By Sage Birchwater – The Southern Dãkelh Nation Alliance (SDNA) is poised to expand its capacity to manage its traditional lands and resources in co-operation with the federal and provincial governments. The Alliance, based in the Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council CCTC offices in Williams Lake, was formalized in April 2017 when Lhoosk’uz Dené Nation, Lhtako Dené Nation, Nazko First Nation, and Ulkatcho First Nation made the decision to band together to work as a Nation to advance their Aboriginal title and rights and to bring benefits to their communities. Historically, the Southern Dãkelh Nation occupied a wide swath of Central…
Author: thegreengazette
By Dr Katie DeGroot, ND – There is a lot of talk out there about gluten. Some people feel better when they don’t eat it or feel ill when they do. Other times people have been told by their doctor to go gluten-free to improve their health. But what is gluten, anyway, and how can something so little affect some people so seriously? Gluten is a protein found within the seeds of three grain species—wheat, barley, and rye. It is also found within any product made from these three ingredients. Gluten is not found within rice, corn, millet, amaranth, quinoa,…
By LeRae Haynes – Sometimes the best way for a puppy to get a great start in life is to be taken in by a loving foster family. It takes a unique volunteer to open their home and their heart to a batch of puppies who many not make it without them. Nancy Jalbert is that kind of volunteer. She and her children have provided a foster home, mostly for dogs, for the Williams Lake SPCA for six years. In a way, she got started fostering puppies because her children love them. “I told them that it would be nice…
By LeRae Haynes – Sharing a fun holiday season with your four-legged loved ones can be a true delight. It’s the season of giving, celebration with family and friends, great food, outdoor adventures, and social festivities. It can also be a time of potential mishaps for pets. According to Dr. Anna Ree, veterinarian at Animal Care Hospital in Williams Lake, taking extra care and precaution can help make the season fun, safe, and comfortable for all creatures in the household. Regardless of the soulful pleading expressions your dog may adopt to cajole some Christmas dinner delights out of you, sharing…
By Nicola Finch – Most of us are familiar with the role and function of a birth doula, but you may be hearing another term that is not so familiar. Death doulas are people who serve the dying and their families. It is a relatively new title, and some practitioners prefer to soften the description by calling themselves end of life doulas. In a few words, a death doula or end of life doula provides non-medical care and support to the dying person and the people who love them throughout the dying process and often beyond, guiding the family through…
By Terri Smith – As you may not know, new regulations regarding organic food came into effect at the beginning of September. It would seem a small thing to many because to most people it’s really not that interesting. The new regulations are a part of one large new document called “New Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.” It is a hefty tome. The rule that concerns small-scale farmers is that the word “organic” is no longer allowed to be used to describe their growing practices unless they are certified. The first I heard about the new rule was the first…
By Ryan Elizabeth Cope – “I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” ~ Robert Frost The results are in: our planet is in rough shape. No, we don’t necessarily need the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest dire report telling us this—we are witness to it with our own eyes every single day. It is apparent in trash cans stuffed with recyclables, oil-slicked waters, water bodies devoid of any life, and…
By Bill Irwin – This edition covers November, December, and January. That is a fair stretch. After a summer of well-placed, bright planets in the southern skies, this fall will be less spectacular. Mars will still be visible in the southwestern sky well into winter, fading and shrinking as it recedes from its close opposition back in July. Mid-November it’s apparent diameter will fall below 10 arc seconds, which is quite small. At high telescopic powers and on a steady night, it is still possible to make out the dark albedo features and polar caps, but it is now as…
This summer (2018), the Downtown Williams Lake Business Improvement Association (WLBIA) put a call out to First Nations youth to apprentice in learning about creating murals with Dwayne Davis Arts. Being of Secmepemc descent, I was chosen and given the honour to contribute my art to the community. I began praying for a vision that would feed people’s spirits and bring awareness to the importance of the salmon and our spiritual connection to the natural world. I felt very strongly that the image needed to embody the feminine aspects of our nature and honour the First People of this territory.…
By Terri Smith – Amadeus is doing quite well, thanks for asking! (I assume you’re curious or you wouldn’t be reading this.) I dread his passing for so many reasons, but one of them is that I’m going to have to answer so many, “How’s Amadeus?” questions in a way that will make people sad. Even writing about the fact that he won’t be around forever always seems to provoke a lot of sympathy and at least a few people who are pretty sure he’s already died even though he is still very much alive. So, before I write much…
By Terri Smith – I hope that wherever you are as you are reading this in the not-too-distant future, there are clear or rainy skies and that you can breathe easily. We are moving out of yet another difficult fire summer. It’s hard not to be affected. I think it is probably good to recognize that. Moments after sitting down to write this article, quite suddenly, the sky went dark at 2:30 in the afternoon in mid-August. All the solar lights around the garden came on, for it was as dark as night outside. I went out to check on…
By Jessica Kirby, Senior Editor – “Strong, connected, easy on the planet—these are the qualities of cob houses and of the astonishing group of women who construct them: the Mudgirls Natural Building Collective.” These words are straight out of a review of The Mudgirls Manifesto, a compelling and informative book released this year by the all-female work crew that has created beautiful, functional homes on BC’s west coast since 2007. Mudgirls Natural Building Collective constructs healthy, eco-friendly homes out of natural and recycled materials as an active act against the parts of conventional construction that cause pollution, wastefulness, massive biodiversity…
The Tŝilhqot’in community of Xeni Gwet’in is assembling for a peaceful gathering and harvesting camp at Teẑtan Biny (Fish Lake) and Yanah Biny (Little Fish Lake), a place of profound cultural and spiritual significance for the Tŝilhqot’in people. This peaceful gathering and camp has the full support of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation. For over a decade the Tŝilhqot’in have been fighting the development of an open-pit mine in this area, which is separate and distinct from the lands the Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged Tŝilhqot’in title to in 2014. It is located in the proposed Dasiqox Tribal Park area and proven…
By Vanessa Moberg (& Oliver Berger) – Ah, plagiarism. I love it. I’m kidding, of course. (I also love irony.) My colleague Oliver has been working on a fun new Waste Wise brochure for our organization, and as a result, he and his roommates have been playing around with “The Three Rs”. You might have heard a fourth or fifth R being bounced around, but we decided we want more! So, while this brochure is still in draft stages, I’ve decided to reproduce some of Oliver’s work. (He’s currently rafting the Fraser River with the Sustainable Living Leadership Program. I…
By Tera Grady – Throughout the Cariboo, there are various recycling services in place including curbside recycling and recycling depots. With China’s strict policy on recyclables, the war on contamination in recyclable material is very important for recycling in BC. So, how do contamination rates compare through the recycling services in the Cariboo Regional District (CRD)? In the City of Quesnel, the curbside recycling service is directly provided by Recycle BC, the organization responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling in BC. In Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, and the 108 Mile Ranch, the associated local governments are responsible for…
By LeRae Haynes – Education, awareness, respect, and acceptance are at the heart of the newly-formed Williams Lake Pride, a group formed in November 2017 to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. Group founder Willa Julius says part of the reason she created it is because when she was young there wasn’t anything like it here. “I thought I’d love to have this group here today as an option for those who could use this great support,” she states. The group started small and casual, and got good feedback from the beginning. A nursing student at Thompson…
By Dr Katie DeGroot, ND – At some point, you may have heard that fats are bad for you. But have you ever heard of omega 3 fatty acids, a kind of fat that is actually good for you? Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of fat that is critical to optimal health and well-being. Just like any other vitamin or mineral, omega 3 fatty acids are an essential part of a balanced diet, as our body can only obtain them from the foods we eat or the supplements we take. Within the broad category of omega 3 fatty…
By Stephanie J. Rousso – Sixteen years of education can get you a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field. Upon graduation, the two primary choice paths are joining the scientific workforce or continuing onto a master’s degree or PhD. Yet, all the $200 textbooks and the dreamiest of dream jobs offer little in terms of mindfulness and wellness. The increasing popularity of citizen science has engaged more people in an active role in conservation biology, thus carrying mindfulness and wellness into the forefront of science. But what exactly is a citizen scientist? National Geographic describes citizen science as…
Natalie A. Swift – Amidst the thick smoke we experienced this summer, I heard a common sentiment being expressed by residents of this region: we need to do things differently. This desire for change is an expression of a hunger for innovation, for new ideas and approaches to address the social, economic, and environmental issues we face. The pursuit of research is one means of generating these ideas. To support research relevant to forest-dependent communities, various institutions have established research forests. This includes, among others, two national research forests maintained by Natural Resources Canada (the Acadia and Petawawa Research Forests)…