The Jasper Local May 15, 2016

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Sunday, May 15, 2016 // ISSUE 73

THE MOTHER’S SHIP // EDSON’S PATTY AND LUKE LABRECQUE, ALONG WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN, CELEBRATED MOTHER’S DAY BY PARTICIPATING IN TOTEM SKI SHOP’S ANNUAL SPRING RUN OFF ON MAY 8. // BOB COVEY

Work on green space given green light Restoration work on the land where the former high school sat will begin soon.

On May 11, the Municipality of Jasper and Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) announced that Jasper Concrete was the successful bidder on the work tender. The design includes a multi-purpose sports pitch as well as basic amenities to support a variety of community events and gatherings.

“The new green space will accommodate community needs now and in the future, providing recreation and leisure opportunities in the heart of town,” Mayor Richard Ireland said.

Following a 2011 community vote on a possible land swap, the Municipality of Jasper and GYPSD exchanged parcel R11, the Bowling Green, to facilitate the

construction of the new Jasper High School. Conditions of the exchange required the old high school site be restored as Recreational Open Space.

With Centennial Field scheduled to be resurfaced next summer, MOJ wants to have a temporary sports pitch to provide an alternative for soccer games. The new site will meet that interim need, said Communications Manager Christine Nadon.

It will also be more suitable for events which require vehicle access, such as the Jasper Folk Music Festival and the Dark Skies Festival. When Centennial Field is resurfaced in 2017, it will strictly be for sports.

As stipulated in the land exchange agreement, the project will be funded by GYPDS. Work is expected to be completed by October. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 73 // Sunday, May 15, 2016

editorial //

Local Vocal The other night, our cat got out of the house. As our neighbours know, this isn’t typically cause for too much worry on our part (sorry Mrs. Dirks).

A few hours later, we heard the tell-tale yowls of a feline fight—or so we thought. When Indy didn’t return for several more hours after that, Nicole’s casual concern took on a slightly more severe characteristic. She wasn’t exactly hysterical, but neither was she able to put our kitty’s potential grisly fate out of her mind. Our backyard is, after all, directly connected to the untamed habitat of several species of growly, toothy wilderness dwellers. And I’m not talking about my friends in the trailer park.

When the cat came back (I thought he was a goner), relief flooded our townhouse like so many lifties at the church sale. I thought it’d be a good idea to remind Nicole that the possibility of Indy making it onto some other four-legged creature’s dinner menu was not as remote as we might like to tell ourselves.

Turns out, that reminder was not a good idea. That conversation will have to wait. At least until this paper comes out, I’m thinking.

Although the metaphor is far from perfect, I think Nicole’s reluctance to consider the worst-case scenario when it comes to our cat-child isn’t that much different from Albertans’ general disinclination to properly prepare for a natural disaster. As we’ve seen from the events in Fort McMurray, if the right conditions line up, we are extremely vulnerable. Yet many of us, including myself, can’t claim to have done any emergency preparation whatsoever.

Jasper is in just as precarious of a position as any other community wedged between thousands of hectares of boreal forest. The difference is, our visitors and the general make-up of our community make an evacuation scenario a logistical nightmare.

Think about the headaches involved with the exodus of 15,000 guests. Never mind language barriers, who’s counting heads? Does your mom keep track of your itinerary when you travel abroad? (Don’t answer that, Dylan Payant).

It’s not morose or cynical to start thinking that a wildfire will one day force the evacuation of our community. Why don’t I feel like Chicken Little when I suggest this? Because Jasper’s fire chief and Parks Canada’s fire specialist told me as much. Oh, and because of July 9, 2015. You know, when that massive mushroom cloud of woodsmoke was floating above our town? Thank goodness for west winds.

We can’t think “it’ll never happen here.” Instead we should be thinking “it’s going to happen, and when it does I’ll be ready.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go fill the gas tank and pack an emergency kit. And if Indy doesn’t get eaten tonight, I’ll get my hands on one of those cat-carriers, too. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

The courage to forgive ourselves

Vandalism, destruction, fear and young innocence - these were the issues that arose just a few weeks ago at the library, where two young and naïve boys blemished their whole reputations in a single act of immaturity.

There is a scroll in the washroom at my friend’s house that reads: It’s often the small acts in our lives that make the biggest difference.

Every time I read this phrase a smile comes to my face. I am reminded of the times I have assisted others in their hour of need, I am reminded of the deeds that have comprised my life and the moments that have steered my destiny to where I am now.

Many of these moments are not so virtuous and noble, many of these moments have brought me shame, but through their shame they have taught me how to become a better person so that my future deeds would be done with more humility through the strength of my learning and maturity.

We all do stupid things when we’re young and we all have the stories to share with our friends around the camp fire when we laugh at the ignorance in which we existed years ago. But through these acts we find the courage to forgive ourselves, and others, so that we may mature and grow.

—Nathen Priest, Jasper

The Jasper Local //

Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher

Bob Covey.................................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com Art Director

Nicole Gaboury.................................................................. nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales

Rachel Bailey........................................................................rachel@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

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Local emergency planning //

Sunday, May 15, 2016 // issue 73 // the jasper local// page A3

ROUND TABLE// ACTORS FROM JASPER AGENCIES TOOK PART IN AN EMERGENCY MOCKSCENARIO MAY 10.

Emergencies: the onus is on you “The reality in Jasper is that we are in the middle of an extremely dense, fuel-loaded forest.

“Given the right conditions we could have an

extreme event, with extreme consequences.

I can’t gloss that over and tell people that everything’s nice and rosy. The reality is, if certain conditions line up, we could be in a very precarious position.”

Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem isn’t trying to scare anyone. But with the recent wildfire in Fort McMurray, he’s been approached by countless Jasper residents who all want to know the same thing: is the community prepared for a similar disaster?

His answer: Yes. Are you?

“Individuals have a responsibility to be prepared for an emergency,” Van Tighem said. “You can’t expect when a fire is ripping down the valley that Parks Canada or the municipality is going to do things for you.”

That’s not to say the local government and federal agency don’t have a plan in place— they do, and they practice it regularly, he said. However, the onus is on individuals to ensure they’ve got an emergency kit, a full tank of gas and can account for their loved ones. Residents should also be aware that if the point comes where an order is given to evacuate, they are obliged to obey.

“If there is a full-on evacuation there would be pandemonium,” Van Tighem said. “We need locals to be prepared so they’re not part of the problem.”

Jasper is unique. Unlike most other communities in the boreal forest, at any given time in the height of fire season we have 15,000 visitors touring around.

Compounding the confusion is how spread out Jasper’s accommodation units are.

With thousands of campground sites, both

in the front and backcountry, as well as hundreds of beds in outlying commercial accommodations, communicating alerts to would-be-evacuees, not to mention assembling them, would be extremely challenging, Van Tighem said.

Having said that, last July’s Excelsior Fire demonstrated how smooth a major backcountry evacuation can go.

“Parks proved last year they’re extremely efficient in backcountry evacuation,” Van Tighem said. “What they did in the Maligne Valley was phenomenal.”

Still, Jasperites have a responsibility for not only themselves but for their guests. For accommodation owners in particular, there exists an added burden to plan for their clients’ needs.

“Especially if you have guests from overseas, that’s got to be worked into your operational planning,” he said.

On May 10, approximately 40 representatives from different agencies in Jasper gathered at the fire training centre to take part in a mockemergency scenario. Following nationallyrecognized Incident Command System protocols, they acted out their roles under the different functions they have been assigned.

Some are on the operational team, others are planners, finance managers, administrators or logistical team members. Van Tighem said every time they practice, the team is that much more confident. But they can always be better prepared.

“One of the real pluses we have in Jasper is that we have really good working relationships with mutual agencies.

Everybody in Jasper works together and communicates well. I think in a major emergency or disaster that will be our saving grace.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 73 // Sunday, may 15, 2016

Local trails //

Tread on me: Trail improvements on horizon Parks Canada’s Easy Trails are getting a makeover.

Simultaneously, off-the-beaten path, little-loved loops will soon be less beaten up and more loved.

The objects of Parks Canada’s Easy Trails affection include the paved loop around Lake Annette and Trail 7 from Old Fort Point to Sixth Bridge (at Maligne Canyon). Crews are priming the Lake Annette Loop for re-paving in the fall, said Trail Projects Coordinator, Marci Dewandel. Dewandel pointed out that Parks Canada wants to honour the original intent of the path when it was created in 1970. She also doesn’t want to see old trees die.

“That trail is almost 50 years old,” said Dewandel. “If we ended up tearing out the pavement and putting in a gravel mix, especially along some of the sections where there’s Douglas fir, we’d kill those trees.”

Trail 7’s washed out, muddy sections along the Athabasca River will be fixed. Likewise, sections of double-track, created decades ago by trucks accessing utility lines, will be delineated to make one, 1.5 metre-wide trail.

The work is part of a five year, $3 billion investment in Jasper National Park infrastructure by the federal government. The trail funding is but one envelope of the total windfall, which will be used to improve visitor centres, campgrounds, highways and bridges across the country.

Also on the list for 2016 in Jasper is rehabilitation to the 20 Mile Loop, including improvements to Minnow Lake campground. The rotted-out boardwalks at the back of the loop which have threatened to twist ankles and pop tires for years, will be removed, Dewandel said; same goes for a sketchy bridge on the Overlander Trail.

“There’s a whole mosaic of trails that will be cleaned up on the Overlander’s east access,” she added.

The Tonquin Valley will get some attention on the Mount Edith Cavell side of the loop; from the trailhead to the Mount Oldhorn rockslide, crews will bring the path up to an acceptable standard and determine if a reroute is required. High above treeline, the Whistlers’ Mountain Summit Trail, a pet project of the Friends of Jasper National Park, will receive new directional signage to keep wandering off-trail to a minimum.

The Valley of the Five Lakes Trail, easily one of Jasper’s most popular hiking and biking destinations, won’t be ignored, either. Although that project won’t begin until later in the summer, Dewandel said the primary objectives of this trail project are to make improvements to user conflict areas and improve long term trail sustainability. Work will focus on Trails 9, 9a and 9b; these trails will remain open during this work.

BURN THAT BRIDGE! // GREG SHORE’S IMPRESSED-O-METER WAS BOTTOMING OUT ON THIS STRETCH OF THE 20-MILE LOOP. THE ROTTEN BOARDWALKS ARE DUE TO BE REMOVED. //BOB COVEY

Parks Canada has three trail crews on this year. Two have been paid for by the federal infrastructure initiative money while one is Jasper’s standard, A-based crew, Dewandel said. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

ACCORDING TO PARKS CANADA, REMOVING TREES AND BRUSH THAT ARE ENCROACHING ON THE ROAD WILL RESULT IN BETTER SIGHTLINES FOR BOTH WILDLIFE AND MOTORISTS. THE WORK WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR IMPROVED DRAINAGE OF PRECIPITATION OFF THE HIGHWAY WHILE PROTECTING THE PARKWAY FROM ROOT DAMAGE. SIGHTLINE CLEARING IS PART OF FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES WORK ON BRIDGES, CAMPGROUNDS, HIGHWAYS AND VISITOR CENTRES ACROSS CANADA.// BOB COVEY

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sunday, may 15, 2016 // issue 73 // the jasper local// page B4

First time author's book a long time coming To help catalogue the stories that would become the foundation of her book about her father, Susi Pfisterer would load up the car, plunk her twin daughters in the back seat and collect her dad, Canadian mountain rescue pioneer Willi Pfisterer, from the local seniors’ manor.

She’d stick a tape recorder on the dash and point the vehicle towards Highway 93 South. Then they’d start to talk.

The exercise had multiple benefits: not only did the soaring summits and cavernous valleys seen along the Icefields Parkway spark her father’s memories of mountain rescues and epic adventures, but the white noise of the road and the rumble of the car’s tires lulled her girls to sleep. Then, at the end of their journey, they’d get to visit Susi’s sister, Eva, who lived in Golden, B.C. “At that point he had chronic pain. Those trips made him feel better,” Pfisterer said about her dad. “But it was hard to keep track…he’d flip all over the place.”

Who could blame him? Willi Pfisterer, who scaled more than 1,600 peaks and took part in more than 700 rescues in his adopted Rocky Mountain home, had a lot of stories. Some are famous within mountain culture circles—like the time he told Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on Mount Colin that if their climbing rope breaks “not to worry, I’ve got another one at home.” But others are less wellknown, such as when Pfisterer brought that same famous client to the Athabasca Hotel for beers.

Now, to the delight of the Rockies community, Pfisterer’s tales have been brought to life. Thanks to his daughter’s new book, 50 Percent of Mountaineering is Uphill, the mountain exploits, operations and innovations for which Pfisterer was so well regarded have been chronicled in print. Local lore no longer, the modern reader gets a sense of what made one of the giants PFISTERER ON MT. LOGAN // of mountain culture tick.

HANS GMOSER

“He just never stopped,” Susi said. “He’d come home from a four week expedition and the next day we’d be out to a warden cabin or doing some other activity.”

Told in the first-person narrative from Willi’s point of view, the book is an engaging and educational adventure story featuring hundreds of archival photographs of the natural athlete and leader who came to Canada in 1955. The simple, humorous prose recounts stories equally exciting, triumphant and, at times, sad.

Pfisterer, who passed in 2010, wasn’t always comfortable with the notion of his story being made public. Over the course of his career he eschewed plenty of plaudits and took pains to avoid the limelight. “There are no heroes in mountain rescue work,” he was known to say. “Just teammates.” Indeed, even when he scaled a peak, rather than waxing on about his climb in the summit registry, the modest Pfisterer was known to scrawl a simple “Willi,” along with the date of his ascent.

Despite his humility, his daughter knew the value of the Austrian-born warden’s

WASHBOARD WIZARD// MARK GERVAIS OF ATHABASCA BARN BURNER HELPED SCRUB THE CROWD CLEAN DURING THE THREE RANGES BREWING LAUNCH PARTY AT THE JASPER LEGION MAY 5. THREE RANGES RECENTLY BROKE INTO THE ALBERTA BEER MARKET, MARKING A SIGNICIFANT MILESTONE FOR THE VALEMOUNT-BASED MICROBREWERY. // BOB COVEY

SUSI PFISTERER’S BOOK, 50 PERCENT OF MOUNTAINEERING IS UPHILL, TELLS THE LIFE STORY OF HER FATHER, CANADIAN MOUNTAINEER RESCUE PIONEER WILLI PFISTERER. // BOB COVEY

stories. Others did too, of course, and over the years plenty of authors had offered to write his memoirs; he always declined. Finally, Susi was able to convince her father that they should do the project for posterity.

“I said ‘dad, we’ve got to do this for your grandkids,’” she said.

It wasn’t an easy process. Although she relied on their recorded talks for much of the book’s content, Susi used her dad’s lectures, slideshows and discussions with other historians to fill in the missing pieces.

She also relied on her own instincts, much like her dad had done in the mountains, to find the proper cadence of the book. Whereas Willi has stories of a sixth sense guiding him—off a slope just before a deadly avalanche swept the hillside away, for example—Susi had to go with her own gut as she shaped the prose using her father’s wise, witty voice. Besides his achievements in the rescue business and his reputation for not suffering fools gladly, His unique sense of humour remains as one of his most fondly-remembered hallmarks among former colleagues.

“He used his humour to motivate people, to get them out of their funk, to get them out of tense situations,” Susi said.

On Saturday, May 14, Susi introduced 50 Percent of Mountaineering is Uphill to the community at a launch hosted by the Jasper Museum and Archives. She wasn’t looking forward to getting up in front of a crowd, she said.

Surely, however, if her dad’s philosophy of mountaineering applies to authoring a successful book, by now she’s on the downhill 50 percent.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B3 // the jasper local // issue 73 // sunday, may 15, 2016

LOCAL FEATURE // STORY BY BOB COVEY

IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT

While some Jasperites fled the Fort McMurray with their families, others went north to help

On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 3, Alex Derksen and his wife Emily were sitting on their deck in the suburb of Timberlea, in the north end of Fort McMurray. They knew a forest fire was burning close to town but because they hadn’t seen any special alerts on the news or on social media, they didn’t feel the fire was threatening.

“That morning I went to the gym and bought groceries,” Derksen said.

“We honestly thought there was no reason to worry.”

supplies to Fort McMurray, he jumped members of the group in Fort Saskatc Cameron joined a convoy of vehicles c of fuel. The group drove through the n ushered through the RCMP road block had to wait for the fire to burn out afte

“Here we are hauling these huge bom said. “It was pretty gnarly.”

Then, at 2 p.m., they noticed ash starting to rain down on their home. Just to be on the safe side, they agreed Alex should go get the kids from school.

“Driving down to get the kids I could see there was a little bit of panic on the streets,” he said. “The first gas station I passed had 40 cars lined up.”

When he pulled up to the school, a seven minute drive from his home, Derksen saw other parents were agitated.

“Parents were sprinting in the front doors. When I got to the kids’ class, half the class had been picked up.”

As he drove back to his home with his children, Derksen spotted another 20 cars jostling in line at the gas pumps. He was thankful that he had filled up his own tank the night before.

AN INVERSTION ON TUESDAY PUSHED SMOK RESISENTS FALSE HOPE. BY THE AFTERNOO

“I gassed up the night before, just in case,” he said.

Sensing the heightening state of alarm in their neighbourhood, the Derksens decided to move out. They could spend the night at his brother’s house, in Sherwood Park, they figured, and by hitting the road sooner than later they could get ahead of the crowds.

Still, they had no idea of the seriousness of the wildfire. A temperature inversion had pushed the smoke close to the ground that morning, giving Timberlea residents, including the Derksens, a false sense of security. As they exited their community and made their way onto the road leading south out of the city, the severity of the situation quickly became apparent.

“Parents were sprin doors. When I got to t the class had bee

“There were flames on the side of the road,” Derksen said. “It was like a scene from Armageddon.”

As they continued down the highway, they began to get a picture of the critical situation. The suburb of Beacon Hill was on fire; they were driving through a hallway of flames; and the road was in gridlock.

“There was nowhere to go,” Derksen said. “We were stuck.”

Exiting the city by the south highway normally takes 20 minutes; however, the huge traffic snarl on May 3 made the drive an excruciating, terrifying two hours. Derksen alerted his staff at the Wood Buffalo Brewpub—who were preparing food for firefighters and other first responders—and told them that they too, should evacuate.

“It went from zero to 100 in five minutes,” he said. “The fire was coming over every hill.”

As they crawled along on the road, they spotted stranded vehicles.

“At first we were wondering what they were doing pulled over,” he said.

“Then we realized that they ran out of gas.”

Fuel was indeed a precious commodity during the emergency, and not just for evacuees. More than 1,100 first responders were in need of gasoline and diesel as they beat back the flames and created fire guards to protect as much of the city as they could. Unfortunately, the city’s fuel stations were tapped out.

Responding to that need was an unlikely group of heroes. A group of Ford truck enthusiasts who share information and promote communitybuilding through a Facebook group called Western Canadian Powerstrokes (WCP) were monitoring the situation in Fort McMurray and decided they could help. When Jasper’s Dave Cameron, a member of the group, saw that WCP was getting organized to bring fuel and other

//THE FRIGHTENING SCENE CAPTURED BY BEFORE FLEEING FORT MCMURRAY// MELI

Mac’s massive recreational and comm was seized upon by grateful initial att trucks, bull dozers, police cruisers and

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sunday, may 15, 2016 // issue 73 // the jasper local// page B4

F

y wildfire

d in his truck to assist. Meeting chewan on the night of May 3, carrying more than 10,000 litres night to Fort McMurray and were ks. At at one point, however, they er it leapt over the road.

mbs and we’re driving into hell,” he

was resupplied.

“They were happy to see us,” Cameron said.

At 10 a.m. on May 4, after everyone had gassed up, WCP started helping in a different way. They had already helped shuttle food, water and baby supplies to emergency shelters outside of the city. Now, via Facebook, they asked if any Fort McMurray evacuees needed their pets rescued. The calls flooded in.

“We had 300 inquires within half and hour,” Cameron said.

Although they had little time before RCMP shut down access to the communities in which evacuees’ pets were located, Cameron and other WCP members were able to rescue several dogs and cats. In instances where houses were locked, homeowners asked the volunteers to break down their doors.

“At one house there was a chocolate lab inside. I’ve never seen a dog so happy,” Cameron laughed.

WCP members weren’t done yet. As they left the city, they stopped at every stranded car that still had a driver inside.

“Everybody was just pumped,” Cameron said. “Whenever there was a vehicle we’d stop and ask ‘do you need gas?’”

KE TO THE GROUND AND GAVE ON IT WAS BACK. // MELISSA COLOMBE

nting in the front the kids’ class, half en picked up.”

Tanya Broadfoot, another Jasper resident who wanted to pitch in, said her experience volunteering in Fort McMurray was eye-opening. On her 40th birthday, Broadfoot and her best friend, who has been working out of Fort McMurray for nine years, decided the best gift would be to help others.

They hitched up a U-Haul trailer, wrote Fort Mac or Bust on their truck and started collecting clothes, diapers, toiletries, bedding and more. Loading up donations from Edmonton, they brought supplies to evacuation centres in Boyle, Wandering River, Lac La Biche, Conklin and Marianna Lake.

“It was an amazingly humbling experience,” Broadfoot said.

Lindsey Connolly was also humbled by the outpouring of support she saw for Fort McMurray. The city of 90,000 residents has changed a lot since she grew up there, she said, but what hasn’t changed, despite the population boom, is the Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com strong sense of community. In fact, as far as she can tell, the fire has only increased civic pride.

JASPER’S DAVE CAMERON WENT NORTH TO HELP HAUL FUEL//BC

When they were finally able to get through safely, the group was sent to the emergency response Y EVACUEES MOMENTS base at ISSA COLOMBE MacDonald Island, Fort munity complex. There, their cargo tack members. Fire engines, support d any other vehicle that needed fuel

“There’s history, there’s family and a super strong community,” she said. “The fire is really sad to see—some of my friends and cousins lost their homes—but people are coming together. It’s been unbelievable.”

People are coming together in Jasper, too. While the Derksens wait to find out the status of their Fort McMurray neighbourhood, they are joining in on the fundraising for the Red Cross’ Fort McMurray relief fund. On May 7, the Derksens helped their son Dustin organize a lemonade stand which brought in more than $5,300.

Karouzos Steakhouse raised more than $1,000. Patricia Lake Bungalows, Alpine Village, the Downstream, Caribou Cabs, Jasper Pizza Place, the Jasper Brewpub, Jasper Park Liquor, Blue Sky Yoga and many others have pledged their support. On May 19, Maligne Canyon Restaurant will host a fundraiser dinner where Jasper Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem will speak about emergency preparedness.

It’s certainly the topic of the hour. Because as the Derksens and 85,000 other evacuees learned, disasters such as wildfires don’t give you much warning.

“It caught us all off guard,” Alex said. “A lot of people could have died.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B3 // the jasper local // issue 73 // sunday, may 15, 2016

ONCE AGAIN JASPERITES GOT THEIR SPARKLE ON FOR THE J-9 SPARKLE RUN ON APRIL 30. THE EVENT RAISES AWARENESS FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND DEPRESSION AND COMMEMORATES JEANINE D’ANTONIO, WHOSE PASSING LEFT A HUGE HOLE IN THE COMMUNITY’S COLLECTIVE HEART. // KATIE CROSGREY

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sunday, may 15, 2016 // issue 73 // the jasper local// page B6

Local food //

Behind the market: BC gardener's passion seeded early On the way towards his garden, Pete Amyoony walks past a sign that proudly reads ‘I garden on every day that ends in y’.

gardening question and he gives a generous answer.

of Amyoony’s agricultural sales, something he is known for in the region.

Amyoony is also a big advocate of what he calls ‘closing the circle’. This is his phrase for complete self-sufficiency in food production of a crop At age 75, this statement continues to encapsulate where no seed needs to be purchased from a Amyoony’s approach to life on the 10 acres of land supplier. In practice, this means if you grow a that he tends to, just off Highway 16 vegetable such as kale, you would select a few in Dunster, BC. Amyoony is one of outstanding kale plants, let them go to seed, the regional food producers whose and then carefully collect the seed for the produce has supplied the Robson following growing season. Amyoony explains Valley Growers stand at the Jasper that saving seed has many benefits, most Farmers’ Market in past years. notably that the seed no longer costs anything and the resulting plants are better conditioned Ten years ago in 1996, Amyoony to your regional climate. Over the past few acquired his land fortuitously from decades, Amyoony’s seed saving habits has a couple who were moving away made him an exceptional keeper of seeds, and had purposefully selected him especially of tomatoes. Over 180 varieties to be the next owner. Amyoony had of tomatoes been living in Dunster since 1987 are kept by when he retired at the ripe age of 35 Amyoony, “...the only way to from teaching in Prince George in with about truly know when order to dedicate himself to one of 60 different his true loves in life—growing food. to begin planting ones grown in Amyoony’s passion for gardening was DUNSTER FARMER PETE AMYOONY IN HIS HAPPY PLACE, HIS GREENHOUSE// FERN YIP rotation every was to go outside seeded in his childhood while helping three years. on a full moon his father out in the family garden A dozen or on the east coast in Nova Scotia. at midnight, pull so years ago, He remembers eating delicious Amyoony down your pants, grape tendrils right off the vine and also kept and plant yourself subsequently getting scolded for 80 varieties putting the grape plant at risk of right on the soil.” of potatoes. falling off the trellis. Today, dotting Unfortunately, his own property is a collection of one autumn, small buildings that facilitate the an early frost production of food. A colourful magic destroyed the entire crop and the whole seed school bus houses farm hands who bank was lost. volunteer their time in exchange for The next question I ask Amyoony is one that knowledge, experience and board; a many Jasper gardeners have probably been communal root cellar stores potatoes, wondering about over the last few weeks with carrots and beets for a handful such an unusually warm and early Spring: of local families; and a well-loved “How do you know when the right time to greenhouse stands as the centerpiece plant is?” Amyoony shared the sage advice AMYOONY HAS A LOVE FOR SHARING HIS RESERVOIR OR GROWING KNOWLEDGE//FY of the whole operation. he once learned from a well-respected farmer Inside the warm climate of the in Dunster, Mike “Small” Fry, who has since greenhouse, plants expedited in growth cover increases leaf growth, phosphorous from bonemeal passed. “Mike told me the only way to truly know every surface. It is here where Amyoony becomes a or rock phosphate is food for stems and roots, and when to begin planting was to go outside on a full natural public educator, freely sharing the detailed potassium from wood ash makes big strong roots.” moon at midnight, pull down your pants, and plant gardening knowledge from experimentation and Amyoony mentions that the presence of these yourself right on the soil. If it was too cold to sit, experience that he has accumulated over the three plant foods—nitrogen, phosphorous, and then it was too early to plant. What he really was years. Approaching two tables of bedding plants, potassium—are indicated as ratios (ex. 10-10-10, stressing, was the importance of feeling the soil out Amyoony drops tips and hints for gardening that 20-30-10) in that exact order on every bag of soil for oneself.” For all those Jasper gardeners getting would help anyone become a green thumb: how sold at stores. The success of Amyoony’s potting ready for the growing season, whether its your first to make sure your potatoes don’t scab, ways to soil mixture is apparent on two long tables of time or your 30th, happy planting! mitigate trauma to transplanted plants, techniques diverse and healthy bedding plants. These days, for hand-pollinating squash plants. Ask him any fern yip // info@thejasperlocal.com the sale of bedding plants are the bread and butter I ask him about soil and he promptly motions towards his potting soil station to explain the purpose of each component added to amend a soil mixture: “Nitrogen from manure and compost

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