter grandmother, the second sister, was more immediate because they lived in the same community. “I ran away from elementary school twice and both times I went to Nana’s house and she never told anyone! She just let me be with her while she knit and I beaded or coloured or read and she got me back to school on time for the bus.”

Both poets feel a connection to the North. “We both have a deep belief in representing this place—these different voices coming out of the North are important and it feels so good to be doing it in tandem,” Jill says.

Fabienne agrees. “I feel as though a part of me is always writing to the conversation, the dialogue between us—Jill reminds me that we’re travelling together.” what is it with us water girls always wanting comfort in bad weather, rough water…

“We’ve shared, swapped and critiqued … and there’s so much beauty in sharing. I feel ever egged on by Jill in the best way—she’ll ask me what I’m up to and she’ll sit me down and I’ll submit poems to journals right in her living room.”

The parent cousins are very close, Jill says, and both households are literary ones. “It was just in the air.” The arc of writing is carried right through Jill’s life. While working on her master’s in creative writing, she is coordinating the Nechako branch of the Prince George Public Library.

Fabienne has worked at many jobs that rooted her in the physical world.

“Writing is a way of showing myself how I understand the world,” Fabienne says. “Second Growth looks at the connection between human emotional experience and how that is externalized in the world—an ongoing reflection between the self and place outside of self.”

Like their grandmothers, both young women are strong-willed and determined. The final lines in “Water Girls” emphasize their willingness to dive into whatever they do wholeheartedly—like their grandmothers before them: …step in, the undertow won’t hurt you you’ll get to love the pull, you’ll get to aching for that pulling, til you’re lying face up in a whirlpool, laughing at the sky

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c o urt e sy 2 0 1 5 c a na da winte r g a me s /dus tin ha ll

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Playing Games

Touring northern BC with the Canada Games

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

I’ve never been one for competitive sport. It could be that I’m a bit too lazy, or maybe I’m just inherently not competitive. But just because I don’t have a competitive nature doesn’t mean I dislike sport in general. In fact, the opposite is true. I love getting out to play, whether it’s strapping a snowboard to my feet and ripping down the ski hill or playing a few games of Ping-Pong with a friend. And while I’m pretty sure I’ll never end up standing on a podium, I know that competition is great—it motivates amateur and professional athletes alike to improve, to challenge themselves. It’s fun, too. The few times I’ve entered a race have been a blast.

Prince George is about to get a big dose of the competitive spirit as it prepares for the 2015 Canada Games, a national competition that has been around since 1967. Together with Lheidli T’enneh, the Games’ first official host First Nation, the city is gearing up to welcome the Games from Feb. 13 to March 1. This is a big deal for Prince George. The northern city is the 18 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

www.n o rthword.ca

first in BC to host the winter version of the Games, and it’s the largest multisport event ever held in the North. Soon, over 2,400 athletes from across the country will come to compete in a varied mix of sports, including everything from archery and alpine skiing to table tennis and wheelchair basketball.

Travellers who come to northern BC often arrive armed with bikes, kayaks, canoes and skis, in search of the ultimate northern outdoor pursuit. But northern BC isn’t just an outdoor playground—there are plenty of other sports to be played throughout the region. Using some of the Canada Games official sports as a launching point, we’re taking a look at what you can do when you come to the region. To find out more details (including links and contact info) about any sport opportunities below and more, take a gander at the Pacific Sport website for northern BC. For a full list of the official sports and other information about the Canada Games, visit canadagames2015.ca. ... continued on Page 20

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c o urt e sy 2 01 5 c a na da winte r g a me s /dus tin ha ll

... continued from Page 18

Badminton Competitive badminton is amazing to watch. Skill, finesse, speed and agility all come into play on the court. On an amateur level, badminton is a fun game that all ages can pretty easily get the hang of. I, for one, spent many summer hours playing badminton outdoors in my childhood. Many northern towns have facilities for badminton open to the public. The Jim Ciccone Civic Centre in Prince Rupert has several courts and for just a few dollars anyone can grab a racket and bat the birdie around for a couple of hours—a nice escape from the wet weather, if you need time to warm up.

In Prince George, the University of Northern BC has great facilities for enthusiasts. Both Smithers and Terrace have clubs, hosted at local secondary schools.

court esy 20 15 can ada win ter gam es/d ust in hall

Archery A little game of Robin Hood, anyone? Prince Rupert, Terrace, Smithers and Prince George all have archery clubs and ranges for practice. Most groups have an outdoor range (or share a facility) and some have indoor ranges for winter use.

Contact info for these four clubs can be found at archeryassociation.bc.ca.

Cross-country skiing and biathlon I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been cross-country skiing. One of my first times out, I pulled off a spectacular, sprawling bail in front of at least 60 people. My ego was more bruised than my tailbone. Away from the crowds at the lodge, I’ve been able to relax into the feeling of moving through the landscape, occasionally even looking up at the scenery without falling into the snow bank.

Cross-country skiing is an inexpensive winter sport that can be either athletic and intensely competitive or as relaxing as taking a Sunday stroll. It’s a great way to get outdoors in the cold weather and stretch your legs. There are far too many amazing spots in northern BC to include here, but a couple of the larger, more developed facilities include the BV Nordic Centre in Smithers, the Otway ski trails in Prince George and the trail network in Burns Lake maintained by the Omineca Ski Club. Smithers’ facilities include a lodge, lit trails for night skiing and a dog trail so you can take your furry friends along.

Admittedly, biathlon can be a tricky sport to squeeze into travels, but again there are plenty ... continued on Page 22

20 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 20 | DEC ‘14/JAN ‘15

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

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Curling Apart from hockey, there’s no other sport as quintessentially Canadian as curling. My late grandfather used to “throw the rock” and he was the epitome of Canadian. A longshoreman by trade, he said “eh” at the end of most sentences without thinking about it, watched hockey religiously and wore plaid daily. For drop-in curling opportunities check out Curl BC’s website and look for the individual sites based in Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, Smithers, Fraser Lake and Prince George.

A B O VE: S ev er al cros s -cou nt r y s ki a re a s i n n o r t h e r n B C h a v e b i a t h l o n r a n g e s .

B E L O W: C u r l i n g i s qu i n tes s en ti al l y C an adi an an d dro p - i n o p p o r t u n i t i e s a re a v a i l a b l e i n Pr i n c e R u p e r t , K i ti m at, Te r r a c e , Sm i t h e r s , F r a s e r L a ke a n d Pr i n c e G e o rg e .

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of places where you can get out and carry a rifle while skiing. Check with the local Nordic centre or ski club in the town where you’re hoping to practice, and they should let you know what facilities they have and what you need to bring. You might even connect with some locals and get a tour —or an impromptu competition—while you’re at it.

22 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 22 | DEC ‘14/JAN ‘15

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Ice hockey and figure skating Northern BC has plenty of ice, indoors and—in the winter—out. It’s safe to say that wherever you’re travelling to in this northern (read: cold) region will have some ice you can muck about on. If you want to actually play drop-in hockey, the best bet is to contact the local rec centre and ask if they have any programs that fit your schedule. Most rinks have public skates and times when you can get on the ice. There are outdoor rinks in many northern towns and often locals clear snow on lakes and ponds and throw out a net. Grab a map, pack your skates and stick, and you might just stumble on a friendly game of shinny.

Squash Devotees of squash are, well, pretty devoted. The sport can be like a dance, when it’s played well. It’s athletic and requires graceful movement and a keen spatial awareness. I get tired just thinking about it. The camaraderie between the two squash clubs in Smithers and Prince Rupert is a storied one. Members of each club travel between the two towns fairly regularly for tournaments. A thriving scene in each town means the facilities are great. On the coast, you’ll find the courts at the Prince Rupert Racquet Centre and in Smithers they’re in the Bulkley Valley Regional Pool and Recreation Centre on Highway 16.

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Skiing and snowboarding Ah, the sharp sound of skis cutting into corduroy, the rush of icy wind, the sudden absence of sound as a jump propels you into the air. At the Canada Games, ski events include slalom, ski-cross, moguls, slopestyle and, for snowboarding, slopestyle, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross. Hurtling downhill on a pair of planks or a board—whether you’re a beginner or a grizzled veteran competitor—is a great reason to travel in the winter. Northern BC has a huge selection of ski resorts—for those of you scoping out ski destinations, you’re spoiled for choice. The downhill ski and snowboard events at the Games will be held at Purden and Tabor mountains, not far from the host city. Northeast of Prince George is Powder King Mountain, named for its impressive annual

snowfall. Heading northwest, there’s the small but satisfying Murray Ridge in Fort St. James, the family-friendly Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers and Shames Mountain between Terrace and Prince Rupert. The best thing about ski hills up here is there are rarely lines, apart from the ones you make as you float down the slopes.

Synchronized swimming OK, let’s face it, synchronized swimming isn’t exactly a sport geared toward amateurs. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try it, right? I mean, why not?

Throughout northern BC are great public pools and in the winter months getting a couple of laps in, or a soak in the hot tub, after some icy outdoor

matt simmon s

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T OP L E F T: Sn o w b o a rd i n g i s n ’t j u s t f u n t o w a t c h , i t ’s f u n t o t r y. W i t h a multitude of fine s ki a re a s a c ro s s northern BC, it i s n ’t h a rd t o f i n d s o m e n i c e , f l u ff y snow to play in.

courtes y 2015 can ada wint er games

T OP R I G H T: Yo u m a y n o t b e a competitive s l o p e s t y l e r i d e r, but in all this snow you can s u re p re t e n d !

Ta l o n G i l l i s t a ke s f l i g h t a t Sh a m e s Mountain near Te r r a c e .

L E F T: T h i n k y o u ’re n o t a s y n c h ro n i ze d s w i m m e r ? W h a t ’s stopping you?

Grab a friend, get wet and get moving.

26 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 26 | DEC ‘14/JAN ‘15

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activity is a nice change from the snowy landscapes. Next time you check out a pool in northern BC, I challenge you to grab a partner, pay attention to whatever pop tune is piped through the speakers and try to coordinate some slick moves. Give your kids (if you have kids) scorecards—I’m sure they’ll be fair judges. Prince Rupert’s Earl Mah Aquatic Centre is a great facility, as is the pool at UNBC in Prince George. In between, you have plenty of options, including Houston, which has a skookum wave pool, Kitimat’s Sam Lindsay Aquatic Centre and the Terrace Aquatic Centre.

Most pools are operated by the towns themselves, so pop over to the municipalities’ websites to find out where you need to go. And don’t forget your swimsuit, cap and smile.

Northern BC has a huge selection of ski resorts—for those of you scoping out ski destinations, you’re spoiled for choice.

Table tennis When I was growing up, playing a few games of Ping-Pong was an almost daily occurrence. These days, it’s not as frequent, but I still love the game. Seeing it included in the Canada Games roster brought a smile to my face. Prince George has a table-tennis club (unbctta.com) and would be a good place to start if you’re looking for an opportunity to play a few games on your travels.

Target shooting Bang! Some people shoot for practice, a precursor to lining up an animal destined for the dinner table, and others shoot for the joy of it. Northern BC, a region known for its amazing hunting opportunities, has great options for taking a bead on a target. Most towns have a rod and gun club and a decent shooting range. Call up the local club in your destination town and you should be able to get in some shots at the targets.

Wheelchair basketball When putting this article together, I recalled my brother’s friend who broke his back and spent several months in a wheelchair. I pictured him—a young, slightly wild, but nice, friendly guy—popping wheelchair wheelies in the hall of the rehabilitation facility. He could sustain a wheelie all the way down that long hallway. I was just a kid when we went to visit him and seeing someone with that much control over a wheelchair blew my tiny mind. Making the machine work for you on a basketball court is staggering. And that’s exactly what athletes all over the country do; it’s inspiring to say the least. Good luck to all the athletes of this sport, and all the others, who are coming to northern BC to compete in the 2015 Canada Games.

N

court esy 2015 canada wi nt e r g a m e s/ d ust in ha ll

It’s i n credi bl e to w atch w h eel ch ai r ath l etes m an oeu v re th ei r r i g s o n t h e b a s ke t b a l l c o u r t . H e re , t h e m e d a l gam es for w h eel ch ai r bas k etbal l are p l a y e d a t C i t a d e l H i g h Sc h o o l , H a l i f a x , i n 2 0 1 1 .

28 || DEC / JAN ‘15 ‘15 | 28 DEC‘14 ‘14/JAN

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

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Mackenzie

HWY

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Mackenzie?

If you are looking for a good-paying job and would like to buy a reasonably-priced house, then Mackenzie is where you want to be.

Mackenzie is a welcoming community that has so much to offer.

CHECK US OUT!

Diane Smith Economic Development Officer, District of Mackenzie Ph 250.997.3221 | diane@district.mackenzie.bc.ca | www.district.mackenzie.bc.ca

For information on travel opportunities in Northern British Columbia visit w w w. no rthwo rd .ca northernbctourism.com

| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 29

dina ha ns o n

cohousing communities B i rc h w o o d Cohousing m e m b e r s t a ke part in a planning w o r ks h o p w i t h Pe t e r Tre u h e i t o f M o b i u s Arc h i t e c t u re .

I t ’s h o p e d t h a t construction on the p ro j e c t w i l l b e g i n next fall.

A green alternative to the northern housing crunch

by Nor ma Kerby nkerby@t elus.net

“We want to create a village, rather than just more housing.”

Daryl Hanson explains the ideas behind Birchwood Cohousing, a co-operative housing project located on a bench above the Village of Telkwa.

A group of enthusiastic individuals, couples and families have been working together to design northern BC’s first cohousing community. Daryl and his wife, Dina, are dedicated participants in the undertaking.

“With some key funding from the Kassandra Trust, our feasibility study phase is almost completed. The next step will be to submit a development application to the village. We are hoping to receive approval to start construction in the fall of 2015,” Daryl explains.

Cohousing is not a new concept. Modern cohousing arose in Denmark in the 1960s in 30 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

www.n o rthword.ca

response to families unhappy with the isolating structures of post-World War II communities. Driven by the desire for social interaction and wanting to live in an ecologically friendly and sustainable environment, they founded the village of Saettedammen. This collaborative community was built around basic principles: a compact cluster of housing that left large areas of common space for walking and community interaction; green spaces for growing food and environmental integrity; common facilities for social activities and shared endeavours; and a consensus method of decision making. With the success of Saettedammen, the bofaellesskab or living community movement spread throughout northern Europe and North America. Today, over 500 cohousing communities can be found in Europe, United States, Canada and Australia.

Between generations The Canadian Cohousing Network’s website provides an excellent source of information regarding cohousing projects. Eleven established cohousing communities are located in Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia.

Almost another 15 projects are in the planning or development phases. Some projects, such as Cranberry Commons Cohousing in Burnaby and Creekside Commons in Courtnay, are multigenerational facilities whereas others, such as Elderberry Cohousing in Chilliwack and Harbourside Cohousing in Sooke, focus on seniors’ housing.

According to Dina, who will be one of Birchwood’s residents, the Telkwa project will be a multi-generational facility, including young families with children, singles and couples still

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Residential • Recreational • Commercial • Land

Niomi Mio

Realtor

Calderwood Realty 1175 Main Street. Smithers, BC t/f 1.800.360.3268 cell (250) 877.9040 nmio@telus.net actively working, and retirees. A multi-generational village allows different age groups to be supportive of each other and to pass on knowledge between generations.

“A shared community is more natural with children present,” Dina explains. Her husband agrees.

“With my grandchildren so far away, I am looking forward to having children around,” Daryl says. “I am eager to do things, like go fishing, with these families.”

Unlike the communes of the 1960s and 1970s, cohousing is based on an aggregation of private homes that share common facilities and services.

Lots are privately owned in the Birchwood Cohousing village, but partners share responsibility for common grounds andvial complex should contain 18 homes in two clusters, with a 3,000-square-foot common house located ... continued on Page 32

IntegrIty

Professionalism

Q ua l i t y

fo r

Working

Community SuCCeSS.

L o c at e d i n S m i t h e r S & S e r v i n g t h e r e g i o n • 2 5 0 . 8 4 7 . 4 3 2 5 • w w w. e d m i S o n m e h r . c a

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between the clusters. With 18 homes, according to Dina, the group will be large enough to share in the functioning of the village, but small enough to develop communication and cooperation between participants.

Smaller. Local. Accessible.

Birchwood closely follows the primary goals associated with the concepts of cohousing and shared living. By building smaller houses and using common buildings for community activities, the carbon footprint is significantly reduced.

Wherever possible, local materials and building methods will be used for construction and maintenance. Common areas will be designed to meet all accessibility and mobility standards.

Houses will be wired for solar energy and may even generate enough power to feed back into the provincial power grid.

Sustainable food production is another important component of the Telkwa project.

Permaculture concepts will be used for landscaping and garden areas. According to Dina, “We are all passionate gardeners and the location is excellent for growing.”

This sentiment is voiced by participant Jeannie Boyce, a retired nurse. The chance to grow food and even become a centre for local agriculture is a major attraction for her and her husband’s participation in the project.

“I have lived in Smithers for 40 years,” she says, “and the thought of downsizing is a bit daunting.

But I need to realize that this is the time to make a move. I am quite excited about moving to Telkwa.

It is a beautiful location and has better air and gets more sunshine than Smithers.” The cooperative and sustainability concepts of the cohousing project match her goals for an environmentally meaningful and active lifestyle into her retirement years.

“Cohousing honours both privacy and the development of a sense of community,” says Mel Coulson, originator of the idea for a cohousing project in the Bulkley Valley. Worried about how modern society has become more insular and isolated in the last few decades, he feels that cohousing is one way to purposefully come together to create common goals and shared ideas about the Earth’s future.

On a practical basis, Mel says, cohousing is a meaningful way for people to help each other, reduce their cost of living, develop a community of caring neighbours, and reduce costs to the healthcare system. In May, Margaret Critchlow, founding director of the Canadian Senior Cohousing Society and a founding member of Harbourside seniors’ cohousing in Sooke, told a seniors’ housing conference at Simon Fraser University, “Do you know that social isolation is more likely to kill you than smoking?”

New this season from

Creekstone Press

Shafted: a Mystery

by Sheila Peters

Set in Smithers in the 90s, before cell phones and the internet, this charming who-done-it features a tangled web of festering grudges, phoney mineral claims, blackmail, and murder.

32 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

www.n o rthword.ca

Sustainable Village Cohousing has the potential to become an important option in northern BC in terms of addressing both the issue of affordable housing for young families and the need for suitable housing for seniors and individuals wishing to downsize. The concept of a supportive village atmosphere with environmentally sustainable and economically efficient living meets many goals of northerners faced with rising costs generated by transnational industrial development in this part of the province.

As Daryl explains, cohousing may be considered cutting edge by some, but its principles are based upon hundreds of years of sustainable village life before the industrial revolution turned society toward the perils of climate change and overexploitation of resources. He, and the others in the Birchwood cohousing group, are looking forward to their future in a purposefully designed community that is environmentally and humanity friendly.

The Birchwood Cohousing participants encourage families and individuals from throughout northern BC to consider joining their project or to contact them for further information if they are considering a cohousing project in their own area. For further information, contact info@ birchwoodcohousing.com or look for the BirchG! 2015.

INearly wood Cohousing web page SPRin

N EW T

H IS

N

Second Growth

by Fabienne Calvert Filteau “Calvert Filteau doesn’t flinch and she doesn’t pull her punches; in every word of every poem we know her gratitude for her place and her respect for a land that lies in wait to pounce.”

Gillian Wigmore

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Quality books of regional interest For more titles, visit

www.creekstonepress.com

and married his wife, Roxanne, at Kinuseo Falls on the Murray River in 2001.

“It’s fun taking people who are excited about seeing new things,” he says. “You get to see the look on other people’s faces when they see it for the first time.”

Roxanne Gulick, president of the Tumbler Ridge Chamber of Commerce, says education is the next step for local business owners.

“I think there will definitely be people who step up to the plate and take advantage of the tourism aspect,” she says. “There’s still lots of possibilities.

Tumbler Ridge has gone through this before and found ways to succeed.

“This can only be a good thing for us. One of two geoparks in North America—that can only be a jump in the right direction.”

A new visitor information centre opens this fall, where, it can be assumed, the new Global Geopark status will be heavily marketed. Additionally, the town has three wind tower projects on the horizon along with potential LNG development that could help to diversify its economy.

But if there’s one thing that can be said for certain about Tumbler Ridge, it’s that it doesn’t lack for interest. New geological discoveries are happening all the time, creating new opportunities as quickly as existing ones falter. It’s a community that has, thus far, successfully surfed the waves of economic boom-and-bust and stood strong in the winds of change.

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W h eth er i t’s m i n i n g, w ater fal l s or di n os au r s , Tu m bl er R i d g e ’s u n i q u e g e o l o g y f o r m s t h e fou n dati on for i ts econ om y an d tou r i s t attr acti on s .

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 33

column

Top Culture

The tricky business of protocol and permission

by Rob Budde rbudde@shaw.ca

Northern BC comprises a host of First Nations territories and, as a settler/guest, there are certain ways I have learned to recognize those territories, the traditional families and elders. This is a contentious issue because it involves recognition of First Nations rights and sovereignty on the land.

In this age of rushing to exploit natural resources, this becomes a loaded proposition.

My opinion comes from working with scholars and elders who are considering these issues in terms of culture and legality. It comes from listening to leaders like Freda Huson and Toghestiy of the Likhts’amisyu clan of the Wet’suwet’en and their guidelines for obtaining

consent to enter their territories.

It comes from living here for 14 years and wanting this to be a just and healthy region for future generations, my kids, to live in.

The first step, often the hardest, is informing oneself of the territory one is entering. I think it is important not to think about the process in terms of trespassing and private property, but as one of dialogue and co-operation. Of course, if your intent is to harm, destroy or plunder the land, this dialogue might be difficult. Most individuals aren’t going to do this.

Activities like fishing and hunting, if done responsibly, can be a co-operative effort.

Communication with indigenous communities can create a productive and healthy discussion about animal and fish populations.

My experience with this has to do with harvesting berries. The sharing of information with the Nazko and Lheidli T’enneh (Carrier) over what berries were fruiting and where to pick was a heartening exchange. Part of the process was to explain my intentions and ask permission to enter the territory for that purpose. Potentially, that permission might be denied, especially if populations are threatened, but this would be a good thing for a responsible harvester.

Permissions are also important, in a similar way, if one is engaging with traditional stories or images. This is especially true at an institution

At its core, protocol calls for recognition, by settlers and travellers, of where you are.

Ruth Murdoch MC, CCC, RCAT

certified counsellor registered art therapist

1012 Columbia St Smithers ph. 847-4989 www.ruthmurdochcounselling.com 34 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

www.n o rthword.ca

like the University of Northern BC, where there is a danger that people and stories are taken as objects of study without proper recognition of the rights involved.

Traditional oral stories, knowledge and images have, in the past, been stolen indiscriminately

by Western scholars and writers.

More and more, institutions are developing protocol agreements with First Nations in order that there be a co-operative model for the dissemination of that art and knowledge. Again, the protocol begins with an informed answer to questions like whose story this is, where it is from and whether it is suitable to share.

Other elements to the protocol include: 1) consent must be prior to entering a territory or using traditional knowledge; 2) a relationship of trust must be established between the traveller and the host, or scholar and storyteller; and 3) benefits (monetary or cultural) from the harvest or knowledge must be shared with the First Nations community.

The first gesture ideally would be one of respect: a gift or offering. But at its core, protocol calls for recognition, by settlers and travellers, of where you are, the long and rich history that already exists here and the rights of indigenous peoples to unpolluted culture, lands and waters.

N

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On the Fly

The Kitimat River: Fishing by taxicab

by B r i a n S mit h

Kitimat is named after its original First Nations inhabitants, the Gitamaat, which in Tsimshian means, “People of the falling snow.” The Kitimat River is about 80 kilometres—small by BC standards—draining a basin of 2,054 square km. Small rivers are good for anglers, however, because the swollen stream will often recede and become clear within a day after a heavy rainfall.

Travelling south from Terrace on Highway 37, you’ll meet the Kitimat River about 25 km north of Kitimat. From this point, the river generally follows the highway, runs through the city and eventually empties into Douglas Channel’s Kitimat Arm. Along Highway 37, you’ll pass many dirt roads to the right; all will take you directly to some of the popular fishing spots on the river or, if you aren’t driving a four-by-four (recommended in wet weather conditions), walking trails will get you there. If hiking the trails, wear a bear bell and make noise—this is grizzly territory.

Accommodations are excellent in Kitimat, although the area is currently experiencing a major industry boom and hotel rooms could be difficult to find. Riverside camping at Radley Park in the city is first class, but advanced reservations are recommended. Closer to Terrace, Lakelse Lake Provincial Park is a good option if you don’t mind

One of the best methods I have found when drift fishing the Kitimat alone is to put in upriver (and) call a cab when I hit city limits.

TELKWA BAECKEREI KAFFEEHAUS HWY 16 @ THE COINTÉ RIVER INN 250.846.5400 36 | DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 |

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c a l ta nt

fl yfishingnut 4 7@gm a i l . c om

Er i ch Fr an z s h o w s o ff a 3 7 .5 - i n c h b u c k s t e e l h e a d c a u g h t w i t h a s i ze 1 0 s i l v e r M u d d l e r f l y o n t h e K i t i m a t R i v e r.

driving 15 to 40 km to the river.

The Kitimat boasts excellent runs of salmonids: Chinook (spring) and chum salmon during summer months, pinks and cohos during late summer or early fall, a small winter run of wild steelhead and a good run of hatchery-raised steelhead. Cutthroat trout fishing is available yearround. The fishery is augmented by the Kitimat River Hatchery, operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and managed by my friend Markus Feldhoff, where they annually raise and release up to 4 million salmonids into the Kitimat River. Call in advance (250-639-9888) to book a tour through this fine facility.

All salmonid species will take flies. Depending on time of year and what species you are fishing

for, be prepared with fly patterns that are darkcoloured with hues of black, purple and blue for dark-sky days and designs that are brightcoloured with tones of red, pink, chartreuse, yellow and silver for those awesome sunny Northwest days. Cutthroat trout enjoy small minnow patterns such as size 12 Muddler Minnows.

The river has special restrictions for its fishery: hatchery steelhead daily quota is one fish and monthly quota is 10; there is a bait ban from May 15 to Aug. 31; powered boats are prohibited.

One of the best methods I have found when drift fishing the Kitimat alone is to put in upriver, call a cab when I hit city limits near Cable Car run, take out at Radley Park below the Haisla Bridge, and have the cabbie take me back to my vehicle.

N

m o rg a n hi t e

ATOP THE TELKWA ALPS

by Morga n H ite morganjh@bulkley.ne t • m ore m a ps a t bvt ra i l m a ps. c a

Atop Tyee Mountain there’s a lake, McDowell Lake, and all around it are groomed crosscountry ski trails.

I remember someone in the last 10 years proposing that the hills rising to the east of Tyhee Lake be re-named the “Telkwa Alps.” I don’t think it stuck, but as romantic ideas go it was exceptional. Instead, these high points up at the end of Hislop Road generally go by the name of Tyee Mountain (note Tyee, spelled without an H.) But I still like the idea of the Telkwa Alps.

Atop Tyee Mountain there’s a lake, McDowell Lake, and all around it are groomed cross-country ski trails. These trails continue out into the forest on all sides, and to the northeast they descend some 150 vertical metres off the highlands to a trailhead near Banner Mountain Lodge on Babine Lake Road.

As with many trails in the centre of the Bulkley Valley (Malkow Lookout is another important example that comes to mind), it is generous private landowners who provide parking space and allow the public to visit. In the case of Tyee Mountain, much of the trail network is on Crown land, but its heart is on land owned by Ian Bissonnette and Heather Sosnowski. They maintain the trails, post signboards with maps, do winter track setting and host the www.tyeemountaintrails.com website. Small parts of the network also cross land owned by three of their neighbours. Please bear the hospitality of these people in mind when you go up to ski or snowshoe.

Although most of the Crown land atop Tyee Mountain has been desig-

nated a provincial recreation site, access is still a work in progress. At present there are three options. There is a parking lot at the corner of Van Horn Road, just before the end of Hislop Road. This was built by one of the landowners, so please don’t leave trash, block the road or leave vehicles here overnight.

About 300 metres farther up Hislop there is a paybox ($4 per person, $1 per dog to help cover grooming costs) and the beginning of the Little Onion Trail. Portions of this trail may be a bit steep for beginners.

Option two is parking just off Babine Lake Road (turn off for Banner Mountain Lodge and then park at the first fork in the road) and ski in on the Trapline East or Trapline West trails.

Note that at times these routes are active traplines, traps are set, and you should use caution with dogs.

A third option is to give Heather and Ian a call (phone number on the website) and get invited up. In this case you can follow their (four-wheel-drive-only) driveway all the way to the lake.

Trails around McDowell Lake are groomed most often, as are other trails if they are used enough. In total, there are about 30 km of trails, with difficulty ranging from beginner to advanced. Snowshoers are welcome, although they should steer clear of the groomed trails. No snowmobiles, please.

In the summer, you can mountain bike these trails! The maintainers are looking for volunteers to help cut brush back, so if you’re keen, check out their website and give ’em a call!

N

Trail Map sponsored by Valhalla Smithers

www.valhallasmithers.com

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| DEC ‘14 / JAN ‘15 | 37

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Ba rom eter

Better luck next year

by C h a rlyn n To ews edit or ial@no rt hwo rd. c a

2014 had its challenges for me. People ignored my advice to say no to tilling, no to wheat and no to cement. Allow me to elaborate.

In early spring, I was introduced to lasagna gardening. Or, I should say, re-introduced, because I had heard of it and was sort of practising it for some years, but then attended a workshop at ’Ksan community garden led by an expert, Agatha Jedrzejczyk.

She told the assembled about Patricia Lanza (author of Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!), who noticed that newspapers left undisturbed on her lawn, and rained on while she was away, had killed the grass (and weeds) underneath and attracted a host of worms.

This was her ah ha! moment.

Don’t dig up hard-packed soil, screen out rocks, struggle with roots, no! Instead, start with newspaper or cardboard, water it, then add layers of greens (grass clippings), browns (leaves),

shredded paper or hay and compost if you have it.

Then what? You plant.

I was working this summer with some oldschool gardeners as they tilled, carried out buckets of rocks, then planted, then weeded, then mulched. Phew! That’s a lot more work. It turns out tilling disturbs the carbon-capture quality of soil, and so contributes to global warming. Not to mention the petroleum products those motorized tillers guzzle and spew.

“No tilling!” I would call out across the acreage.

“What?” they would say, unable to hear over the roar of their machines.

Later in summer I stumbled across a documentary called Cereal Killers. In it, Australian Donal O’Neill tries to avoid walking in the footsteps of his father, who died of heart disease, by eating a high-fat diet. He basically turns the food pyramid on its head, enjoying fat and oil (the good kinds), eating vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat and butter, and vastly limiting carbs, while also cutting out wheat. Today’s semi-dwarf wheat is read by our bodies as sugar, so a serving of “healthy” wholewheat bread has a glycemic index of 55 to 70 (a 50-gram serving of glucose, or sugar, is 100) and a full-sized Snickers bar is just 42.

Sugar (or wheat) makes your insulin jump, causes fat to be stored around your belly and gives you an intense craving for more carbs a few hours

after eating it. I cut out all wheat, most grains, most sugar and lost, as predicted, seven to 12 pounds a month, and dropped two sizes—so far.

“No wheat!” I would exclaim as well-meaning friends, co-workers and relatives offered me a cookie, a cracker, pumpkin pie, pecan tart, piece of toast. OK, I have seen fit, slim people eat bread— but I cannot do that.

In fall, I led a group of volunteers building a foundation for an outdoor bake oven. I chose a drystack method using rock and rubble, an ancient method used by Scottish stone wall builders for a bazillion years. I built a (still-standing) dry-stack stone wall in my yard 20 years ago, where helpful neighbours pointed out it would fall down in a year or two. I should have remembered that as each volunteer walked up to the structure and said, “Cement? Rebar? Concrete?”

“No cement!” I exclaimed. “You stack and turn until the rough edges stick! The weight of the rocks above holds it in place! Then gravity is working for us 24-7!” They nodded and laughed, piling them loosely, assuming cement would eventually be applied to hold it together.

I tell you, it is exhausting to exclaim so often and with such passion.

I don’t know what I will learn next year, but perhaps I’ll have better luck convincing people of the power of “no!”

N

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