Whitehorse Photo Club Q4 Showcase
The Whitehorse Photo Club has submitted its final showcase submissions for 2022! Check back in 2023 for even more amazing images!
Nature
Reconnecting with natural places
People who contemplate the beauty of nature do it in many different ways, some by exploring places that are new to them, others via the familiar rhythms of where they can go from their doorstep.
Walking stick – what you see, but don’t see
There is an old saying, “I can’t see for looking.” That could be very true when it comes to actually seeing a “walking stick.” The walking stick is a most interesting insect to study. Being from Ontario, where there are plenty of these insects, I had plenty of chances. It’s apparently not so common here …
Water and rock – Hiking and loving “the mystery of it all”
The landscape east of the Klondike Highway, between Log Cabin and Fraser, B.C., is a giant jigsaw puzzle of water and rock. Large, round rocky outcrops are surrounded by water, with scattered vegetation growing in-between the rocks.
Yukon See It Here: Murray Martin
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] I like to submit a picture along with a saying to go with it. For this large tree, “Family tree: set your roost and firmly hang on to them.”
A bird’s-eye view
Whether it’s for the annual bike race or a fishing holiday, Yukoners love Haines. The small southeast-Alaska port is a special destination for many. Come fall, the arrival of thousands of American Bald Eagles, in the nearby Chilkat River Valley, offers another reason to visit. From October to January, between two- and four-thousand bald eagles …
Yukon See It Here: Larry White
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] I captured some photos of these eerie, Mordor-looking clouds sweeping down Grey Mountain, one morning, this October.
Saskatchewan in October
Once upon a time, “back in the days” (last year, in October) when the Greyhound bus still existed, a garter snake slithered out of the way, a pronghorn bounced over a fence, and I happened to step into cactus. This is the beginning of a most auspicious tale … In the days of the Greyhound, …
Batten down the hatches
I feel tumbled up against the advance of winter. All summer, the sun pulled me on with the force of a tearaway sled dog and, when the days shortened into fall, it was as if she slowed suddenly to sniff out a piece of news and I hurtled into her. I sit on the trail …
Adventure Awaits
Recently I visited Kluane National Park. After a few hours of driving and only a hike through the forest, I was in my element—a world of rock and grand vistas. My friend and I were on Sheep Mountain, a very popular trail, and I can see why it is popular. We came within 100 metres …
To ‘Looks Like a Caribou’ and back – Part 6 of 6
Driving the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. (located on Kugmallit Bay of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean), is no big deal..
Yukon See It Here: Murray Lundberg
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] The International Falls Trail, in the White Pass, is well-known and fairly busy, but very few people continue on into the high country, which is studded with lakes. In the …
Yukon See It Here: Murray Martin
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] I like to submit pictures along with a saying to go along with them. As you look at these trees trying to grow on the rock, “And if you think …
Yukon See It Here: Shannon Wyers
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to [email protected] I worked a night shift on July 3. I got to see the sunset and sunrise.
Take a walk in Kluane
Fall is upon us. When I leave the house in the mornings now, the sun has yet to awaken. It feels too early in the season to see my breath, but here we are. Winter whispering at us does come with some pretty wicked benefits, though: the air is crisp, giving us unreal clarity; the …
Inspired by ‘place’
Anto Yukon’s 100 per cent natural and vegan soaps and essential oils are inspired by by the artist’s favourite Canadian landscapes.
Playing possum … when trees play tricks on us
Mysterious are the ways of plants, and when it comes to trees, we wait until they are well and truly dead before we cut them down.
Magic on the Trail
Visual artist Hilary Lorenz will take hand-crafted cards along her art adventure on the Chilkoot Trail in July.
Stream of Dreams
A team of facilitators from the Stream of Dreams program was in Dawson this week to promote environmental stewardship and facilitate a community art project.
The ODD Gallery showcases Tamika Knutson’s Skin
Tamika Knutson is a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizen who began her art training at the Yukon School of Visual Arts, in Dawson City.
Yukon See It Here: George Dimsdale
Three generations of Yukon yogis: Darlene Dimsdale, daughter Sarah Gau and granddaughter Emma Gau, at St. Elias Lake last summer.
Fishing with children
Fishing for youngsters may be their first glimpse of ethics and responsible behaviour in relation to nature.
On being scared (and doing it anyway)
by Misha Donohoe Fearless in Nature opens at Yukon Artists at Work Gallery on April 6 with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Georgia O’Keefe once said, “I have been absolutely terrified my whole life and I have never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” On a …
Yukon See It Here: Marc and Mar Rodriguez
Even in winter you can see different colours in the Yukon River. We love it! Photo: Marc and Mar Rodriguez [box] We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected][/box]
The awe of quartzite beneath you
Rock, not the genre of music, that guy on the radio or your friend from Newfoundland referring to “The Rock” as home, but rocks and the minerals they are made of, are integral to our existence. We interact with them in many ways every day. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher and writer, wrote in …
What do you think?
ResearChats, devised by Northern Studies Instructor Amanda Graham and Chemistry Instructor Ernie Prokopchuk, are weekly opportunities for researchers from all disciplines to share ideas and learn from one another. They happen on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m., and everybody is invited to attend.
What do we do to the natural world?
Two art shows at the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery explore the tension between the human and the natural world.
Hibernation
Ed. Note: This is part seven of a seven part series. Part six can be found in the June 14, 2017 issue of What’s Up Yukon. I’m living a dream and I look forward to the next step… At the end of 2016, I made many diverse acquaintances, each promising me future days, every one …
Winter’s white on white
Before I was married, and my wife Lisa and I moved to the Yukon, my home was built on the northern borders of the Township of Oro-Medonte, in Central Ontario, where I just happened to be the deputy mayor. It is a land of rolling hills, valleys and rippling cold water streams, where many a …
Knowing the beaver
Evolution is an amazing thing and for the beaver, it has taken millions of years. Once almost 8 feet long some thousans of years ago, now the beaver, even though it continues to grow all its life, it will be lucky if it reaches four feet in length and hardly more than 65 pounds. If …
Knowing the beaver
Picture this: an animal that lived in our waterways, here in Canada that was close to 8 feet long, big chisel teeth and could swim above and below the water line. Of course you would have had to live a few thousands of years ago. It was a beaver – and the beaver of those …
Whip ‘em out and measure!
On Saturday, November 18, all Yukon Fish and Game members are welcome to bring their antlers, horns and skulls to be measured and scored by certified Boone and Crockett scorers.
Hunting in the Yukon – Part 1
An excerpt of Manfred Hoefs’ recently released book Yukon’s Hunting History. Yukon’s history, time scale & events are unique.
Plastic, plastic, everywhere
It is 2017 and plastic is all around us — in our toothbrushes, phones, and children’s toys. We use it to store our food and bottle our water. We put our plastic purchases in plastic bags to bring home. Many plastic bags will get used only once. They might get recycled. They might get thrown …
Weaving Willow, Weaving Voices
On a hot day in Dawson City this August, I had the opportunity to speak with the four artists of Weaving Voices: Bo Yeung, Chris Clarke, Jackie Olson and Sue Parsons. We sat in the shade of their intricately woven willow structure located outside of the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, facing toward the Yukon River. …
Big City Girl in the Land of the Midnight Sun
Chapter 1: The Midnight Sun June 7, 2017 I am writing this at 10:30 p.m. with no lamp. This is my third night here in Dawson. I think it’s crazy that the days and nights blend into each other. Dark is not dark. Dusk is not dusk. Dawn is not dawn. It’s the land of …
At Home at Sea
“Ship’s logs, myths, stories of quiet exaltation and wrenching lamentations can all become poetry when the experience resonates deeply with the rhythm of the human heart…”— Anita Hadley in the introduction to Spindrift: A Canadian Book of the Sea. The sea, in Anita Hadley’s view, may not be a tangible part of your everyday, but …
Let’s All Learn Gwich’in
Let’s All Learn Gwich’in With Allan Benjamin from Old Crow Gwich’in Expressions: Gwich’in Ginjik Native Language Dinjii zhuh ginjik jihtth’ak I understand Native language Lée nizhigwiłts’īk? Are you hungry? Jidìi Niindhan? What do you want? Jidìi nid i’ii? What do you have? Jidìi Kàgwanah’in? What are you looking for? Ch’ivēedzyāa at’iinihthān kwaa I don’t like …
Colours of Autumn
Fall is the favourite season of many Yukoners. Avid photographer and outdoors person Jozien Keijzer provided this gallery of early-autumn scenes captured in various locations west of Whitehorse. “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun…” -John Keats: To Autumn
A friend indeed
Dorothy Bradley leaves her vehicle at Eagle Bay Park, where Whistle Bend Way and Range Road meet, and walks to the bench overlooking McIntyre Creek. It is a 10-minute walk along a path that is dappled with bright yellow aspen leaves. To the left is a boreal forest of jack pine, to her right is …
The Last, Loveliest Smile
I never took much notice of something as simple as the seasons until moving North. Pre-Yukon, I was rather unmoved by the monotonous blend of greens extending from the mossy forest floor to the heights of the coniferous giants on Vancouver Island. And as much as I love the “wet-coast”, seasons seem to meld into …
From Storms to Spectres, and All Surreal Things Inbetween
As a child, April Howard remembers spending hours quietly flipping through her dad’s collection of Robert Bateman books, getting lost in, and inspired by, the intricate and realistic details of the iconic Canadian artist and naturalist’s works. “I’ve always loved drawing. If there was ever a pen and paper in front of me, I’d be …
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Living With Wildlife: John Birmingham
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This guy was busy bringing dinner home for the family when I was lucky enough to snap him at the McIntyre Creek pump house …
Living With Wildlife: Brian Sunico
Hello Everybody,We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] I’m just new to photography, but here are some of my shotsof the eagles nest and their mom(or dad). I used a Canon EOS 70D …
From the East to the Beautiful South
Keen on history? The Castle Wartburg in Wittenberg in Eastern Germany offers an opportunity to learn about the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation. The castle is the place where Luther translated the bible and lived with his family. The castle’s origins date back to 1067. The castle is hosting an exhibition until November called …
Hiking the Same Ol’ Trail
I never understood how people love to go camping at the same spot year after year, or walk the same trail over and over, canoe the same river, or go to the same mall. I realize now that we all have different goals. I myself have a strong desire to explore. And finally, I am …
Finding Orchids in an Unusual Setting
Finding the entrance to Orchid Acres can be a little confusing for newcomers to West Dawson and Sunnydale. Someone will tell you it’s on the road to the Dawson City Golf Course, and that’s true, but the signs indicating that road are a little confusing. There’s a large sign with a blue arrow, indicating that …
Capturing the Beauty of Miles Canyon
If you’re a Yukon resident, you’ve no doubt walked, biked or skied the trodden path of the Miles Canyon trail. Perhaps you’ve observed the gradient of the canyon’s rocky columns, watched canoeists paddling from atop the suspension bridge, or glanced down at the emerald waters pulsing below. But have you ever had the firsthand experience …
Girls Gone Wild(erness)
Martha Henderson didn’t expect to get one of the six Young Nature Leadership Grants awarded by Nature Canada this year. “I’m a bit stressed honestly,” she laughs. “I was like, ‘Oh no, people are expecting things of me now!’” All jokes aside, the 25-year old Whitehorse resident says she’s flattered and honoured to have been …
Fireweed Jelly
Fireweed Jelly Yield: approximately 15 x 125 ml jars Ingredients: 8 cups fireweed blossoms (no stems or leaves) ¼ cup lemon juice 4 ½ cups water 2 packages powdered pectin 5 cups sugar Method: Collect the fireweed blossoms. Avoid the green stems and leaves. I harvest the blooming stalks while my patient wife picks and …
Living With Wildlife: Dave Rach
Hello Everybody,We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Camera: Nikon D3100 Lens: 55-300 mm Nikor This eagle has been hanging out in front of what’s turned into our favorite place in the Yukon …
Orchids In and Around Whitehorse
The calypso orchid, sometimes called the fairy or venus slipper, was already blooming by the end of May and the rest will follow soon. I suspect that the Platanthera obtusata, known as the northern bog orchid, will follow soon. The height of bloom for orchids in the Yukon is mid-June. Most Yukon orchids can be …
Living With Wildlife: Nadine Peters
Hello Everybody,We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] We live in Teslin. We took this photo with a Nikon D7100 Camera with a Nikkor AFS18-300 lens. We are sending two photos, one is …
Two Million Honey Bees Find Home in Watson Lake
Courtney and Joel Wilkinson, co-owners of Bee Whyld Yukon, are proud to show off their bee yard located just outside the town of Watson Lake, Yukon. Sixty-two of Bee Whyld’s 64 honey bee hives sit on the edge of a hay field surrounded by an electric fence. The warm spring days and budding leaves on …
Dreamtime, Bourbon Time
I’ve always loved the stories where people slip out of the present and into a different time; kid’s stories like Tom’s Midnight Garden, or the Narnia series, or, in adult fiction, The Time Traveller’s Wife. There’s something compelling about the notion of arriving in another time, unmoored from the present, where the universe bends and …
Surviving the Great Whitehorse Earthquake of 2017
Surprisingly it was not the earthquake that woke me up on the morning of Monday, May 1. It was the stunning one-two punch of the intense, standing-on-frozen-Lego agony of being barefoot on cold gravel, coupled with the mind blowing realization that I was indeed standing stark naked in my driveway and this was not a …
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Thunder and Lightning
Thunder and lightning do not seem to be as common here in the Yukon as in southern Canada. However, lightning strikes are probably the most common cause of our forest fires. Lightning is a gigantic spark jumping between a charged cloud and the earth, but what actually causes lightning is still an item of debate. …
Life Lessons Through the Lens
You can learn a lot by studying animals, just ask local photographer Minnie Clarke. Her passion for capturing northern creatures was borne on a remote trapline in Johnson’s Crossing, Yukon. Clarke has been photographing Yukon’s wilderness for 20 years, but one stunning subject in particular is the focal point of many of her studies: the …
Just Planting a Seed Here, Folks
Somebody once said a gardener is just a philosopher with dirty hands and an aching back. Well, maybe nobody actually said that until I just did, but I believe it to be so. Of all life’s pursuits, few can match gardening when it comes to bringing body and soul together. Why? Because it’s hard to stay mad …
Ode to Mosquitos
I love blood-sucking mosquitos In my eyes, ears and nose; On my chips, nachos and tacos, In my hair and between my toes.
Books to Spring Forward
It’s (hopefully) coming to the last wintery blows before the ice breaks; the spring will soon rush in and soon after we can cast our mittens aside for a season. Enjoy the longer nights – while they last – by burying yourself in one (or all) of these books, based around the “Three R’s” of …
CAUTION: Bison bison athabascae
The first time I saw this sign, I had to stop and pull over on the side of the road to make sure I had read it correctly. It was early spring in 2012 and I was travelling up the Alaska Highway for the first of what would be uncountable times. The decision to come …
Yukon Wildflowers that Bloom in April
Last year we had an early spring and I found the first prairie crocus blooming on April 1st. Most years the crocus blooms near the end of April. If you want to become a crocus hunter, don’t wait for all the snow to melt. If the daytime temperature is above zero for three weeks, start …
Fata Morgana and other Atmospheric Optics
From “Don’s Descent,” the small hill behind our house, one can look as far as Haines Junction. Mount Decoeli and Mount Archibald loom on the western horizon when skies are clear. In front of Decoeli, I can clearly make out Paint Mountain. You might know Paint Mountain as the rock face towering over Pine Lake, …
Life After Tragedy
When asked about the message she hopes to convey in the film, Ohama responded, “It’s a moving and inspiring story of how people find real joy, love and meaning in life again… even in the face of extreme loss. In our busy, cluttered world filled with stress… we tend to forget how to see and …
Colour The Yukon
Erin Dixon is an artist with a passion for Yukon landscapes. “I was into colouring before it was hot,” she says with a laugh. A self described avid colourer, Dixon noticed a vacancy, “I know that colouring is really popular right now and I wanted to fill the void for Yukoners and visitors wishing for …
Yukon Stories
Arctic Secrets Directed by Allan Code, a Whitehorse based filmmaker, Arctic Secrets is a symphony of immensely strong and surprisingly fragile elements that comprise the wilderness of the Yukon Territory. Stunning imagery abounds in this visual adventure through its waters, mountains, and forests. Focusing mainly on the more arctic regions of the territory, Code and …
Yukon / Utopia
In “Spell of the Yukon,” Bobby Service suggests, The realm’s Utopia—snock snarls of forests; Avalanches that out-grumble politicos; Gold that outweighs paper dollars backed by zeroes; Where the cussedest blizzard outlasts even August; And extra white comes snow, pure as a virgin’s Lust; Where dew fanatically lavishes each grass blade; Damned good is muck where …
A Cozy Place to Spend the Winter
Fritz Mandl was enjoying a sunny day at Army Beach in September when he came across what looked like a dying butterfly. The fragile insect was flying past him on a cold gust of northern wind when it suddenly dropped from the air and went limp, becoming motionless. Assuming that the poor creature had died, …
Yukon Trees in Winter
Trees that naturally grow in and around Whitehorse There are only three families of trees represented in the southwest Yukon. Sounds easy enough? It isn’t, so don’t feel bad if you can’t see the trees for the forest. The willow family (Salicaceae): willow and poplar The birch family (Betulaceae): alder and birch The pine family …
A Local Getaway
We also enjoyed petting the many friendly animals that live with the host family. Eight dogs, a horse, a donkey and several chickens can keep adults and kids busy during their stay. Looking inside the guestbook we realized just how many guests have already had a great time in this cabin since 2008. Phrases like …
The Threads that Hold Us Together
“Stories are not only words, you know. Words are just the clothes that people drape on stories.” – Brian Doyle, author of Mink River I was drawn to Mink River without knowing the author or the story. But at that time, and since then, it’s reminded me of the lyricism of life and the love of home …
The Magical Fall Wind
Boreas always tires of summer on the same day each year, the same day a very special baby girl was born. After a bite off a glacier and a purse of his lips, Boreas draws a deep cold breath and exhales, closing out summer. Like a child blowing a dandelion, his breath sends the trees, …
To go where few people go: I wonder if that is why we saw four wolverines playing?
On August 13, my friend Nancy Ohm and I went for a hike in my backyard. I’ve been working on a walking trail towards the mountains for 20 years. I am making slow process, using only a small ax and clippers. Lately, I have seen signs of people, probably neighbours, establishing the trail. Great! Still, …
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Bittersweet September
September has the ability to feel more like the start of a new year than January. People migrating home after their summer adventures and the return of the cool weather, brings a sense of something new and of settling back into normal. September is also (most obviously) the beginning of the school year; school always …
Final Days and Thoughts
The final week of Icelandic adventuring saw us completing the Ring Road, which encircles the whole country and has tourist spots dotted along the way. We followed it east and gradually north through glacier-domed mountains, bucolic sheep folds, thundering waterfalls and glistening black alluvial beaches that stretched along the coastline for miles at a time. …
Wildflowers on the Mountaintop
Breaking out of sheer rock, on the barren ground, or beside a mountain stream, hundreds of different kinds of wildflowers grow in the Yukon mountains. Some bloom as early as the snow melts in April, some continue blooming well into September. The seven alpine flowers described below all grow on mountaintops close to Whitehorse.
Continuing the Legacy of Alex VanBibber
The late Alex VanBibber had a favourite refrain: “An outdoor life is a healthy life.” This is according to his friend, Harvey Jessop. Jessop wrote some remarks about VanBibber’s life for the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, pertaining to a new scholarship it is offering in VanBibber’s legacy. The Alex VanBibber Sharing the Land …
Hands-On Haute Couture in the Junction
From beading to working with hide and hair, “Textile and fashion endeavours are followed by a huge number of locals,” says Heiko Hähnsen. He’s the director of the Junction Arts and Music, or JAM, an organization that “nurtures the arts”, according to its website, and is hosting Haines Junction’s first Hands-On Craft Weekend. Given that …
Didee & Didoo: OLD CROW ZOO
YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF CARIBOU. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF MOOSE. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF MARTEN. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF SQUIRRELS. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF WOLVES. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF FOXES. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF RABBITS. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF MIKS. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF DUCKS. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF FISH. YOU’LL SEE LOTS OF WEASELS. …
Vestmannaeyjar Voyage
The road that encircles Iceland, called Highway 1 or the Ring Road, offers access to many of the sights on the tourist track, called the Golden Circle. We explored the usual postcard sights; geysers, rift valleys, craggy ocean shores, and flat, glacier-formed black alluvial plains. However, there is one place in particular, our first overnight …
Learning to Fry
A small assembly of structures along Mountainview Drive has been quietly housing 45,000 young salmon each year for the past 25 or so years. The McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility is located midway between Range Road and Porter Creek. Now an educational facility under Yukon College, it was previously operated by Department of Fisheries and …
Journeys That Open the Heart
Whitehorse musician and adventurer Thorin Loeks is off on another journey. On June 4th, Loeks started to hitchhike from his home just outside of Whitehorse up to Dawson City where began a cycling trip. His initial plan was to bicycle south to Montana. There, he was going to switch his bike for a paddle, and …
Farewell Winter, Hello Summer
After a long Yukon winter, you look forward to packing away your warm winter coat. We all look forward to the warmer days.
Fresh Words and Deep Roots
Writing poetry since she was a child, Nova Scotia based author Shauntay Grant says she has always loved creative writing. “The oldest poem I’ve kept is from fourth grade,” she says. The vocalist, poet and author began a residency at the Berton House Writers’ Retreat in Dawson City in April. She is working on Proof, …
The Little Fish With Many Names
Someone once said, “Give a man a fish, and you will teach a man where to get free fish.” If you try to give a fish to a local – in places where salmon are plentiful – many will ask what kind, before accepting. Apparently to some, sockeye is the only fish worth having. Another …
Three Weeks in Iceland
Hvernig segir maður, “I’m completely lost” á íslensku? What’s that, you say? Icelandic is one of the most difficult languages to learn? On second thought, perhaps I’ll just fall back on the old standard; hand gestures and a confused, perpetually apologetic expression. Hi, I’m Willow, a fairly well-travelled Yukoner who will be guest-writing this column …
The Bee Diaries – April 2016
The gentle, warm summer breeze touched our faces as we stood watching the bees. The bees were just doing their thing: flying in and out of the hive, gathering pollen. Suddenly we noticed a large black cloud forming in the southwest. Within minutes of us spying that dark cloud the bees started flying back to the …
Converting Adventure into Books and Film
Dianne Whelan is an award winning filmmaker, photographer and author who lived, until fairly recently, in Vancouver. At the time of this interview she was in New Brunswick, in the midst of a project she calls “500 Days in the Wild.” “It’s what I do for a living. I do these adventures, make films and …
Deep Ecology within Architecture and Design
The Living Building Challenge is an international sustainable building certificate program to foster the conscious development and design of eco-friendly architecture. It was launched 10 years ago, and pillars of performance include, site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty. Recently the Maori tribe Ngai Tûhoe completed the construction of New Zealand’s first living …
On a Wing and a Prayer
Monarch butterflies may appear fragile, but as a whole the species is extraordinarily hardy. Every year, the Eastern North American monarch butterfly population migrates thousands of miles from southern Ontario to overwinter in Mexico. This impressive migration is multi-generational. After wintering in massive butterfly bunches, the monarchs wake and journey to areas in Texas and …
Kinnikinnick
Kinnikinnick’s Latin name, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, comes from arctos and ursi meaning bear and staphylos and uva meaning bunch of grapes. Amazing: the taste of those little grapes! I just tried something I had never tried before, but had read about several times. As it happens, I was treating a certain condition I had. I always …
You Know It’s Spring When the Swans Arrive
“Last year was a big year,” says Scott Cameron, Environment Yukon’s Wildlife Viewing Technician. “We were up to 2,000 swans every day for a few days.” The height, he says, was April 9, when 2,200 were counted out on M’Clintock Bay. Typically that number is closer to 1,200. “And early too – usually you expect …
The Distinctly Northern Signs of Spring
There are several distinctly northern signs of spring. As the long-winter winds down the Yukon people enter an obvious state of outfit confusion. As you drive through town you peer out to see an eclectic mix of people waiting to cross roadways: There is a man in shorts, and sandals next to a woman wearing a Canada …
Trees
Trees grow differently on mountain pass. It’s harder to grow. Compare to the southern trees, mountain trees are facing a disadvantage.
Visiting the Glaciers
We always said that when the kids were old enough we would take them for an Alaskan kayaking expedition, just like the one we had gone on before the kids were born. So last summer we did just that, and what we learned is that an eight-year-old and a 13-year-old are awesome ages for such …
In praise of Whistle Bend
As I turn from Mountain View Drive and toward our Whistle Bend home, I am yet again gobsmacked by the sudden and looming sight of the mountains on the far side of the Yukon River. Blue in the mornings, pink at night and otherwise brilliantly lit against a vivid indigo background of so much sky, …
Ode to Kusawa Lake
Boxing Day: we drive out to Kusawa Lake. My beloved lake, Kusawa. The joys of the lake for me include swimming, boating, floating, skating, to be in it/ on it or crossing the lake. I have even bicycled on it and now I walk on it. I have often sunbathed on its sandy beaches or …
The Story of Eagles Paradise
Every November up to 3,600 eagles gather in one place: the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska. It is the largest gathering of eagles on earth. The Preserve holds unique conditions for these magnificent birds: Sections of the Chilkat River remain ice-free and an unusually late run of salmon from November until January provides …
Things the Forest Hides
Talking to my friend Mary Whitley, a fellow explorer, we started discussing how many trails we had found this summer that we did not even know existed. She was finding them on her side of town around Mount Lorne, and I was finding them on mine around the Mendenhall Subdivision. So, on one of those …
Musings on Ice: A Changing Yukon Winter Story
Ice is important. It allows people and wildlife to use or cross lakes, ponds and rivers. Ice also provides access to what’s below: fish, muskrats and water, for example. Unfortunately, the mild fall temperatures in many parts of Yukon have again delayed ice formation. This isn’t new. Recorded observations of Yukon River freeze-up in Whitehorse …
Reflections on Harsh Times
Last Friday I returned from a run to find The Frenchman shovelling snow. The end result is like an iced cake: smooth, precise and clean. It’s peculiar how one can go from being wrapped in one’s tiny world to having a sudden connection with things beyond comprehension. Upon reaching the cabin we found texts from …
Here I Am
I ran away from Toronto like a rabbit from a wolf. Moving to the country’s largest city from my smaller Ontario hometown had been like poking my head above ground and entering the wide and open field. It only took two years of exposure and uncertainty before I gathered my courage to bolt – across …
A natural way to look good (and feel good)
Standing in the hallway of the Horwood’s Mall, looking into Climate Clothing, you don’t immediately see the First Nation influence in the neat rows of clothing. You see earth tones, trending toward the dark due to the season, and little surprises here and there in a comfortable store. But First Nation teachings lives in the …
Tonic or toxin?
Ah, arnica. Renowned for its power to soothe sore muscles, sprains and bruises, and a common gateway drug into the wonderful world of the do-it-yourself apothecary. Most often it is in the form of arnica oil, where the bright yellow flower heads are wilted and then used to infuse oil that can be used in …
Beyond Thought
walking trails. We live not close to nature, but in nature. What is great is that so many of us are out there daily on the walking trails enjoying it. But we are also busy folks. We go to our jobs, get the kids to school and back, volunteer, coach and generally spend time being …
Exploring Atlin and the nearby volcanic field
Atlin Mountain might have lost some of its white stripes, but Atlin itself is still as much fun as ever – all inhabitants 100 percent colourful, all sights 100 percent amazing. Sometimes, on a long weekend, the girl gang and I drive down on a Saturday morning, spend the night and drive back Sunday evening. …
A scientistʼs letters to the future trace a journey to find optimism
What kind of world will be handed down to my daughter’s generation? That question led conservation ecologist Alejandro Frid to write A World for My Daughter: an Ecologist’s Search for Optimism, which is scheduled for publication by British Columbia’s Caitlin Press later this month. Alejandro Frid is an assistant professor in environmental studies at the …
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Water under Moss
My favourite childhood memories are when Mom would take us to Fish Lake, just a few miles out of Whitehorse. We spent our summers there along with several other families during the 1950s. Though the summers at Fish Lake were my favourite times, there were always chores to do before playtime. Our mother, Carrie, was …
Celebrating stewardship
When Shea Newnham goes to Wolf Creek Campground, he can still see the trail that he helped build as a Yukon Youth Conservation Corps (Y2C2) member. Ryan Drummond sees his stint as “the beginning of my understanding of the real meanings of natural resources and conservation”. Today, he is a fish and wildlife technician with …
Head in the Clouds
The motto on the Montana licence plate is Big Sky Country. I went to Montana before I knew the true meaning of ‘big sky’ — I was raised on the slope of a mountain in the narrow-valleyed interior of British Columbia. I had a déja vu-like inkling of the meaning, though. The Pacific Ocean gave …
Folk art in the forest
The forest is my palette. The flora, the fauna — they inspire me. I am so lucky to have an acreage at my disposal. I’ve created walking paths and gardens. Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed yarn bombing the forest paths I’ve created. It is a great way to create pattern swatches and use …
Slim’s River West Trail
I am making my way up a mountain. I am alone, tired, and very thirsty. The nearest road or person is 30 km away. The sun has just disappeared behind a mountain; I know it will be dark shortly. I must make it back to my tent soon, or risk crossing a rushing creek in …
Kookatsoon Calling
Do you like wind in your face? Because if you love a headwind, I recommend biking south along the Alaska Highway. All that extra initial effort will just fade away into a lovely tailwind on your return trip home. Biking to Kookatsoon Lake and back is a great beginner ride. Starting from downtown Whitehorse it …
Migration
Early in the spring, Swan Haven offers Yukoners a place to watch swans and other water birds as they stop to rest on their long migration north. Shortly thereafter we see small groups of swans flying past our farm, trumpeting as they go. Our geese really notice when wild birds fly overhead. The migrating fowl …
Delicate, but Determined
How does a plant know when it’s time to break the surface, to move from its protected subterranean world and reach skyward? If it gets the timing wrong, it could freeze, or encounter snow too deep to break through. Timing is especially important for early risers like the prairie crocus, currently gracing the south-facing slopes …
Guided Discoveries
Have you ever wondered about the names of the plants and wildflowers along the Alaska Highway? With the summer outdoor season just around the corner, a new guide to flora and fauna in this region should provide the answers you’re seeking. The New B.C.Roadside Naturalist, by prolific nature writers Richard and Sydney Cannings, was published in January …
What’s Up With Nature Around Whitehorse
As a new season approaches, have you ever asked yourself, “I wonder what’s up with the natural world, at this moment, where I live?” My name is Roy Jantzen and I am a professor of natural history, environmental interpretation, and stewardship. I live in Riverdale and find eternal excitement in the changes I witness each …
Finding the Essence of Experience in Nature
Yukon artist Helen O’Connor’s textural, organic, large-scale sculpture, assemblages, and installations beg the viewer to reach out and touch them. The works seem as though they are part of the natural world, not made by human hands. Indeed, O’Connor’s works are made with reverence to nature. However, instead of literal depictions, she tries to find …
The Beauty of Decay
I live along the Alaska Highway and when I step out of my house I am in the wilderness. Though I normally live in the wilderness, I can always find a little wilderness wherever I go. When I lived in The Hague, the North Sea and it’s beaches and dunes were within biking distance. In …
Mixing Business With Pleasure: Hiking, biking, and skiing in the Research Forest
Apparently forest bathing is big in Japan. It’s viewed as a way to reduce stress, and it has healing effects. We’re lucky to be encircled by forests, so we’ve got plenty of options of where to forest bathe – which, by the way, is not an activity performed naked. The idea is to leave the …
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Sunshine Paradox
BY DAN DAVIDSON Luminous ice-fogged sunshine haze sits upon the earth; mocks our avenues and days with signs of nature’s mirth. Sunshine should bring warmer weather so we have been told; this light’s touch is a frosty feather tickling us with the cold. We bundle up in parkas thick as down the streets we lurch, …
Wine Indoors or Out
Two weekends ago, a friend and I drove up the road from Rabbits Foot Canyon, to Fish Lake, to take her dog for a walk. While the roads were mostly dry, there was still a good foot or two of snow scattered intermittently along the path that we walked. The sky was blue and the …
Fulfilling a Childhood Dream
As a young biologist and a newly married husband, the Yukon offered Dave Mossop a chance to combine these recent developments in his life. “[Grace and I] were looking for an adventurous place to have a honeymoon, and I had the chance to research ptarmigan up here,” says Mossop. It’s almost 40 years later and, …
Return of the Cosmic Swan
Astronomy as a hobby can be challenging. You are always at the mercy of unpredictable weather, the local wildlife, and, especially, the bugs. Two weeks ago I caught that nasty cold that was going around and was laid up for a few days. One night I was heading to bed around 2:30 in the morning, …
Honing Their Outdoor Skills
“You get to learn how to notice the plants around you, how to shoot a rifle, how not to ground your boat in the river, how to pack properly for a multi-day hike, and you get to have fun and relax while you’re doing it,” says Nansi Cunningham. Cunningham is speaking about the annual Yukon …
Writing to be wild
“developing the hypothesis that we are all artists with a deep love of nature” the project results in recorded song and a lot to think about.
Atlin is Great for Young Explorers
We drove down to Atlin for the May long weekend for some family time. Atlin is one of my favourite getaway places. The town is so quiet the birds make more noise than the people. The Saturday we arrived it was a bit cool and grey during the day. We pulled in to top up …
