Wild Horse Visit

A couple weeks ago my son and I took a day trip west of Sundre, Alberta to see if we could find some of Alberta's wild horses. There is plenty of hot discussion about these free ranging horses from environmentalists, ranchers, governments, hunters, trappers, logging and oil industries and people like ourselves, who love the idea of wild horses in the wilderness. There are people who want to exploit them by trapping or rounding them up to be sold to abattoirs who will butcher them for world wide people and pet meat markets. Other people want to be able to round them up and break them to ride, pack or pull a wagon. Some people are shooting and leaving them to rot for some perverse pleasure.

Do horses belong in the foothills and forests of Alberta or any place else they live? Are they truly wild or are they just released from some ranch or farm who can no longer care for them properly?

Are they feral animals, horses gone wild after wandering away from abandoned farms, pack outfits, ranches, or lost Indian ponies who wandered off to scrounge a living were they could? Some people suggest they have genes from the original Spanish Conquistadors horses. There were horses in North America before the last ice age, so perhaps these are descendants from then.

Irregardless of where they come from or the discussions about how to manage them, they are beautiful animals who seem to fit into their chosen ranges. As Michael and I drove along the Forestry Trunk Road, we spotted at least 15 animals in 3 different herds. Some were farther off and unapproachable. One herd was grazing on the hillside on the other side of a river. Another group was foraging through the lodge pole pine forest above the road. All were very alert and noticed us as soon as we stopped to look them over. We spotted a herd of 4 about half a mile down a shallow hill in an old logged out burn. I decided we should try to approach them to get some photos and to see for ourselves what they looked like up close. We made our way downhill using natural draws and bushes to hide in on our stalk. The snow was crunchy and the wind waffled around,as if unsure of where it was coming from or going to. We managed to get within about 100 yards before the naturally alert ponies noticed us. 2 of 4 heads popped out of the grass to see what we were all about. Pretty soon all 4 horses watched as we continued our nonchalant approach. I had already got a few pictures figuring to at least get a record of what we were seeing before they bolted for the tall timber, but they kept grazing quietly as we got nearer. We got to within about 20 yards or so, closer than I have gotten to "tame" horses, before horsey body lingo told us we were there. For the next half hour or so, we were in the beautiful western Albertan equine living room. As these horses grazed, we maneuvered to get the best angle of the sun and background for photos. I see the same inter species awareness as they grazed and monitored our actions, as I do when I watch bears or birds. I try not to interrupt their business or stress them out as we enjoy their company.

The horses were in beautiful condition, I thought. A few scars, war wounds from battles of old, marred otherwise pristine coats. Long guard hairs covered full, finer undercoats, their ribs were well covered by a layer of fat and well conditioned muscles rippled as they grazed. One stallion has a giant "skin tag" on his left hind quarter. Their feet were in good shape, judging by their tracks in the snow. Best of all was their alertness and their curiosity about the two humans who quietly moved along with them as they gathered their noon time meal.

We saw only deer tracks interspersed with the few horse tracks as we wandered around this burned over landscape. There was plenty of grass with quite a bit of browse for the critters to eat. Rabbit tracks were also numerous and there were grouse trails on top of the snow. It seemed to me that there was plenty of food for the horses and any other animals who may want to live here, The horse herds that we saw were well dispersed so as not to over graze the land.

This was a good day, memorable for me for the company I was with. Time spent alone with your son sharing a wilderness experience in the company of wild animals is always memorable. We don't get to do it often enough.

Oyster River Enhancement Society, Old Men of the Hatchery

We are just regular, mainly retired, men and women who want to give something back to the world that we may have used during our working years. Some of us were loggers, fishermen, salespeople, mill workers or military people. Some enjoyed hunting and fishing as pastimes who took our fair share and maybe even more, never worrying that we ought to leave some for our grand kids. Now we understand the damage we may have caused and work towards righting some of the environmental woes we were part of. I am one of these people; semi retired, exlogger who did more than my share of damage to Mother Earth. I am now trying to raise awareness of the damages we humans continue to do to the world and attempt to demonstrate by doing, how we all might be able to assure that our grand kids have a salmon to catch some day. The Oyster River Enhancement Society has a membership of over 300 and an active volunteer group of over 50 members who show up every Tuesday to do what needs to be done. We have been led by Frank and Jitka Petrezuelka for about 18 years. They are now leaving to live a quieter lifestyle, get some rest and enjoy some new freedom. This has been a full time job for these "retired" managers. They will be tough people to replace when we think of what they have accomplished these past many years. With the help of many volunteers Frank has overseen tremendous growth of natural spawning channels that the fish use naturally. Working with limited budgets and grants from Pacific Salmon Foundation as well as donations from local businesses and private individuals, priority infrastructure has been added where needed. Much of the success of the hatchery has been due to Frank's easy management style. Most years the hatchery has released more than 2 million salmon fry to the river. This is not counting many times more than that that have spawned naturally in the river and side channels. It is more difficult to manage volunteers than a paid work force. Employees can be told what to do where volunteers have to be coaxed. Jitka never forgets a birthday and always has a smile and a hug of support for all. She has been Frank's right hand man for years and is dedicated to the fish and volunteers. She has filed many of the grant applications for specific projects.
I know it will not be easy to replace Frank and Jitka. I looked at the wood carving of the "Old Man of the Sea" and think we ought to have one for the fish. If we could design a memorial, I believe it could be a carving of Frank and Jitka and be titled "The Keepers of the Salmon".
I look forward to the next few years volunteering at ORES and know that there are still many other members who have been devoted to the Oyster River Salmon for a long time that will help our new manager as he comes up to speed. Lyle has big boots to fill and there will always be the ghost of Frank looking over his shoulder.
Thanks for all you have accomplished, Frank and Jitka. The Oyster River is alive and well because of your able direction. We hope you come for a visit once in a while. We are going to miss you.

Bob Scriba
Dec.13/2011

http://www.seasonsofthegrizzly.com/

Freedom to Float

I was walking the beech yesterday enjoying the sunrise and the calm strait. Out on the water sat several different species of birds, mainly ducks. Today the Cormorants seemed most numerous so I sat and watched them for a while. The largest ones we have living

on the west coast is the "Double Crested Cormorant" and the smallest is the "Pelagic Cormorant." Most often we see them sitting on the rocks digesting their meals or drying their feathers. They don't have any oil in their feathers which reduces their water buoyancy, allowing them to dive down as low as 160 feet to catch their small fishy meal. I have seen them sitting out there trying to dry feathers in a rainstorm too.

Often, I enjoy watching Cormorants and Gulls riding the tidal currents on a piece of driftwood. What freedom that is and it reminds me of the days we used to have floating down the Smokey or Wapiti Rivers in our canoe or raft. Just sit on your raft and let the winds or the current carry you someplace. Where, who cares? We used to worry about getting back to the confines of jobs and homes, preferably on time. Now days we all have to be equipped with GPS, Spot, and cell phones, just in case somebody wants to get a hold of us. The old freedom is rare these days. I wondered if Mother Cormorant was concerned about her young ones, floating off on the ebb tide? Were they worried about getting back to the big rock to dry out? Could they fish for their supper wherever that driftwood took them? Would they just ride their raft back on the flood tide?

I think more of us should just get on our "raft" and go wherever the winds, tides or trails take us. Lets not be too concerned about if we get back today or by dark or even by tomorrow. Is the world going to stop spinning because we aren't exactly where we are "supposed" to be? There would be a lot less stress, at least on ourselves.

www.seasonsofthegrizzly.com

The rules

Occupy Agreement

I have been wondering about all these Occupy Activists lately, thinking that they are a bunch of dope smoking, crack eating pot heads, which some of them probably are, but there are some with very real concerns.

I went down to the post office today to mail a book off, 1 book. I have always sent these same books in a package, supplied by the post office, for $11.00. These packages were designed to fill up and mail, no matter what the weight. Today they wouldn't let me mail even 1 book in that package, I had to buy the next bigger one, for an extra $3.00. This larger package is what I used to send 6 books in for $14.00. Maybe I am one of the people who took advantage of the post office's former generosity, but it was their own policy. Price of shipping is going to go up folks, so my book sales will no doubt suffer.

Another big corporation example of public gouging is the price of gasoline at the pumps. $1.29/l at the pumps here in Campbell River. Now the price of oil has been down several dollars below the summer high, but the price per litre keeps climbing! What is going on? What is their new excuse? What a bunch of shysters we have to contend with and we have no choice but to pay, pay, pay! I hope there is a big raise coming soon!

It won't be long and I will have no choice but to join the pot heads in their tents on the grounds of the Legislature grounds. At least the government will pay for my room and board if I refuse to move.

2011 Season of Grizzly Bear Viewing

The 2011 season was one of our busiest with lots of bears, a decent salmon run and lots of great guests. As always there are some we never want to see leave because we do have a lot in common and need more time to get to know each other. I always watch the guests as they climb out of the plane and wonder who they are, what are they like, why are they here, what is their story and most of all who are we not going to want to see leave? Some of the most difficult looking first impressions often turn out to be favorite guests as they become more comfortable with us. I always have to remind myself that our common bond to begin with is wilderness and wildlife, especially grizzly bears. From there we can begin. I am not long on words so tend to let the wilderness explain itself, with some explanations from my perspective. I do introduce our new guests to the cove and inlet with some history and background of the logging, cannery and the lodge itself. With a bit of luck we can often show our new guests a bear within an hour or so of landing and getting on the water. My payment is the joy that many of them express when they see their first grizzly bear. For many guests, this is one more tick off their personal bucket list. Many people have travelled the world to experience wildlife and the grizzly bear is considered one of the top of the world wildlife trophies to see in the natural world. I am very lucky to work in a place where we have excellent assurance of seeing one everyday.

There are some very good reasons why the bears are here and why our guests can be assured of seeing one. Guests spend hours of their time planning their trip and spend al lot of money in hopes of a close encounter with a grizzly bear.

The big motivation for bears to hang around the cove are the food resources. In the spring, sedge provides immediate nutrients and helps to maintain their body weight over the summer. As the tide ebbs daily, the bears move down the exposed beach to roll rocks over and slurp up intertidal life such as gunnels, insects, arthropods, shore crabs as well as mussells and barnacles.

Berries grow in the forest beginning in late June with Salmon berries and progressing through summer and fall with many others such as huckleberries, currants, elderberries and ending up with salal and Pacific crab apples.

Mating season begins in late May and through June so the bears know that there is a good chance of finding a mate here. It is always the most exciting season with many encounters with large males interacting with the females as well as the possibility of bear fights for dominance and the right to be with a favorite mate. This season we watched our favorite young bear get chased away from his mom so she could go off with Clyde. Peanut was a hesitant bachelor but caught on by salmon time. Next year we may get to see Bella chase her cubs off to begin the baby cycle over again. Hopefully Lenore will come home with a pair of cubs to see too.

Around this time of the season, the females bring their new born cubs down to the beach to forage as well. There are always plenty of oohs and aahs when guests see the little cubs. We run "name the cubs" contests at the lodge, (no cheesy names please) and it is always interesting to see the names that our international guests come up with.

Salmon season begins at the end of July and early August. Now is when the bears begin to pack on the weight they need to make it through another winter. The river mouth and the tree stand are favorite hangouts for the bears looking for the first salmon returns. As salmon become more numerous the bears move up river toward the spawning channel where they will become more concentrated.

Many other reasons help keep bears in the Glendale area. A small but safe no hunting zone keeps trophy hunters away from our bears. We continue to strive towards a hunting ban of coastal grizzly bears, but our government is very attached to the dollars these hunts bring in.

The forest and healthy river provide great food, safety, mating, hibernation and diversity of life habitat that the bears need for a fruitful, healthy life.

We continue to weigh the costs and benefits to the bears of being too habitualized to bear watchers. We strive to maintain safe observation distances, keep time schedules, and to stay on regular paths so none of the bears are shocked or surprised when we meet. We do not carry food or dump garbage that the bears may pick up and begin to associate us as a food source. We travel in groups, make a bit of noise and carry pepper spray as a deterrent if ever approached too closely by a menacing bear. We have never had to resort to that.

This season my guests and I have had many experiences with bears that we will all remember for years to come. From the comments in the guest book, we continue to be one of the highlights of most of our guests holidays. On Trip Advisor, Knight Inlet Lodge was voted #5 in the world as a destination. This is a designation voted on by our guests and one that we are all very proud of. It shows how hard we work for our guests and how successful we continue to be at giving our worldwide travellers a quality grizzly experience.

Franks Day Off

Here is a link to a post that one of our guests wrote about one of my tours. It is his perspective of a great day on the water at Knight Inlet Lodge.
Hope you enjoy.



http://www.knightinletlodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Whales-Franks-day-off3.pdf