When seven tiny wolf pups bid us adeiu at very close range upon our trail crews exit from Lost Valley after a weekend of trail clearing near the St’at’imc (pronounced Stat-lee-um) community of N’Quatqua on July 3, I knew something was up. Like, when was the last time seven wolf pups greeted you? What followed was a month of amazing wolf encounters by our joint First Nation / Wilderness Committee trail crews all over southwestern BC.
It was the coolest thing ever. They were so tiny and confused when they spotted us. I am quite sure we were their first “human encounter”. They looked so funny it took me, a trained wildlife biologist, a few seconds to figure out what the heck they were. They actually looked more like tiny bears than wolves. They were so stocky, with stout jet black bodies with a spot of cream on their chest, short little legs, tiny ears, and hardly any muzzle at all. I would guess they weighed-in at about 2 kilos each and were 2-3 weeks old.
They may have been sleeping in a big pile, because when they saw us and rose to their feet they looked so dopey, stumbling about, not knowing what to do. It was a hilarious scene fitting of a Laurel and Hardy comedy episode, or perhaps a Pink Panther film with a bumbling Inspector Cleuseau. The wolf puppies where bumping into each other, falling over, getting back up, repeat. They fumbled about until they received a “what the heck do you think you are doing” signal bark from their mother or father, at which point they proudly marched off into the forest. It all unfolded before we could wrestle our cameras out of our backpacks. Another lost opportunity in the “trail-builder” life of yours truly.
On the trip we had a group of five from the Wilderness Committee searching for an ancient trail leading from N’Quatqua into Lost Valley and on up to a ceremonial meeting rock two vertical kilometres above us in a distant alpine meadow. The trail was apparently used by community leaders in days of old for spiritual and cultural training, and as a foot-travel route to access a St’at’imc meeting place where folks would gather annually from many First Nation communities to discuss peace and other important matters. What a great idea eh? Imagine what our society would be like if we did the same thing? Imagine hiking into the wilderness to a neutral place and meeting with friends from nearby communities to talk about. What a fantastic and neighbourly thing to do!
Seton Portage, a 1 hour drive north of N’Quatqua, has also been a great spot for wolf sightings this year. On the hairy 4x4 drive up an over the Bendor Mountain range en-route to Seton Portage from N’Quatqua, our volunteers have regularly reported glimpsing a gray-coloured wolf with steely-blue eyes near the MacGillivray Creek bridge.
In Seton Portage we are also working on several trails leading into the Cayoosh Mountain range of which the 30 km long Lost Valley is a threatened feature. The BC government has proposed logging for the area and is considering a Private Power Project for the archeologically rich Lost Valley Creek.
The month of August will be a great time to join us for a Cayoosh Mountain trail clearing trip high up in the alpine. Although we only have one formal trip scheduled on August 6-9, our WWOOFers will be going regularly as long as you can get yourself to N’Quatqua (3 hours north of Vancouver) or Seton Portage (4 hours north of Vancouver) or join one of our regular supply runs. Contact Andy for details.
This photo collage was taken by Wilderness Committee Trial Boss Martin Krykorka whille working on the Lone Cone Trail in the Mears Island Tribal Park.
In Clayoquot Sound near Tofino we are working on three trails: Lone Cone and Big Tree on Meares Island and the Clayoquot River Valley. Our notable wolf encounter during July in Clayoquot Sound happened on Meares Island when our trail-builders were camped on the beach. After a long day of snipping blueberry and salal bushes that had overgrown the trail, the crew returned to camp and while preparing dinner, noticed several wolves walking on the beach nearby.
The trail-builders turned their heads to watch the sunset and noticed a deer on the far end of the beach. “Hmmmm”, they murmured, “wolves on one side of us, a deer on the other side; this could get interesting”. Before the trail-builders could swallow their meager rations, the chase was on: the wolves in hot pursuit of a nice deer dinner. Then all was silent. I guess the wolves were having an after-dinner nap in the bush.
Our trail crews have regularly reported seeing wolves and wolf paw prints on the beach on Meares Island this year, and in the Clayoquot River Valley. We mounted four trail clearing trips to Clayoquot Sound in July and will repeat this feat in August. Hopefully the wolf theme will continue. They are magnificent creatures to watch and are harmless to humans.
The Wilderness Committee is working on trail and farm projects with four First Nation communities this summer 2010, principally located Near Pemberton/Lillooet and near Tofino/Uclulet.
Call or email Andy if you would like to join us at 604-683-8220 (office), 604-992-0839 (cell) or andy@wildernesscommittee.org
Andy Miller | Staff Scientist
Wilderness Committee
There are lots of meaningful ways to contribute to the work of the Wilderness Committee. Whether is helping out around the office, promotion events, or doing campaign specific outreach in your community, we can use your skills and passion!
I came from Spain to volunteer @ the Seton Portage Aboriginal Farm and Trail Project near Lillooet, BC. I spent my days either working on the Indian Reserve Community Farm, or helping re-open ancient First Nation Trails in the Wilderness. I intended to spend only 2 weeks but instead stayed for a month! What a WILD place! Thanks for the opportunity!