Tazdli Wiyez Bin June 08
07/08/2008
About 30 years after it was first proposed, the Burnie/ Shea Lakes area is now a Class A Provincial Park. The legislation passed at the end of May. This is a cause for celebration: this precious land is now protected from mining, logging and hydroelectric development. I spent two years working on this and other environmental and tourism goals at the Morice Land and Resources Management Planning Table. Now it’s official, and I feel gratitude for all those who worked with the same goals (yes that is you, Caroll Morey!). Thanks also go to those of you who have written the government in support of Park status through the years.
If I have to butt heads with a Parks bureaucracy in the future, I’ll do that with a lighter heart than I would take on a logging or mining bureaucracy. I have been in contact with Parks from before I built the lodge and they know how we operate at Burnie. I look forward to working with them.
Two disappointments: the government managed to spell the Wet’suwet’ en name wrong. Tazdli Wiyez Bin means something like “lake of waters rushing through,’ a very apt description of the surging of glacial waters down the valley on a hot summer day! And there are provisions to put two large oil and condensate pipelines through the southern end of the park, near its junction with the Clore River about 25 km from the lodge, which in turn drains into the Skeena. The new park’s southern part is a paradise for grizzly bears, and megaprojects such as those will certainly disturb them.
Next winter will see a change in the days we use to get to and from the lodge. We have always flown on Sundays: now we’ll do that on Fridays, at the same time. This is mostly to accommodate guides working at the heli-ski outfits in the region. All those change on Fridays, and they will allow guides to leave early Friday morning to make the flight out of Smithers so they can work a week at Burnie and break a sweat every once in a while. And you can combine a week of heli skiing with some real skiing! It will also mean that you have more flights to choose from when you come for a trip. We always recommend that you come the night before. On rare occasions, a morning flight does not make it in due to weather, and sometimes your luggage is a flight late. If you come in Thursday night, you can be certain to get your gear on Friday morning at the latest. And you get to take in Smithers night life on Thursday night. Did I hear anyone laugh?
Summer is the time of music festivals, rock climbing, and work projects at the lodge. If things go well, we’ll try to build a water line and micro hydro plant this summer. Getting rid of the gas generator would be just great. So if you want to work hard digging, join us in July and earn time for next winter!
Unfortunately, I’ll have to set my prices at $1,875 plus GST for next winter. This is still in the lower third of the price range of Canadian lodges. But here is your chance: if you send me your deposit before 1 August 08, you get last year’s price. Three weeks in March are already booked, but the skiing is good at Burnie from the middle of December to the middle of May. See you there!
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