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Farm Life Magazine

Here are a few images from a recent photo shoot for a “Back to Roots” story in Farm Life Magazine -- Stories of families returning to a rural lifestyle after a working lifetime in urban space.

Foggy Night

Along the banks of the Shuswap River, the town of Enderby sits in the evening fog.

LINK - An endangered species: the environmental reporter

From the "Cleak Break" blog written by Tyler Hamilton of the Toronto Star
An endangered species: the environmental reporter

Are the 2010 Olympic Winter Games bringing fair treatment for Canadian First Nations?

The National had a report on this matter on last night's telecast.
CBC News - The National - Duncan McCue
The upcoming games in Vancouver have a strong First Nations front. Is this a sign of working towards a better future or it is simply - well, a front?
Canada has a poor record of fairness, including a poor recenet history:
Canada rejects UN human rights recommendations
Racism, poverty, aboriginal issues cited in UN report on Canada
I would consider myself hopeful, yet sceptical about meaningful changes for our First Nations Peoples'.

What is your take on these games for First Nations?

Frozen wetland

Iced in

The cold grip of winter.

Favourite Image of 2009

The choice wasn’t easy for me but it ended up being boiled down to an experience. This past summer I spent an evening with a herd of free ranging bison on the prairies. Those moments will forever be etched in my memory. Rutting, noisy bulls, cautious cows – dusty – beautiful.

Grasslands National Park – Saskatchewan. If you get the chance, go.

Heavy snows

Winter is most certainly here and the snow is piling up at higher elevations in the Okanagan. The Mule deer are toughing it out digging through the snow for feed at ground level. Check out how deep this doe has to dig.


Zoomed in...

Note to our Canadian Government.

A position on climate change policy does not have to be a choice between jobs OR the environment, that just is not the case. Our environment minister talks about protecting jobs, deflecting the real answers that he should be offering and feeding these divisive politics that are hurtful within Canada and outwardly for our image as Canadians. Please take a lead on these issues instead of dragging us down.

Fall colours, up close

Details, details.

New Life

Without a doubt forest fires can have devastating consequences for people. In this past fire season, in the Okanagan, we witnessed this again. (See West Kelowna Forest Fire post by clicking here) People seem to be able to bounce back and surely, the forest does as well. New life is already springing from under the burn.

Fall Kokanee from Okanagan Lake

Kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon and like their ocean-going relatives they turn beautifully red as they spawn. They can be considered as a conservation success story, in progress. Due to a number of factors, numbers had plummeted in Okanagan Lake, striking up significant action to change the decline in the 1990s.
Numbers of fish have returned to levels that now allow for a short angling season in the summer in Okanagan Lake.

Further Reading:
A Case History: The Kokanee Stocks of Okanagan Lake
BC Government Information Bulletin

Prairie Wind

Shot on a recent trip to Winnipeg and back...

Striking

BC Interior Camping
Summer weather equals evening heat.