BC Rivers Day - September 28

Fraser River valley. Photo © Stanton Newman

"BC Rivers Day began in 1980 with 40 volunteers helping to clean up a stretch of the Thompson River. The event has now grown to become the biggest celebration of its kind in North America. It has been proclaimed by the BC Government and by more than 90 cities and municipalities across the province."

Hundreds of our rivers are being threatened by private power companies who would like to build dams, transmission lines, and miles of pipelines in pristine areas. Let's find a way to celebrate the beautiful rivers we have and find out how to help save them.

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The arts have great potential in the BC Interior

Here's an article from The Tyee that invites thought and may inspire more ideas and action. At least, here are a few extracts. If they interest you, check out the full article.

Some of Canada's most renowned work, Inuit and Northwest Coast aboriginal art, is some of the most remotely produced. End-of-the-road communities like Atlin and Wells have been put them on the map because of their artistic resources. Yet existing arts and culture in rural areas, particularly in B.C.'s northern region, have traditionally gone unrecognized by urban centres and remain largely under-funded.
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In its 2006-2007 annual report, the B.C. Arts Council recognized the importance of arts and culture in building community by noting that, "Cultural tourism, the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, is emerging as a key element of new economic development plans in many communities. The need to develop the arts and cultural products in conjunction with the infrastructure of transportation, accommodation, restaurants and marketing is only now being understood."

Read it all

From Indian Summer into Equinox

After an impressive Indian Summer, the turn of the year may be a little harder than usual to adjust to . . . and not just for us humans: