Paddle packing beats backpacking hands down!

I love backpacking. Love the freedom to head deep in the wilderness with all that I need for survival strapped to my back. But, you know? I like a little comfort too deep in the woods. While I do pack camp shoes and a camp chair on my trips, a little wine and perhaps a dessert, comfort is still at a premium when I'm trekking through the backcountry. But give me a canoe and I can really live it up. Heck give me a canoe and two guides and I'm never coming back. When I was writing for Paddler magazine, before the Great Recession put an end to its run, I made regular trips to Canadian waters.

There I was occasionally set up with a guide to help me explore such intriguing places as Saskatchewan's Prince Albert National Park, and Ontario's Great Lakes and Boundary Waters. By far one of the best trips I was assigned to do was down the French River-an important connector between the Great Lakes and the Ottawa River for the fur trade. On that trip I was assigned not one guide, but two-and one was of British descent and the other French-very cool indeed. And aside from possessing a strong knowledge of the area and strong paddling skills-these two had amazing culinary skills. And when you pack a trip with two canoes you literally can take the kitchen with you. Pack it all-then flip your canoe over to set up shop. Do a trip like this and you will never look at those crappy little dehydrated backpackers meals again. Anyone up to take me for a canoeing excursion? I'm hungry!

No Mealy Mouthing Here

on the Mealy Mountain National Park!

To quote our president's most overstated phrase-Let me be clear here-Canada's new Mealy Mountain National Park in Labrador is now eastern Canada's largest national park!

According to a press release from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society:

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society welcomes the announcements today by the Governments of Canada and Newfoundland-Labrador that they will establish a new national park reserve and an adjacent provincial waterways park in the pristine Boreal wilderness area of Labrador’s Mealy Mountains.

This area, which has long been treasured by Aboriginal people, shelters spectacular wilderness, along with a threatened woodland caribou herd, moose, black bear, osprey, bald eagles and a species of special concern, the eastern population of the harlequin duck. It is also a prime destination for salmon anglers.

Today's announcement by the Government of Canada to move ahead with the establishment of the Mealy Mountains National Park, encompassing 10,700 km2, and by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to designate 3,000 km2 of the adjacent lEagle River watershed for inclusion in a new waterway provincial park, will create a total protected area of nearly 14,000 km2 in central Labrador. It will become the largest protected area in Eastern Canada, and nearly double the total area protected within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Wow! Looking for a little adventure this summer? To counter-quote fellow New Hampshire native son Horace Greeley- Go East Young Man! (Heck Young woman too-old and middle aged men and women as well!)

Read more here in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald.
(Picture of the new park from Parks Canada)

Once, Twice, Three, Four Times a Creme Brulee!

C'est Bon!

Hey, it's Thanksgiving Week and I have food on my mind. C'mon, I'm Italian afterall-I have food on my mind all the time. One of the ways that I judge a country is by its cuisine. One of the things I enjoy most about traveling is trying new foods and any foods. Yep! Just about any foods. I've had every conceivable part of a cow served to me in Argentina. Chicken hearts in Brazil-and just recently served to me right here in my house by my wife. I've had urchins and other gushy things-the entire darned dredged harbor served to me in Japan. Kim chi coming out of my-well, never-mind, in Korea. Haggis in Scotland. Beetle larvae in the Amazon, fiddleheads in Quebec, cow head in Uruguay, Octopus jerky in Korea, prickly pear in Sicily, hot dogs in New Jersey! So, how about this week we salute some of my favorite countries and places of distinguished culinary tastes.

Today-Quebec! Think North American game and bounties served by a people who gave us the word-cuisine. Anyone who doesn't think there is a Canadian cuisine has never been to Quebec. And it was those wonderful French-Canadians that also gave us Cajun cuisine. Yep, when the English who don't know how to boil water, never mind make a decent meal (hey but they know how to brew a good ale) started throwing the French out of Acadia (that would be Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Gaspe for those of you not versed in Canadian history and geography) they ended up in the bayous of Louisiana. Cajuns are Arcadians and they like the Quebecois, trace their ancestry to one of the finest countries on the planet when it comes to good food- France! Anywhere the French have had an impact, expect good food. Can you say Vietnam, Lebanon, Senegal, Foie gras? Bon appetit!

(Photo-me in Montreal contemplating which Creme brulee to attack first!)

Nahanni National Park now sevens times larger!

This just arrived in my inbox from
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

CPAWS is celebrating the historic announcement today by Environment Minister Jim Prentice and DehCho First Nations Grand Chief Gerald Antoine of the final boundaries for the greatly expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories.

The world famous park reserve is now nearly seven times the size of the original one established in 1972. It will permanently protect over 30,000 km2 of Boreal wilderness - an area the size of Vancouver Island.

"The Nahanni is the jewel of Canada’s Boreal forest, and one of the world’s greatest wilderness treasures. Canada has shown true global leadership by protecting it," says CPAWS National Executive Director Eric Hébert-Daly.

"With this announcement the federal government has created a national park that can take its place alongside Banff and Jasper as one of the world’s great protected areas," says Harvey Locke, CPAWS Senior Advisor for Conservation.

The announcement of final boundaries comes nearly two years after Prime Minister Harper and former Environment Minister John Baird promised a massive expansion of the park, crowning years of collective work by CPAWS, local First Nations and many others to convince the federal government to permanently protect this iconic wilderness area.

Nice job PM Harper and proving that conservatives care about the environment too. I haven't made it to Nahanni and the NWT yet. I have spent some time in the Yukon though hiking Kluane National Park, one of the most spectacular places in North America. I imagine Nahanni rivals it.

(photo compliments of CPAWS)

Economy, not environment is Canadians' top priority

(and Americans too)!

Here's some environmental food-for-thought from today's Vancouver Sun:

Economy, not environment, is Canadians' top priority
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun

Substantially more Canadians are rating the economy ahead of the environment as their top priority, according to an international survey of green trends that ranks Canada second last among surveyed countries for the second straight year.

Canada's ranking suffered in part due to residents' large homes, the survey noting more than half have seven rooms.
Home heating and hot running water added to our footprint, as did our love affair with the automobile, especially large private ones. "Car and truck ownership is above the 17-country average (86 percent compared with 74 percent) and, of those who drive, Canadians are among the most likely to drive large vehicles," the survey found. "Canadians have the third highest rate of driving alone most days (56 per cent)."

(bold face my emphasis)
Read the rest here.

And which country comes in last? The U S of A! Oprah's jet, Al's big house and all the latte liberals' second homes in the Methow, Cape Cod and Vail certainly can't help our ratings. But it's not just the hypocritical green washing left that has us on the bottom. The use-it-all-up who cares about spotted owls, wolves and grizzly bear conspicuously consuming right wingers lower our rating too! But they don't care. What about the well heeled enviros? They pretend to care. Who are we fooling? We'll never be able to address climate, habitat, and resource issues as long as we don't address our ridiculous levels of consumption (and population and immigration-but that's another topic). And who does cares more about the environment than the economy according to this poll? Can you believe India, Brazil and China (although I seriously doubt that last one-the government anyway)!

(photo- downtown Montreal- an economic center built on exploiting the environment-beaver pelts!)

Canadian Parks Plan for a Big Freeze!

Price freeze-that is. This from this morning's Vancouver Sun.

National park gate fees --including those at Banff and Jasper--are being frozen in a bid to entice cash-strapped Canadians to visit more often.
A two-year fee freeze at national parks and historic sites, described as"some of the most magnificent and fascinating places to visit in the world," was announced Saturday by Environment Minister Jim Prentice.
"In this time of global economic recession, our government is doing what it can to encourage Canadians to enjoy these places," said Prentice. "For many families, every dollar counts."
Adults currently pay $9.80 at the gates in Banff National Park. Annual park passes for adults are $67.70, and $84.40 for deluxe passes including historic sites.
Individual rates for 2008 will stay in place until April 1, 2011. For the travel trade, the 2009 rates now in effect will be frozen until April 1, 2012. Read the rest here.

I'm all for getting more people to visit national parks and I'm all for equitable user fees. $9.80 Canadian is still a deal to hike all day at Banff. What's the cost for a crappy 90 minute movie at the theatre? Nine bucks! Skiing all day at Whistler? Almost $90! Box seats to watch the Mariners? How about $53!! And we tax payers even subsidized their stadium-Ay Carumba!

Now, we definitely need to fund our parks better- Congress needs to cough up more money-and we visitors need to stop whining over spending $10 to hike in Mount Rainier -these places are worth far more than funding steroid taking athletes, breast-enhancing drug-taking actresses and providing mega resorts for the rich. I already have my money put aside for my American and Canadian National Park passes for this season. I buy annual passes and my trips come out to less than a buck a visit! My coffee on the way home costs more! And next year on my Canadian Parks visits I'll have a little extra money for my Tim Hortons stop since my park fees won't be going up!

Canada's Seal of Approval

Even in a country as liberal as Canada where liberal drug laws and criminal codes allow gangs to shoot up Vancouver with impunity, junkies stumble over each other in half of the downtown, and terrorists are granted immigration status, this latest move simply baffles me: Canadian MPs Vote to Include Seal Skin On Olympic Uniforms. Read for yourself in today's Vancouver Sun. American Lefties love to point to Canada as a promised land. How many of them threatened to leave the US for our northern neighbor when George W Bush was reelected? I'm still waiting for Sean Penn to leave. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to environmental protections-the much more conservative America does better. We have an endangered species act (signed by Republican Richard Nixon no less). We have a wilderness act and millions of acres of wilderness. And we don't butcher marine mammals (thanks to a bill drafted by two NW senators, one a Republican from Oregon). In Canada, they still log old growth forests, there is no endangered species act, oil is king in the boreal forests, and they slaughter seals. And not only do they slaughter them-in a most inhumane way I may add-but they are now flaunting it by making their athletes wear clothing containing seal skin. Mon Dieu!

Now, I'm no vegetarian, and I have mixed feelings about seal slaughtering-but it is indeed inhumane the way they do it-and I would add, probably unnecessary (First Nations should be exempt for subsistence hunting) and it should definitely not be flaunted-and forced upon athletes that may object to this barbaric practice. And now Canada has introduced a hot political topic into what should be a non-political event. And you thought the dog issue was big in China? Now, I love Canada-spend a lot of time there-and the country consists of wonderful people. I like Stephen Harper, the Quebecois, and adore Diana Krall. But this act-like their liberal drug laws that have turned the Lower Mainland of BC into a gang infested war zone makes no sense to me. Where's the outrage now Sean Penn and company? Is your silence a seal of approval?

(Photo from Liberation BC)

Vive la foret!

More good news from eastern Canada. Following the lead of Ontario, Quebec is moving to protect large tracts of its boreal forest as well. Last month Quebec Premier Jean Charest became the second leader to commit to protecting at least half of his province's northern Boreal forest from industrial development, following Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's landmark commitment in July. On behalf of all the wild critters and those of us who like to recreate in this vast and beautiful province- Merci beaucoup!
For more information on wilderness protection in Canada and how you can get involved check out CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

(photo- boreal forest in northern Ontario along the Turtle River)

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Big conservation news coming out of Ontario this month. According to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) half of Ontario's northern Boreal Forest is on the verge of being protected. You heard that right- Half! Ontario is huge-the area to be protected is twice the size of England or 22.5 million hectares or over 50 million acres. Holy sprawling land mass batman! This is incredible and it involves some innovative land planning. Read the release below. Hope too that premiers Gordon Campbell of British Columbia (hey the Olympics are coming) and Ed Stelmach of Alberta (thar's oil in them thar sands) read the release. Canada may only have 33,000,000 residents but it is providing resources for billions around the world, especially we Americans-and this is having an amazing impact on some of the planet's last intact ecosystems. Hey-We're all interconnected.

Half of Ontario's northern Boreal to be protected
Posted on July 14, 2008
Historic announcement to protect area twice the size of England Toronto -- Today CPAWS Wildlands League congratulates Premier McGuinty on his vision to protect 225,000 km2 or 22.5 million hectares of intact Boreal Forest in Ontario in an interconnected network across the Far North. The future of Ontario’s northern Boreal lands and waters will be determined through an innovative Land Use Planning initiative with First Nations. The announcement includes an important commitment to work with First Nations to ensure their consent is given before any industrial projects go forward and resource benefit sharing. Also in the announcement is firm commitment to change the Mining Act from a ‘free entry’ system to one that respects the rights of First Nations and enshrines the duty to consult and accommodate in legislation in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling. “This announcement sets out the most ambitious conservation agenda for the Boreal Forest in Canada,” said Janet Sumner, Executive Director of CPAWS Wildlands League. The area set aside for protection is twice the size of England. CPAWS Wildlands League, working with other conservation groups, has been a strong voice calling on Ontario to protect its intact Boreal forest for the past five years, given its critical global ecological value as one of the world’s most important remaining stretches of wilderness. It has also been a critic of the “free entry” mining system. “This is a visionary and unprecedented policy. Today’s announcement fulfills the Premier’s promise to protect the Boreal Forest by doing Land Use Planning before large scale industrial development. It sets out an incredible conservation agenda that will be a legacy for all our grandchildren and their grandchildren,” Ms. Sumner commented. “The commitment to revise the Mining Act is also extremely welcome. Ontario is now taking a leadership position in Canada on this issue, leaving behind an antiquated law that has no place in our future,” adds Ms. Sumner. In comparison to previous notable conservation area gains in Ontario, this one is unprecedented:
Greenbelt 728,000 hectares
Lands for Life 2,400,000 hectares
Algonquin 763,000 hectares
“Scientists say that we need to protect more than half of the carbon-rich Boreal ecosystem in order to ensure its ecosystem services and benefits are maintained in the long term. Protection must be designed to meet the needs of wide-ranging species such as caribou, which is the indicator for overall ecosystem health, support carbon retention and sequestration and of course, protect watersheds to maintain clean air and water,” Ms. Sumner said. The key to successful land use planning will be to work respectfully with First Nations in achieving the overarching conservation objectives and in providing business stability, the group noted. In this part of Ontario (encompassing nearly 45% of the province), the Boreal Forest is home to billions of migrating birds, threatened species such as Woodland Caribou, Polar Bear and Lake Sturgeon. It is one of the world’s largest terrestrial carbon storehouses. Each hectare of forest holds approximately 177 tonnes of carbon while the peatlands on average hold 1,294 tonnes of carbon. There are approximately 27 million hectares of Boreal Peat Lands in Ontario.
In 2008, CPAWS and Mountain Equipment Co-op founded The Big Wild, an initiative that enables people to support the vision that Canada will keep at least half of its land and water forever wild. Add your voice at www.thebigwild.org.-30- For further information, please contact: Janet Sumner, Executive Director, CPAWS Wildlands League416.579.7370 cell

(photo-Turtle River -White Otter Provincial Park near Ignace, Ont. Sept 2007)

Happy Canada Day

Bonne Fete du Canada



To all of my Canadian friends and acquaintances and American friends and acquaintances who appreciate our northern neighbors, have a wonderful Canada Day today! And to my American friends who wonder if there is a Fourth of July in Canada-there is-as well as a 5th of July, 6th of July, etc.! July 1st is the day Canadians celebrate their country's birth -but not quite its independence-that would take another 100 years or so to break from those tea drinkers across the Atlantic. Canada Day, Originally known as Dominion Day celebrates the unity of the British North American Colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec into the Dominion of Canada in 1867. It has nothing to do with hockey, curling, Celine Dion or Tim Horton's.

(photo- Voyageur mural at the Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Park, Montreal, Quebec)