Canada with flooding and its associated dam-
age, and as we head further into the summer,
hopefully the sun will show up more than just
in passing from behind the storm clouds. Now
that we're beyond the midway point of Sum-
mer Solstice, the days are becoming shorter
and with school finished it's time for families
to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.
July and August are traditionally the time
when most Canadians head outside to experi-
ence the diversity and beauty of the natural
spaces our country offers.
historic sites, provincial parks, community
and regional parks, and national marine con-
servation areas across the country.
such as naturalists clubs, offer special pro-
grams like campfire interpretations, songs and
skits, art displays, nature walks, canoe tours
and rafting trips, Aboriginal history, crafts,
music, story-telling, and children's events.
identity. Majestic mountains, wild rivers, clear
pristine lakes, wild species, and rich indige-
nous histories are an essential part of how we
represent ourselves to the world. Although
approximately 80 per cent of Canadians live
in urban centers and growing numbers haven't
ever visited a national park, when surveyed,
Canadians still rate national parks at the top of
the priority list. It seems that even if we don't
visit them regularly, knowing our parks are
there in our big backyards is enough.
velopment and the protection of natural areas,
but these ideas were fundamentally revised in
1930 through the National Parks Act, to in-
clude stronger policies on behalf of preserva-
tion. By 1979, under the National Parks Pol-
icy, the Act further emphasized preservation
of identified ecological zones through main-
taining ecological integrity, species, and resto-
ration. In 2001, Parks policy even further
reinforced the necessity of maintenance and
rehabilitation of ecological integrity by saving
natural resources and ecosystems--in some
cases working to restore ecosystems to their
original forms with the removal of introduced
species.
national park, was established in 1885. The
creation of our parks has always been contro-
versial. Revolving around sometimes conflict-
ing ideas about human use and access, pre-
serving wild species and ecosystem health,
and honouring indigenous rights and history,
parks have evolved into their present form,
each with its own balance of priorities. While
some people are fine with national parks as
Publisher/
Editor-in-Chief
species--out of sight
and out of mind--it is
also true that what we
see and interact with,
or that which leaves a
lasting
into our values. Many
people want to experi-
ence nature directly
and our parks' wilder-
ness has been negoti-
ated as space for hu-
man
of the other species that live there. Today,
many parks are over-run with an exodus of
`weekend warriors,' complete with the latest
outdoor fashion gear in their search of a direct
experience in nature. But if more time out-
doors means people support and value our
parks, then maybe the commodification of
"adventure," as in reality TV shows where
people go into the wilderness to pit them-
selves against the elements, is just part of
keeping with the times.
around in forests, lakes, and by the sea, free of
the scheduling and the confinement of school
and indoor life, can have a profound effect.
Here, the imagination can run wild, and nature
becomes the teacher through the world of
sensory perception as kids observe animals in
their habitats or fashion artforms or useful
tools from interesting natural objects.
offer up the rapid sensory stimulation that our
instant entertainment culture provides in the
comfort of our homes. Sometimes it's down-
right miserable to lie in a soaking tent next to
your parents, listening to mosquitoes, your
hair and ears full of sticky salt and sand, wish-
ing for the experience to just be over. But
maybe it just takes a while for the magic of
vast wild places to seep in. Looking out of
your tent at the stars and hearing the waves
crashing while feeling cozy inside a sleeping
bag can be pretty awesome.
where we lived on Haida Gwaii. For many
weekends over the summer, my mom and dad
packed up the potato salad, hotdogs, inner
tubes, dogs, and maybe a friend or two, and
we headed out to the beach where we played
tag on the flat sand, swam in the frigid water,
played in tidal pools, built sand castles, col-
lected shells, and hung out around the camp-
fire. Playing for hours in the waves on the
beach with your friends was a different way of
relating than sitting in a classroom and it
brought whole new ways of bonding and ap-
preciating each other when you were free to
explore.
adventures, and brought with them a few sto-
ries to tell--the best, of course, from the scari-
est or most inconvenient encounters. Like the
time when my camping buddy accidentally
threw his shoe into the fast moving river we
were crossing in Kluane Park in the Yukon,
and he grumpily had to squish his feet into the
extra pair of hiking boots I "happened" to be
carrying for the day-long hike home. Or the
adrenaline rush I experienced when a grizzy
bear followed me up a trail in a national park
and I walked-ran as fast as I could down the
ber while thinking the bear was around every
corner.
dictability, our survival instincts, physical and
mental challenges, camaraderie with our com-
panions (or not), and, ultimately, it seeps into
our senses as we experience full participation
in the moment and the reward of the simple
things in life such as a good meal or the hard
earned view at the top of a climb. Whether we
take a once in a lifetime trip to a pristine envi-
ronment or head out for everyday adventuring,
the preservation of parks within the fabric of
Canadian society is key to understanding our
relationship to nature, protecting the diversity
of ecosystems and life forms we share the
landscape with, and ensuring that the genera-
tions behind us have a place to go where na-
ture is in charge of the experience.
your camping and hiking adventures this sum-
mer. Visit the BC Provincial Parks of the Cari-
b o o
Green events & meetings, Arts & Culture
events, health and wellness events, and social
& politically relevant community activities. If
you would like to add your event to the free
listing please email LeRae Haynes at
business in the Green Collective listings on the
back page - we offer low rates for non-profit
groups, free ad design, and exposure to the
growing network of people that care about
healthier lifestyles, communities, and the
world around them. We distribute throughout
the Cariboo-Chilcotin including Williams
Lake, 100 Mile House, Clinton, Quesnel, Bella
Coola, Alexis Creek, Redstone, Horsefly, and
Prince George, and are linked to the Welcome
to Williams Lake online news site. Visit
www.thegreengazette.ca to see the latest issue
online.
Contact me at lisa@thegreengazette.ca if you
are interested in advertising or submitting arti-
cles. Our deadline for article submissions is
August 15.
** Apologies to those that may have tried to
contact TheGreenGazette via the email listed
in our June issue advertisement, the email
address was incorrect. All inquiries can be
made to lisa@thegreengazette.ca
Texas
water from oil and natural gas extrac-
tions contained toxic oil, salts, and min-
erals--a toxic chemical brew that in-
cluded poisons to kill bacteria.
berta. What are the volumes of industrial
waste water being piped and what is their
toxic waste water storage destination?
Crucially, Alberta needs an enlarged
pipeline capacity.
between 1975-2012. Over the 37 years,
Alberta had 28,666 bitumen/synthetic
crude oil spills plus 31,453 spills from
pipelines. Spills under 12.5 barrels are
discounted.
sure pipeline safety is world class, mari-
time safety is world class, and that we
have a robust consultation process with
originals to maximize their benefits from
resource development." Oliver says
Clark's five conditions must be met.
Oliver says anything that moves Al-
berta's bitumen forward is very positive.
Is that true?
Enbridge's Northern Gateway project.
The Northern Gateway pipeline is crucial
for Ottawa, Alberta, and the fossil-fuel
industry. Ottawa aims to help BC,
"change its mind."
rations. The Canadian Association of
Petroleum Producers speaks for fossil
fuels.
sil fuel carbon. Five hundred and sixty-
five gigatons of fossil fuel carbon is the
amount which can still be burned and not
cause the worlds' temperature to rise
above 2 degrees Celcius. The aimed
carbon burn is five times the amount of
565 gigatons.
habitats in BC and the world. That short
term is very long for humanity adapting
to irreversible runaway global warming.