Redfish 2012 begins...

We're back! The Redfish School of Change is back at the Little Slocan Lodge and on adventure. We are 18 students and three instructors - living and learning together in the Kootenays. We come from across BC and Canada, with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, study disciplines, and ideas for our action projects.

The first few days have been filled with various activities including two fantastic guests from the Columbia Basin Trust who welcomed and introduced us to the region, Jeremy Down and a jam session exploring the metaphors in music relating to communication and leadership, and Shanoon Bennett who shared her expertise on the wild food and medicines of the natural world. We lowered a tent pole... We reached concensus on our group values... (kincentricity, commitment, growth and celebration) We shopped for 21 people for 10 days... We built a foot bridge over Mulvey Creek... It's been a fantastic first few days

as we get to know each other and dive deep into concepts, ideas, questions, and build new skills and relationships.

The Final Countdown

We’re on the final stretch of our Redfish journey – the last week! This by default, also means the end of food planning. Our last session took place along the Fraser River at the lovely Iona Park. The session itself was relatively short as it turns out we Redfishies become incredibly efficient the fourth time around. The session involved the always intense game of cut throat Pictionary, where favourite meals throughout our journey were highlighted. Highlights included Addy’s Trinidad stew, stir fry, quinoa, egg salad sandwiches and birthday cake. The actual food purchase its self, took place at the “Save on Foods” in Kitsilano, quite the luxury after previous experiences at gas stations turned grocery stores, such as Mountain Berry Foods in New Denver.

These last two weeks of the program are all about transitions. We’ve gone from the natural to the industrial along the Fraser, to arrive in the urban of Vancouver. We traded thermarests for mattresses, canoes for translink, colemans for stocked kitchens, and sanitized-rubbing-around-dirt hands for showers and cleanliness.
Tomorrow we depart for Galiano Island, where we will be both car camping and back-packing – two more transitions. The hardest transition of all will most likely be the journey home. Our community has grown and flourished together and this has truly been an unforgettable experience for many.

“We’re paddling the Fraser
Till we reach Van
4 nights, 5 days
That’s our plan”

“We’ve got gorp, water
And hand sanny to boot
See us approach
And hear our salute”
- Day 1 Fraser River Trip

- Carley, Chris & Isabel

Hello out there in the real world!

This blog entry will take you back a few weeks to our trip through the
Okanagan, where we met some rattlesnakes, farmers, and dangerous plants. And to cap it off, Julia, Kevin and Ella did a Food Planning Session for the Fraser River trip!

Being in wine country was a real treat. Unfortunately the Innkameep
Campsite was filled with poison ivy, but none of us touched it and we all
learned how to identify it quite quickly (for those that are interested,
leaves of three, shiny, bright green. Stay Away!)

We spent a morning at Covert Organic Farms with Gene Covert, an incredibly knowledgeable third generation farmer. While taking us on an intensive tour of his recently converted to organic farm, he answered quite a few Redfishie questions. We learned a lot, but most notable was that he would be out of business if he was still a conventional farmer, and he had been surprised by the productive capacity of his land under organic farming methods.

Later that day we paid an impromptu visit to a nearby feedlot, which was a pretty stark contrast. The cows were silent, but they were very curious about the 21 humans walking past their hot, dirty pens. It was an eye-opener to be sure, and our conversation with the owner put a human face on an issue that we had only read about so far.

After that busy morning, we had Food Planning Session #3! This took place on the beach, post-swim. While it would seem like a idyllic setting, the session was somewhat tainted by a strong wind that blew in some nasty allergens, but didn't quite get rid of the cloud of bugs hovering over our class. Needless to say, it was a quick session. We were a little nervous that we wouldn't have enough food for the river trip, especially since we were now providing for three hungry guides as well as the voracious Redfish appetites, but everyone was impressed by the quantity and quality of the meals on the Fraser. We also incorporated a new shopping approach that put more responsibility in the hands of each cooking group, and less stress onto the shoulders of our lovely instructors, who have been so patient with all our planning pitfalls.

Not to mention, we got a 20% discount at the Penticton Whole Foods. Take that, Mountainberry!

We're off!

We are leaving the Little Slocan Lodge today... off onto our next bioregional adventure in the south Okanagan. We will be visiting the Nk'Mip Desert Centre, hiking within some of the last wild grasslands with the Nature Trust of BC, touring and working on Covert Organic Farms... amoung other adventures.

We might not get back online until after our river trip which follows our Okanagan journey, paddling three voyageur canoes from Harrison to Jericho Beach in Vancouver.

Take care and we will keep you posted when we can!

Adventures in Food Planning

Having learned a lot from the first week of cooking for ourselves (all 21 of us), we entered into the second week with some wisdom in our pockets. We also got to see two sides of the food system during our day in New Denver - first transplanting onion sets at the lovely Lone Mule farm, then attempting a week's worth of shopping at Mountainberry Foods... the gas station grocery store. Thanks so much to Ryan, Nadine, Brenda, Victoria, Kate, and Isabel for embarking on that mission! The efforts were rewarded in the form of a cake and sorbet donation from the store owner, which went well with our campfire BBQ and nature readings.

Cooking group #2 also redeemed themselves from the pitfalls of breakfast quinoa with some home-made pizza to celebrate our last night at the Little Slocan Lodge. Tomorrow we'll be hitting the road, with our pantry packed up in rubbermaid containers. Goodbye Nalla's kitchen, hello Coleman stoves!

Since our Valhalla trip we have been continuing to explore our own leadership, communication and facilitation skills. We joined the Voices for Sustainability retreat for a samoan circle, we worked as a team to get over the "electric fence" and we participated in a "conversation cafe" about our approaches to being pioneers in this new wave of good environmental leadership.

Readings and Reflections in Valhalla

While visiting one of the most amazing places in BC, we spent our time reading, writing and reflecting by the edge of Evans Creek in Valhalla Provincial Park. Monica Nissen from Wildsight led a session on Nature's Services where we explored the different ways that we need and relate with natural systems - from nutrient cycling to pollination, to spirituality and sustenance.

We also had some solo time where we took time to think about how nature guides us, and some of us began our Nature Writing - a creative piece about our relationships with nature. We read these by campfire on the shores of Slocan Lake. At Emerald Lake we had a student led session where we had an intense and insightful dialogue about food security in the Columbia Basin. So many tough questions about how we lead food security and sovereignty in our own regions. Craig Pettit of the Valhalla Wilderness Society told us his story of how the park was created and some of the challenges with protecting wild lands across the province.

It has been a full and wonderful week here in the West Kootenays. The Redfish journey continues...

Trip to Valhalla Provincial Park

Here we are heading into Valhalla Provincial Park. We hiked into Evans Beach and camped there for three nights, with one day trip up the creek to Emerald Lake. We cleared the trail from Slocan to Evans and from Evans to Emerald with our hands, hearts and various saws!

Neslon, BC
This coffee shop was a nice place to reflect on the day.


Morning of May 7, 2011
It Takes all Kinds Workshop with Paula, David, Mike and Corky
We heard from four very prominent leaders in social and environmental change. Each of them spoke to us about How to Create Change. The main themes were that we cannot create change, only guide it and participate in it. We must form strong relationships with everyone and ensure that all voices are heard and considered to develop effective solutions in a community.

Rudy stop pretending you can harness the power of the sun through photosynthesis!



Saturday, May 7, 2011
(Day 5)












Visit to the Kootenay Country Store Co-operative, the largest independent Co-op in Canada!
This alternative grocery store is owned by the community and directly supports the farmers in the area by purchasing their produce in person. The deli is provided with food made by members of the community and many of their products are sold in bulk to reduce packaging. Grocery stores are a major medium for change in our industrial food system, and this place is definitely encouraging change!

Friday, May 5, 2011 (Day 4)
Food and the Columbia Basin with Jon Steinman
Jon spoke to us about the major concerns with the industrial/global food system and what he has done about it. He gave an inspiring talk about re-introducing communities into their local food system by creating closer relationships between consumer and farmer. One of the ways he has tried to create this change is by forming the Kooteny Grain Community Shared Agriculture (CSA).

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 (Day 2)
Nature's Wild Food and Medicines with Shanoon Bennett.
Shanoon took us on a natural history walk through the woods around the Lodge. We learned how to identify native plants in the area that act as natural adaptogens (plant products that increase the body's ability to cope with internal and external stress factors, and normalize the functions of the organism.

First week of Redfish
Nalla and Ron have graciously allowed us to stay at their place, The Little Slocan Lodge.
Jemma and Nalla making us some delicious eats! Aren't we lucky.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 (Day 1)
"When we tug on any one part of the web of life, we get the whole web" (Wheatley, 2005), if ever so slightly. We spent the day developing relationships and connections with all of our fellow students, an integral part of forming a sustainable community.

Redfish 2011 Participants

GROUP PHOTO:
Top row: Carley, Nadine (instructor), Ryan (instructor), Brenda (instructor), Susie, Chris, Adwitya, Julia Bennett, Kevin, Andrea, Caitlan, Ella.

Bottom row: Victoria, Katherine, Shannon, Kate, Vanessa, Isabel, Julia Berry, Nikki, Iggi.

The Learning Community Forms

The Redfish community is forming. We did all kinds of introductions yesterday, including the unpacking of each of our bioregional backpacks. We each shared highlights from the places we live - such as where our food and water comes from, the native species of our region, what historical struggles have occurred, some of the key environmental and social challenges and what people are doing about them. We learned about students' ideas for their community action projects, and what gives us each personal ecological sustenance.

Today we are diving into this region. We are about to embark on a walk with a local plant expert to learn about the wild and medicinal plants of this region in the Kootenays. Tonight we will explore the issues within the Columbia Basin with a guest from the Columbia Basin Trust.

And, the course work begins. With an intro to our ES380 course we are thinking about the food we eat and coming up with critical questions about what messages the environmental movement sends regarding food systems and security.

The adventure begins and the journey unfolds!

Redfish 2011 begins...

We are all gathering at the Little Slocan Lodge this evening... to begin the Redfish 2011 journey! Follow us here.

Sidney Island!

We recently ended a four day camping trip on Sidney Island in the hot, blazing, glorious sunshine. Boating over on Friday we were able to explore our surroundings, set up our traveling home and discover the beautiful, white-sand beach where we would be spending the majority of our time.
On Saturday we were lucky enough to have Phil and Marilyn, two Victoria-based marine biologists help us conduct a beach seine. Everyone had a blast (especially Dane who was clearly in his element) and learned all kinds of funky facts on the creatures we would be swimming with that afternoon!
Sunday's highlight was an introduction to Adventure Therapy with Duncan and Dave from Power to Be in Victoria. All new to me! On Sunday evening all 16 of us looked to our internal compasses and spread out over the island for a 14 hour overnight solo. I know I don't only speak for myself when I say there is something very powerful about being by yourself, in the woods, with only a tarp and watching the hours pass by.
Only one week left now! Oh how time flies!

Transitions: Blog post from June 2nd to June 8th

It seems as though the theme for the last week has been changing landscapes, both internal and external. Over the last week we have left the semi-wilderness environment of the upper Fraser River, and have made our way through the urban landscape of Vancouver to wind up at the University of Victoria. The shift we have experienced has been shaped by the change in our environments as well as the change in our group dynamic. Externally it is much noisier, busier, and in the city landscape many of us have found it harder to be calm and present. Also, for the first time our tightly knit group has been more independent as we work to finish off individual projects and sleep in private bedrooms.

Some of our recent highlights include arriving triumphantly at Jericho Beach, having successfully paddled from Hope to Vancouver in 6 days (some of it in torrential downpour)! Spirits were high as we all worked to drag our 36-foot Voyageur canoe from the water for the last time. Thanks to our fantastic guides, James and Dave, from Ridge Wilderness Adventures. Everyone took a much deserved shower, and looking sparkling clean, we enjoyed a celebratory dinner at the Jericho Hostel!

After enjoying our day off in Vancouver, we took the ferry to Victoria and settled into our new accommodations at UVic. In the course of a single morning we were able to meet and speak with two of the authors, Sally Miller and Nancy Turner, from our course Political Ecology of Food (ES 382). It was fantastic and allowed us to ask questions to the authors and truly engage with the material that we have been reading.

Overall, this past week has given us a chance to see how we change in the outdoors and has given us a thirst to learn even more outdoor skills. In addition, we were truly inspired by the passion that radiated from all our engaging guest speakers. As we come into our last week together, we are closer than ever as a group and we are starting to think about how to apply all that we have learned when we return to our own communities.

A lot has happened since leaving our home in Slocan and it's been interesting to lead a more nomadic lifestyle. The past two weeks we've spent time working on an organic farm, paddling down the Fraser river, and making our way across the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island.

Paddling the Fraser was definitely a highlight for me. I lived in relatively close proximity to the Fraser for five years and never really spent much time thinking about it. It was amazing to experience the change in landscape along the river as we slowly entered the city. It's easy to see it as a watershed devastated by development and industry when living in the city, it was nice to be reminded that it is still an amazing, functioning ecosystem. It was also satisfying to experience the huge cultural significance of the river to the people who depend on it.

Dane