The image has inspired Lawrence and Needoba to get political, and so they have launched a petition to stop the trophy hunt of grizzly bears in British Columbia, in response to an offer by MLA Michelle Mungall to introduce one in the Legislature.  “Online petitions are inadmissible in the Legislature, so hard copies of names and signatures are required, making collecting hundreds of thousands of them a formidable task!” says Needoba.  So the artists are calling on BC residents, businesses and organizations alike to also get involved, and download and print out copies of the petition and collect signatures and send them in.  The petition can be downloaded at www.smalltownfilms.com [Click here for pdf:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY copy ] Or call 250 352 5905 to arrange to have some sent to you.

Trophy hunting is a gratuitous practice whereby the carcass is never used, the head or pelt may be taken but the meat is not eaten.  It is also in conflict with the laws of nature where by the largest, most robust animals are targeted by the trophy hunter, and thus removed from the gene pool in spite of a hereditary lineage that would otherwise make them dominate.  Recent uproar over the killing of Cecil the lion has shown that public consensus is against trophy hunting, and according to Needoba, “You don’t have to be from Zimbabwe to see that the economic value of multitudes of wildlife-watching tourists is far greater than that of one trophy-hunting dentist from America.“

Lawrence and Needoba while on a regional tour have been engaging audiences in a conversation about wildlife and their habitat.  Lawrence often cites a London Zoological Society report (ZSL) that suggests species populations have halved in the last 40 years!  Here in the Kootenays an audience member recalls how fifty years ago he remembers seeing porcupines everywhere, but he has not even seen one in recent years.  Large carnivores such as grizzly bears are particularly susceptible to the impacts of human activity, especially through loss of habitat and the obvious difficulties co-existing with humans, and that is not even including the impacts of climate change.   “With so much to contend with already, banning trophy hunting of grizzly bears just seems like one small step in the right direction,” says Needoba.  “According to polls, around 90% of British Columbians oppose the trophy hunt.  So it shouldn’t be that hard to get enough signatures on this petition to make change.  If you oppose the trophy hunt please sign this petition!

Photo credit: Jim Lawrence

ACTION ALERT – BC RESIDENTS! PETITION to End the Trophy Hunt of Grizzly BC

Are you a resident of British Columbia?  Do you oppose the trophy hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia?  Then please add your name and signature to this hard copy petition and send it in!  Currently, only paper-based petitions with original signatures can be brought forward in the B.C. Legislature so please follow instructions below and help spread the word and lobby for ending this practice!

 PETITION to End the Trophy Hunt of Grizzly Bears in BC

-       Trophy hunting of grizzly bears has no place in modern wildlife management practices and policies.

-       Eco-tourism and bear viewing is a growth industry that encourages sustainable practices and benefits local economies, and can provide more revenues than trophy hunting. These animals should be protected not hunted and their habitat conserved, so that future generations will be able to experience these magnificent creatures.

STEP 1:

Download the petition document here:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY copy

STEP 2:.

Print out petition document and fill in your name and community and sign the document.  If possible find 14 or more other people who are opposed to the trophy hunting of grizzly bears to sign the petition to complete the form(s).

STEP 3:.

Post in the completed form(s) to:

Small Town Films, P.O. Box 506, Nelson, BC V1L 5R3

SHARE ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/412293962312742/

_

NOT A RESIDENT OF BC?  WANT TO DO MORE?

Join Pacific Wild’s online petition here:

 http://pacificwild.org/endthetrophyhunt

Air Canada and WestJet have banned the transport of big game out of Africa, but continue to allow the transport of Canadian animal ‘trophies’, such as black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears and wolves.

Sign and share this petition to tell Air Canada and WestJet they should be taking a stand against trophy hunting in their own backyard.

Join Bears Matter online petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/protect-grizzly-bears-by-banning-the-trophy-hunt-in-bc

MORE?

It’s time to end the grisly trophy hunt – David Suzuki Foundation

BC residents download the petition document here:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY

Are you a resident of British Columbia?  Do you oppose the trophy hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia?  Then please add your name and signature to this hard copy petition and send it in!  Currently, only paper-based petitions with original signatures can be brought forward in the B.C. Legislature so please follow instructions below and help spread the word and lobby for ending this practice!

 PETITION to End the Trophy Hunt of Grizzly Bears in BC

-       Trophy hunting of grizzly bears has no place in modern wildlife management practices and policies.

-       Eco-tourism and bear viewing is a growth industry that encourages sustainable practices and benefits local economies, and can provide more revenues than trophy hunting. These animals should be protected not hunted and their habitat conserved, so that future generations will be able to experience these magnificent creatures.

STEP 1:

Download the petition document here:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY copy

STEP 2:.

Print out petition document and fill in your name and community and sign the document.  If possible find 14 or more other people who are opposed to the trophy hunting of grizzly bears to sign the petition to complete the form(s).

STEP 3:.

Post in the completed form(s) to:

Small Town Films, P.O. Box 506, Nelson, BC V1L 5R3

SHARE ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/412293962312742/

_

NOT A RESIDENT OF BC?  WANT TO DO MORE?

Join Pacific Wild’s online petition here:

 http://pacificwild.org/endthetrophyhunt

Air Canada and WestJet have banned the transport of big game out of Africa, but continue to allow the transport of Canadian animal ‘trophies’, such as black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears and wolves.

Sign and share this petition to tell Air Canada and WestJet they should be taking a stand against trophy hunting in their own backyard.

Join Bears Matter online petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/protect-grizzly-bears-by-banning-the-trophy-hunt-in-bc

MORE?

It’s time to end the grisly trophy hunt – David Suzuki Foundation

BC residents download the petition document here:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY

Photo credit: Jim Lawrence

Media Release: Stop the trophy hunt of grizzly bears petition launched by Kootenay artists

Many people became familiar with photographer Jim Lawrence’s image of the grizzly bear standing on its hind legs and looking through a camera, when it went viral and caught the attention of the press.  “The photo is like the poster child for a stop the trophy hunt of grizzly bears campaign,” says filmmaker Miriam Needoba whose short film Eyes in the Forest: The Portraiture of Jim Lawrence is on a regional tour of the Kootenays this fall.  “The image encapsulates our love of the wild and watching wildlife,” says Needoba “The bear looks like a wildlife photographer mirroring our own fascination, and its marvellous intelligence and curiosity is revealed.”

The image has inspired Lawrence and Needoba to get political, and so they have launched a petition to stop the trophy hunt of grizzly bears in British Columbia, in response to an offer by MLA Michelle Mungall to introduce one in the Legislature.  “Online petitions are inadmissible in the Legislature, so hard copies of names and signatures are required, making collecting hundreds of thousands of them a formidable task!” says Needoba.  So the artists are calling on BC residents, businesses and organizations alike to also get involved, and download and print out copies of the petition and collect signatures and send them in.  The petition can be downloaded at www.smalltownfilms.com [Click here for pdf:  Grizzly Bear petition_HARD_COPY copy ]  Or call 250 352 5905 to arrange to have some sent to you.

Trophy hunting is a gratuitous practice whereby the carcass is never used, the head or pelt may be taken but the meat is not eaten.  It is also in conflict with the laws of nature where by the largest, most robust animals are targeted by the trophy hunter, and thus removed from the gene pool in spite of a hereditary lineage that would otherwise make them dominate.  Recent uproar over the killing of Cecil the lion has shown that public consensus is against trophy hunting, and according to Needoba, “You don’t have to be from Zimbabwe to see that the economic value of multitudes of wildlife-watching tourists is far greater than that of one trophy-hunting dentist from America.“

Lawrence and Needoba while on a regional tour have been engaging audiences in a conversation about wildlife and their habitat.  Lawrence often cites a London Zoological Society report (ZSL) that suggests species populations have halved in the last 40 years!  Here in the Kootenays an audience member recalls how fifty years ago he remembers seeing porcupines everywhere, but he has not even seen one in recent years.  Large carnivores such as grizzly bears are particularly susceptible to the impacts of human activity, especially through loss of habitat and the obvious difficulties co-existing with humans, and that is not even including the impacts of climate change.   “With so much to contend with already, banning trophy hunting of grizzly bears just seems like one small step in the right direction,” says Needoba.  “According to polls, around 90% of British Columbians oppose the trophy hunt.  So it shouldn’t be that hard to get enough signatures on this petition to make change.  If you oppose the trophy hunt please sign this petition!

(Connect to FaceBook event:

Tour schedule:

September 10 @ 7pm – Creston Public Library:  531-16th Ave, S (P: 250-428-4141)
September 11 @ 7pm – Sparwood Public Library: 110 Pine Ave (250-425-2299)
September 16 @ 7pm – Cranbrook History Centre (formerly the Railway Museum): 57 Van Horne St, S (250-489-3918)
September 17 @ 7.30pm – Kimberley – Centre 64 (hosted by Kimberley Public Library): 64 Deer Park Ave (250)-427-4919
September 19 @ 2pm – Invermere Public Library: 201-7th Ave (250-342-6416)
October 23 @ 7pm – Crawford Bay School for the Movies with Meaning Series (*door $10): 16150 Walkley Rd
November 17 @ 6pm – Penticton Public Library:785 Main St (250-770-7784)
November 18 @ 6.30pm – Greenwood Public Library: 346 South Copper St (250-445-6111)
November 19 @ 7pm – Rossland Public Library: 2180 Columbia Ave(250-362-7611)
November 20 @ 7pm – Nakusp Public Library: 92 – 6thAve NW (250-265-3363)

For more information about “Eyes in the Forest: The Potratiture of Jim Lawrence” click here

Safe, stable, affordable

HOUSING

at Ward Street Place

The Issue

Nelson CARES operates Ward Street Place on behalf of the community. It is a unique commercial/residential social enterprise that houses an emergency homeless shelter, 35 single occupancy rooms and three apartments. The building is 100 years old and without improvements is fast approaching the end of its usable life.

The Challenge

To preserve this stock of safe, stable and affordable housing for another half century. We have invested $2.2 million to complete health and safety improvements and purchase and renovate a new site for the emergency shelter. It’s now time to focus on the residents and their homes.

The Solution

Refurbish each room and the common living spaces, install energy efficient windows and doors, and fund a long term maintenance reserve that will make the rooms available for the next fifty years. The cost is $690,000.

To read more about this valuable initiative click here.

On October 8, 2014, Deconstructing Dinner welcomed British Columbia publishing pioneer, Judith Plant – the co-founder and publisher of New Society Publishers (NSP). The event was called Gathering the Threads of Social Change – The Story of New Society Publishers.

Chances are, if your personal or professional interests revolve around food, gardening or permaculture, natural building & alternative energy, parenting, education & community building, or environmental & sustainability issues, you probably already have an NSP book on your bookshelf.

Presented by the Kootenay Co-op, Otter Books and Deconstructing Dinner, this event was a rare opportunity to hear from a leader of our time who has been instrumental in empowering people and communities around the world to be their own leaders in building more ecologically sustainable and equitable societies. NSPs mission really has been to publish books that can change the world.

http://www.newsociety.com

Requiem for a Glacier – Paul Walde
Exhibition: January 4 – February 8, 2014
Gallery hour: Wednesday to Saturday from 1-5pm
Opening: Friday, January 3 from 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, January 4 at 4pm

In this era of environmental transformation, most people now understand that the ravages of global warming pose a real threat to the future of our planet. The sound and video installation Requiem for a Glacier by artist Paul Walde explores the boundaries of a growing national and international movement of art practices produced with consideration for the wider impact of the work and its reception in relationship to its environment, where a representation of nature has been replaced by direct intervention. Because of the physical demands required to access the site-specific glacier location and because of the sheer number of volunteers who participated, this project exemplifies to what extremes a community’s engagement with an issue can lead them and how powerful unified creative expression can be.

Requiem for a Glacier prematurely memorializes BC’s Jumbo Glacier area, an ancient feature of the landscape leftover from the last ice age, now under immediate threat from global warming and resort development. The coordination of the project was lead by local curator, Kiara Lynch and involved the collaboration of roughly 100 people: a team of mountaineers, a 30 piece choir, a 40 piece orchestra, conductor, soloists, film crew, sound recording crew, sherpas, and drivers. According to Walde, “the sheer number of people involved and the political motivation of the collaborators has given the work a dimension of social practice which is entirely new for (his) practice.”

Requiem for a Glacier is a “total work of art” in that it depended on the interconnection of audio, visual and performing arts mediums with scientific fact and community engagement to bring it to fruition. By combining cerebral information with emotional experience this work provides an original platform for engaging with our environment. Information such as temperature records for the area, the name Jumbo, and a Latin translation of the BC government’s press release for the announcement of a year-round resort community at the site in the middle of a nature conservancy, were converted by Walde into music notation and a libretto. It is because of this interconnectedness of science with creativity that works like Requiem for a Glacier not only show us but can make us feel the issues we are dealing with as a society.

The exhibition opens at the Oxygen Art Centre (320 Vernon Street – alley) on Friday, January 3^rd from 7 – 9pm followed by on artist talk on Saturday, January 4^th at 4pm. The exhibition runs until February 8^th.  Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 1-5pm

Oxygen Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of Columbia Basin Trust, British Columbia Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of British Columbia.  As well as the creative partnership with The Langham Cultural Centre and business sponsorship from PK Sound, Big Cranium and Business for the Arts, and the generous support from individuals within the community.

Articles and Press:
Canadian Art (online)  - http://www.canadianart.ca/reviews/2014/01/22/paul-walde-requiem-for-a-glacier/

Galleries West  – http://www.gallerieswest.ca/art-reviews/exhibition-reviews/paul-walde%3A-%22requiem-for-a-glacier%2C%22-langham-cultural-centre/

Articulate Magazine- http://www.wkartscouncil.com/articulate/Articulate%20Summer%202013%20web.pdf

CBC’s North by NorthWest - http://www.cbc.ca/nxnw/featured-story/2014/01/25/requiem-for-a-glacier/

Vancouver Sun – http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Orchestra+plays+glacier+sorrow/8718868/story.html

CBC (online)- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/07/29/bc-orchestra-glacier-global-warming.html

The Nelson Star  - http://www.nelsonstar.com/entertainment/238513511.html

Classical Lite – http://www.classicalite.com/articles/2200/20130730/canadian-musicians-protest-perform-paul-wades-requiem-glacier-atop-b.htm

Small Town Films shot 2nd Unit Photography for the wheat and the one on garlic episodes and webisodes, see them all on http://deconstructingdinner.ichannel.ca/

Deconstructing Dinner: Bringing Home the Bread
 (24min, Canada, 2013)

Worldwide theatrical premiere (and sneak peek!) of Bringing Home the Bread – one of six episodes for the forthcoming series set to air nationwide on ichannel this Summer. Written and hosted by Nelson’s very own Jon Steinman of Kootenay Co-op Radio’s Deconstructing Dinner (2006-2010). Alongside James Beard Award winning producer and former Kootenay resident Declan O’Driscoll (Milk War), this episode features chef John Sundstrom of Lark in Seattle – also a James Beard Award winner! A great line-up of Kootenay residents are also featured including Matt Lowe, Roy Lawrence, Jay Blackmore, Jesse Phillips and Natalka Podstawskj. This episode examines the little known yet significant nutrient declines being documented in wheat following the decades-long evolution of modern wheat varieties. Along with the loss of nutrients, so too has the flavour of wheat all but disappeared. But there are inspiring efforts in the U.S. and Canada which are successfully reversing this trend and bringing the bread back home!

It was a Needoba who suggested sending a copy of the finished DVD to Jerry Yarnell, a 30-year veteran of a popular painting show on PBS. The Yarnell family was so impressed with the product that they agreed to list it on their popular website at www.yarnellart.com.

“I am incredibly excited to have my DVD listed on the Yarnell Art website, alongside other artists seen on PBS, such as Buck Paulson and Bob Ross,” says Vahala. “I was originally inspired by Yarnell’s clear instruction to create a DVD to guide aspiring artists. It’s an amazing feeling to be associated with an instructor of his caliber.”

Mirja Vahala’s DVD offers over 2.5 hours of content focusing on basic instruction for new artists. Starting with brush handling, tinting and shading, through to the basics of the colour wheel, gradations, blending, glazing and painting a landscape, this DVD is offered for $49.

“I was compelled to create this DVD for those who are unable to attend my workshops. It’s taken years to hone these methods for the true beginner. It is my passion to remove barriers to creativity.”

Mirja’s ability to provoke emotion in her own nature landscapes, and to articulate her methods to students have brought her some incredible teaching opportunities. Since moving to Castlegar BC in 2007 to pursue her craft fulltime, Mirja has instructed on behalf of Selkirk College and Holland America Cruises, as well holding classes in her own art studio.

For more information on ‘Acrylics for True Beginners’, please visit www.MirjaVahalaArtStudio.com, or contact Mirja Vahala at: mirja@mirjavahala.com or by phone at 250-365-7679.

Acrylucs for True Beginners – Masterpiece Chapter 1

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/requiem-for-a-glacier

WHO WE ARE: Artist PAUL WALDE and art curator KIARA LYNCH are working together with residents of the Kootenay communities of British Columbia and with the support of the LANGHAM CULTURAL CENTRE and OXYGEN ART CENTRE to produce an art project of epic proportions – Requiem for a Glacier.

THE PROJECT: Requiem for a Glacier is a sound performance by artist Paul Walde that will memorialize BC’s Jumbo Glacier area, an ancient feature of the landscape remaining from the last ice age, now under immediate threat from global warming and mega-resort development. A four movement oratorio, Walde’s Requiem for a Glacier presents the history of the glacier, the advent of electricity, climate change, and the BC government’s controversial announcement of a year-round recreational development on the glacier. A 40-person choir and 30-person orchestra, made up of volunteer professional and amateur musicians from communities adjacent to the Purcell mountain range, will perform the Requiem on the glacier this summer. Written and performed for the glacier alone – there will be no audience other than the landscape itself and those contributing in the presentation of the work.

Ajtony Csaba, chief conductor of the Central European Chamber Orchestra and conductor of the University of Victoria Symphony, will conduct the instrumentalists. A team of professional filmmakers and audio engineers will document the performance. In addition, a team of professional mountain guides will lead the expedition. In total our team is composed of approximately 100 dedicated individuals.

Requiem for a Glacier will ultimately take three forms: a) a site specific outdoor sound performance on a glacier near Invermere, BC;  b) an exhibition / installation in the Langham Cultural Centre, Oxygen Art Centre, and future venues,  based on documentation captured during the performance; and c) a a multimedia indoor sound performance.

Requiem for a Glacier will also be the subject of a documentary film which will extend the reach of this work and the issues it is exploring.

WHY HELP: Requiem for a Glacier will provide a cultural perspective into one of the biggest ecological issues of our time: global climate change and how it relates to the Kootenay region and the highly contentious Jumbo Alpine Resort. Located in the Purcell Mountain Range in eastern British Columbia, Jumbo or Qat’muk, is a range of five glaciers that have been spared some of the environmental degradation of other glaciers due to their high altitude. However with continued global warming, this geographical advantage will soon be lost, and in fact, these glaciers are already in retreat.

To compound matters, a $1 billion resort proposal has recently been approved by the provincial governmental. As Professor David Schindler of the University of Alberta warns, “Ski lifts and skier traffic on the surface of Jumbo Glacier will hasten its melting, and compromise one of the important headwater sources of the Columbia River system.”

In both the Columbia and Kootenay communities bordering the Purcell Mountain range, approximately 80% of residents are opposed to the approval of the resort.  In fact, the majority of citizens who live in the region are outraged and saddened by the continued development of our remaining wild spaces.

The proposed development area provides key habitat for grizzlies and important other wildlife species and is sacred to the local Ktunaxa Nation who have declared themselves, “expressly opposed to the Jumbo Glacier Resort.” In November 2011 the Ktunaxa Nation was joined by hockey legend Scott Neidermeyer in the Provincial legislature to present the Qat’muk Declaration, which outlines the sacred significance of this area.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Requiem for a Glacier is a unique opportunity for you to lend your support and voice to this important artistic initiative.  Through public and private grants and fundraising, we have raised a significant amount of the funds required for the professional expenses associated with  the production of this project.  However, the logistics of bringing a crew of approximately 100 hundred people and their equipment to the back country of the Purcell Mountains is formidable, and expensive challenge.  We are asking for financial assistance for transportation costs (which includes travel allowances for volunteers who are travelling from throughout the region and province), accommodation, and food costs incurred during the weekend of production.  Additional monies raised will go directly towards post-production work on video and audio footage for the subsequent video and sound installations, audio publication and the film which documents this historical performance.

WHAT YOU GET: In exchange for your help you can choose from several Requiem for a Glacier themed rewards. These include, digital audio downloads and CDs, original requiem related artwork by Paul Walde, or even the unique opportunity to witness the performance on the glacier.

No matter how much you are able to donate, you will be left with the satisfaction of knowing that you have contributed to the creation of this important art event.

……..

PAUL WALDE – Description of Practice: This project marks a continuation of my studio research in which I explore interconnections between landscape, identity, and technology; amplifying cultural gestures in order to reveal their place within nature and conversely, by capturing natural events through cultural apparatii.  These ideas are developed through a diverse studio practice, which has in recent years led me to examining sound as a physical property and artistic medium. www.paulwalde.com

CONTACT US: requiemforaglacier@gmail.com

A Kootenay-made short film, which has screened at over fifteen festivals in Canada and internationally over the past year, will make its long-awaited Nelson debut next week.

Eyes In The Forest: The Portraiture of Jim Lawrence offers a rare and stunning look into the world of well-known Kootenay wildlife photographer Jim Lawrence. The film will be screened at the Civic Theatre on Wednesday, July 17 at 7:00pm, along with the with feature documentary Manufactured Landscapes, as part of Touchstones Nelson’s Art & Activism event series.  Filmmaker Miriam Needoba and photographer Jim Lawrence will be on hand after the screenings for a question and answer period with the audience.

Eyes in the Forest interweaves the startling imagery of Jim Lawrence’s still photography with Needoba’s sublime cinematography of the West Kootenays. The film is both a restrained study of landscape and wildlife, and a conversation between two artists and their art forms.

“We are excited to be able to have the Nelson premiere at The Civic Theatre with its new digital projector,” says Needoba.  “We will be screening a DCP (Digital Cinema Print) of the film, so it will be shown in the best possible way.”

Nelson-based Needoba is hoping to find a broadcaster for the film, which has already screened at Planet In Focus Environmental Film Festival, and is currently in competition at DOCUTAH film festival.  Needoba had some local help with this, her first documentary film, working with sound editor Luke Martin and sound designer Adham Shaik. The film was produced with the assistance of the National Film Board of Canada, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance and Columbia Basin Trust.