Nuk Tessli Alpine Experience for Sale

A wilderness ecotourism business in one of the more remote corners of British Columbia is for sale. Chris Czajkowski, author, botanist and wilderness dweller continues to run her Nuk Tessli Alpine Experience but has put the business up for sale.  Here's what she says:

As readers of my books will know, I started Nuk Tessli single-handedly, from scratch, 21 years ago. There was not so much as a chainsaw mark on the place; now there are three cosy, rustic cabins and an extensive network of alpine trails. Of course it will be a wrench to give up my "queendom", but my big love is exploring new territory for alpine plants. While I have a special relationship with the flora in my area, I also long to visit other mountain ranges when the alpine flowers are blooming. Each rock base produces different species and there are many alpine plants that I have never seen. I will not be able to fulfil my dreams if I spend every summer at Nuk Tessli. If you wish to see the listing, go to http://www.fsbo.com/121316 (Be aware that the lease is set up as a commercial venture and the cabins cannot be for private use.)

You can pause the images at any point or back up and, if you prefer, turn the captions off or on.

More from Chris' photojournals

Tom Swanky: The Tsilhqot'in War and the Smallpox Plot

"Researching the B.C. smallpox of 1861 to 1864. And the Tsilhqot'in response, culminating in the 1864/65 hanging of Tsilhqot'in leaders, the largest public execution in Canadian history."

Tom will be presenting his updated information in Williams Lake at 7:00 pm on Wednesday February 3rd. He says: "Now includes targeting 'William' with smallpox and Killing the Northerners at Victoria. Improved the story of smallpox as a biological weapon to steal the site of Quesnel from the Lhatko Dene. Should be about ten minutes shorter than in Oct. Looking forward to meeting everyone.".

Sled dog racing at 108 Mile Ranch

Yesterday, we went to the annual sled dog races here at 108 Mile Ranch. For the first time they were held at the heart of the 108 community, with the course running around the lakes around which the community developed.  We were very impressed - with the new venue (the base was the Heritage Site), the organization, the atmosphere and, of course, the dogs, the mushers and the dog-handlers. Here are a few images:

 

Unspoiled Taku River Valley discussions on land use

Not much news about this process - at least, I know little about it. So, I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a little more exposure. This may not be the best explanation but feel free to add, in the Comments section, links to an article you would recommend.

Gold glitters in B.C.'s last intact watershed
By Tom Fletcher - BC Local News

Published: November 29, 2009 1:00 PM

Negotiations are under way to set land use rules for B.C.’s last pristine coastal watershed, the remote Taku River valley near the Alaska and Yukon borders.
In talks similar to those that established the so-called Great Bear Rainforest agreement on B.C.'s central and northern coast three years ago, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation is moving beyond court challenges over mining to a plan that would share the resources and tourism potential of their vast traditional territory.

Photo of Taku River Valley


UPDATE Dec. 28, 2012: Yukon's free entry mineral staking rules in jeopardy
Court of Appeal says mining claims can have serious impacts on aboriginal title


UPDATE - NEWS RELEASE from Taku River Klingit First Nation

Taku River Tlingit Joint Clan Forum Rejects Proposed Tulsequah Chief Project

 

November 28, 2012:  The Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN), faced with significant concerns about the state of Chieftain Metals’ proposal and negotiations, held a Joint Clan meeting on November 18, 2012 where the Joint Clan Forum rejected the proposed Tulsequah Chief Project.

The Joint Clan Mandate instructs TRTFN Leadership to "take all steps necessary to ensure that the Tulsequah Chief project, as currently proposed, is not developed on Taku River Tlingit Territory.”

The consensus decision was made based on numerous shortcomings, including Chieftain’s failure to maintain a water treatment plant to manage pollution from the original mine site, and its failure to provide a workable feasibility study.

Frustration at the Joint Clan meeting was high while citizens questioned how they could possibly consider approving the proposed project in the face of so little certainty on the requirements of responsible development on Taku River Tlingit Territory.

The Joint Clan Forum has no confidence, based on the steps taken to date, that the mine could be built or operated in an acceptable manner, and believes there is a serious risk of the project collapsing part way though, leaving an even more damaging legacy for TRTFN lands and waters than is already being perpetuated by the original abandoned mine.

Other concerns include the manner in which Chieftain’s proposed project has been approved by the BC government without the full and informed participation of the TRTFN, and in the absence of full plans on which to base their decisions.

As a responsible government, and as land owners, the TRTFN must ensure its time and resources are directed to financially viable and environmentally responsible projects.  The currently proposed Tulsequah Chief Project does not meet these minimum requirements.  

Birds From a Cariboo Deck No. 9: Ruffed Grouse

This was the grandest-looking of a family of four that visited in the fall; so, probably the adult male. They are not the most refined of flyers, especially when startled: flying into fences and walls. Fortunately I saw this one in time.

More Birds from A Cariboo Deck

Introduction to the Chilcotin War - Tom Swanky

Tom has been researching and collecting historical date long and hard. Here's an opportunity to learn about this remarkable and often disturbing part of our history in this part of Canada. Click on poster to see a larger version. In case the text still isn't easy to read, here's what Tom says:

I am presenting the slide sequence in the Quesnel Museum Heritage Speaker series, Oct. 27 at 7pm in the Atrium at the UNBC campus in Quesnel. [Admission free]

The trouble with DEET

New research on DEET health risks

DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellents used by some 200 million people every year, appears to affect proteins in mammals as well as mosquitoes and other target insects. Some previous studies have implicated DEET in seizures among children. A new study (PDF) by an international group of scientists, supported by Agence Nationale pour la Recherche in France, published August 5 at BioMedicalCentral.com (BMCBiology), reports that DEET "is not simply a behaviour-modifying chemical but that it also inhibits cholinesterase activity, in both insect and mammalian neuronal preparations." Symptoms of lowered levels of cholinesterase, an enzyme essential to proper nervous system function, can include nausea, headaches, convulsions and, in extreme cases, death. Health risks increase when DEET and other pesticides are used together. The researchers concluded that "DEET is commonly used in combination with insecticides and we show that deet has the capacity to strengthen the toxicity of carbamates, a class of insecticides known to block acetylcholinesterase." The new findings are "consistent with previous studies, says Bahie Abou-Donia of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC," speaking to Science News. Abou-Donia's research found increased toxicity when DEET and chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide hazardous by itself, were used together. "These effects should be clearly labeled on products containing DEET, or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide," says Abou-Donia. In Canada, he noted, "insect repellents can contain no more than 30 percent DEET. The United States - where 100 percent DEET repellents are available - should consider such restrictions."

- Pesticide Action Network of North America

Mosquito Repellants and Deterrents

Some Insects of British Columbia

Nuk Tessli Update

Just received from Chris Czajkowski:

August 3, 8:55 a.m.

"When the helicopter flew over Knot Lake yesterday the fire was still on the far side of Knot Lake which is very good news. There was little wind yesterday and none last night. Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to cool dramatically, which will help, and a chance of showers is forecast. It is supposed to rain in a few days. "

• Read Chris' full report
• Photojournal of evacuation

Chris drew this map at the time of the 2004 fire.

Fire threatens Nuk Tessli. Chris Czajkowski has to fly out.

Five years later and once again, Chris Czajkowski has had to evacuate Nuk Tessli. In an e-mail sent a couple of hours ago, she reports:

"Even if the fire did not reach us, the smoke would probably be very unpleasant. Been there, done that. 11 clients and a wwoofer/guide had flown out that morning and 4 clients had flown in. These were a couple my age, their 80+ mother, and their 9-year-old grand-daughter. The fire would likely stay away for a couple of days but the smoke would be distressing: at least now the visibility was good enough to fly out."

• Read Chris' full report and photojournal of today's events
• The 2004 fire

The Battle for Our Rivers and Our Fish

Despite their victory in the last provincial election, the way is not open for the BC Liberals to continue their ceding of river access to corporate power-sellers. The tactical attempts to sneak through the legal requirements are being countered by an alert and growing resistance. The Tyee reports:

Far from being deterred by the denial of a meeting in Nelson, local environmental groups banded together to provide bus transportation and other means for getting people to the Kaslo meeting. The result was staggering.

People of all ages came with costumes, banners, marching bands, meticulously researched and passionately articulated speeches. First they rallied outside the school before the meeting, then they lined up one after another at the microphone to say a resounding "no" to the project and the whole idea of privatizing our rivers for power we don't need and can't use. Why can't we use it? Because the bulk of this power would come in spring, the time of our lowest demand and highest supply) vowing that this project would be stopped.

As local NDP MLA Michelle Mungall told the company to rousing applause, "These people are not uneducated about your project. They understand it. They don't like it. They don't want it."

After a disappointing provincial election for those who care about protecting our rivers, fish and wildlife, this night served to re-energize the movement around the province and showed this battle is really just getting started. And the people of the Kootenays, famous for their love of nature and commitment to protecting it, are once again leading by example.

More from The Tyee
Facebook: Help Save Wild Rivers in the Kootenays