By Erin Hitchcock — It feels like one is stepping back in time to a simpler, gentler era when entering the Chickadee Early Childhood and Learning Centre. There are no computers, no modern-day technological devices. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to find anything plastic. Instead, wooden furniture and toys made from natural fibres such as wood, wool, and stones neatly embrace the space. A play wooden kitchen stands behind a canopy of cascading silk. Nestled inside wicker baskets are handmade dolls, feathers, and knitted finger puppets. The warm learning environment provides a nature-rich, creative space that nurtures and protects, while encouraging…
Author: thegreengazette
By Erin Hitchcock — Though hundreds of thousands of Sockeye salmon are anticipated to reach the spawning grounds in the Quesnel rivershed this fall, the future of this mighty fish is on the minds of many. Fish farms, sea lice, over fishing, habitat destruction, climate change, and ocean acidification are some of the concerns expressed among conservation groups that are working to ensure their long-term survival. But there is also a lesser-discussed issue—genetically modified (GM) salmon that could pose an additional threat in the future. AquaBounty has created GM Atlantic salmon eggs capable of producing salmon that can grow at twice…
By Erin Hitchcock – “I found one!” calls out one enthusiastic boy to another after discovering a large beetle crawling past a rock. “I never knew they were so hairy,” remarks a girl peering at a caterpillar through the lens of a magnifying glass. These are common responses from children enrolled in Scout Island’s programs in Williams Lake. Children and adults learn about the tiny lives of salamanders and worms and about the larger lives of foxes and bears. They learn about native plants, trees, lakes, and marshes and the important role they play in all life. They also learn…
By Terri Smith — Every time I go to market at least five people ask, “Where’s Amadeus?” It makes me laugh. This silly little goat has no idea what an icon he’s become. He loves his public appearances because he gets lots of petting and even more sunflower seeds. He also really does enjoy riding in the truck. But he also loves his goat life. He is still a bit of a pariah among his own kind. While the rest of the herd do tolerate his presence, he is still not, nor will he ever be, one of them.…
By Terri Smith — It was raining and 8:30 before I remembered that I hadn’t yet tucked in the garden for the night. I tried to get Curtis to come with me, but he had already showered. I looked at Amelie, happily dressed in pajamas and checking her email and then at Johanne reading contentedly in one of the lovely dresses she always wears and asked, “Amelie? Do you want to come close greenhouses with me?” She looked sheepishly at me, “No-oo…” I laughed, as Curtis said, “Ask Johanne. It’s her last night to close them.” I looked back to…
By LeRae Haynes — Being able to live comfortably and safely in their own home as long as possible is an enormous benefit for seniors, according to Better at Home co-ordinator Carrie Sundahl. She says the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of seniors can be greatly enhanced with a mix of practical in-home services and positive relationships with caring volunteers. Better at Home, funded by the BC government, managed by United Way of the Lower Mainland, and overseen by the Williams Lake Seniors Activity Centre board of directors, provides services for seniors living in Williams Lake, living alone or…
By LeRae Haynes — Strategically located to provide immediate and ongoing data on the Mt. Polley Mine breach, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Quesnel River Research Centre has been a source of important information on the breach for the past year. Research scientists at the facility include centre manager Sam Albers, who says the upcoming annual open house on October 3 is a great opportunity for people to ask questions and have discussions about what the centre has done this past year and what is coming up in the near future. Albers explains he works closely with…
By LeRae Haynes — The City of Williams Lake has been chosen to host an upcoming BC Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium October 2 – 4, thanks to the vision and hard work of people like Thomas Schoen and Mark Savard from the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium. The symposium, a gathering of creative minds from across the province with a vested interest in advancing the future of mountain bike tourism in BC, will include topics like land use agreements with perspectives from land managers and tenure holders, regional collaboration that includes Ministries, Regional Districts, local businesses, and government, as well…
By LeRae Haynes – Lisa Buhler and Jennifer Earnshaw at Alternative Kids Clothing and Accessories have six children between them, and know what it’s like to try to find kids’ clothes that are unique and practical, responsible and affordable. Buhler says they started Alternative Kids Clothing and Accessories last fall because they heard so many people say there are so few options for kids’ clothing in Williams Lake. “This store is a reflection of my own kids’ closets,” she says. “Some of their clothes are passed on from someone else and there are a few selected new items. It’s what…
By Lisa Bland — Anyone who has spent time on or near the ocean knows its power and beauty, and has probably been touched by its mystery. Seeing first hand a whale breaching from the depths, schools of dolphins and swirling silver fish, or discovering tide pools filled with urchins, anemones, and hermit crabs, inspires fascination and wonder. Time spent on beaches is time merging with the ebb and flow of the tide as the grip of modern living loosens its hold. Yet our oceans increasingly bear the mark of today’s world. It seems the immensity of the sea could…
By Sage Birchwater — Atlantic Power Corporation, owner of the biomass-fuelled electricity generation plant in Williams Lake, wants to burn old railway ties to fuel its 66-megawatt facility. The plant, which can burn up to 600,000 tons of wood fibre per year, has been in operation since 1993 on the strength of a 25-year energy purchase agreement (EPA) with BC Hydro. This agreement is due to expire in three years, and the company must now convince BC Hydro it has enough potential fuel to justify a 10-year extension of its EPA. The biomass generating facility was established to address a…
By Jenny Noble, Scout Island Nature Centre — Rivershed Society of BC (RSBC) is hosting a family-friendly celebration at the Xatśūll Heritage Village on September 7 to honour the Fraser River’s history and culture, to raise awareness of issues threatening its health, and to explore solutions for change At 3 p.m., there will be a guided tour of Xat’sull. There will also be a craft-making session before dinner. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. Contributions of food and/or money are invited to make this a true community sharing. Please bring your own plate, utensils, and water bottle—after all, this is about…
Submitted by the Horsefly River Roundtable — Plans are well underway for the Horsefly River Salmon Festival featuring family-friendly events, information, and entertainment to welcome the majestic Sockeye back home to their spawning grounds at Horsefly River. The festival, hosted by the Horsefly River Roundtable, takes place Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 across the bridge in downtown Horsefly on T’exelc (Williams Lake Indian Band) and Xatśūll (Soda Creek/ Deep Creek) traditional territory. This free, all-ages celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Activities will include kids’ crafts with Maureen Chappell’s Creative Hands,…
By Jessica Kirby — Over the next 100 days, let us stand with the millions of people across the world who are suffering the devastating impact of violence and conflict. Let us share ideas and plans for helping and supporting them in their time of dire need. – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon The world began preparing for the International Weekend of Peace nearly 100 days ago with Ban Ki-moon’ s declaration that we stand together with those suffering around the world. Standing together means listening, understanding, and expanding our notions of peace to include others’. Can seven billion people stand…
By David Suzuki — It was a dramatic image: millions of cubic metres of waste cascading from the Mount Polley mine breach into the Quesnel watershed in BC’ s Interior. Besides destroying a nine-kilometre creek and endangering salmon and the neighbouring community of Likely, the catastrophe damaged the mining industry’s reputation. In the months following, fingers pointed, independent panels weighed in, and committees were struck. One year later, the Mount Polley mine is operating again, this time with a conditional permit and no long-term plan to deal with excess tailings. In British Columbia, after metals are extracted from large mines,…
By Rod Marining — When someone comes up to you and says, “I want to spend over $400,000 doing a documentary of you and your friends’ lives, and we are going to call the documentary How to Change the World, it is somewhat unbelievable. “Why would you spend such a horrendous amount of money on this?” I said to the producer. He replied, “The story is begging to be told.” Seven years later, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars and an amazing amount of work, the How to Change the World documentary hits film festivals around the world. It…
By Sage Birchwater — The Mount Polley Mine breach that sent 25 million tons of mine waste down nine kilometres of Hazeltine Creek and into Quesnel Lake last August 4, has garnered international attention. On May 6,a 10-person delegation from Alaska, including Aboriginal leaders, non-governmental organization reps, and the State’s Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott, came to see the devastation of the mine breach first hand and speak to those affected by the catastrophe. BC government approval for five large mines in the headwaters of the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers, set off alarm bells that the billion dollar Alaskan…
By Bill Chapman, PhD Research Soil Scientist — In this life there are two kinds of creatures—those which digest their food inside their gut (most of the big animals) and those which digest their food on the outside (most of the rest of life on earth). Outside of the oceans, most of the external digestion of food takes place in the soil. In fact some people would argue that guts of bigger creatures are simply sacks for carrying soil around to aid in digestion. Whether in the soil or in a gut, we know that microbes are responsible for…
By LeRae Haynes — Seeing the world from the back of a horse can be a life-changing experience, especially when it means leaving a wheelchair behind in the dust—even for a moment. Cariboo Hoofbeats Assisted Activity Program Society (CHAAPS) provides therapeutic riding and animal assisted therapy for children, youth, adults, and seniors from a diverse range of backgrounds including intellectual disabilities, cognitive challenges, chronic mental illness, emotional difficulties, acquired brain injury, autism, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, and physical disabilities. As well as riding, the kids spend time grooming and caring for the horses. They can also enjoy positive interaction with…