Site Visit #4: Bertram Regional Park

Bertram Regional Park is situated right next to Okanagan Mountain Park, which was badly scorched by wildfires in 2003. Bertram was partially damaged; however, as is evident from the photos, it still retains its green beauty. I wrote in my field journal this day about how my favourite place, a family retreat in the East Kootenays, is a place of healing and rejuvenation. Bertram Park has this same quality: though considerable forest, as well as some man-made shelter and seating, was destroyed by the 2003 firestorm, the community worked together and bounced back. Now there is a new picnic area, and the burnt-out area is showing signs of renewal.

"For almost every example of how technologies have allowed humans to gain control of nature and society, we can think of counter-examples..." (Slack & Wise, 2007). A local example of this is how Kelowna, and the entire province of British Columbia, has been affected by forest fires. Before the fires of 2003 and now 2009, many of us did not even fathom the possibility of such danger and devasation, despite the fact that we live in a tinder-dry region. Most of us naively assumed that any fire flare-up would be no match for our current fire-fighting technologies, such as the mighty planes, helicopters, and chemical fire retardants. Thus, many of us continued to create campfires in the bush and toss our cigarette butts out the window with reckless abandon, despite fire warnings, highway signs, fines, and bans indicating otherwise. The occurence of the fires this summer has really made me reflect on where we as humans have chosen to live. In many cases, we have chosen to live in areas that pose a real danger to us, whether it is living in a known earthquake belt like the Pacific Coast, near volcanoes, as in Hawaii or Papa New Guinea or in arid, hot regions such as the Okanagan. While there are many benefits to living in these environments, there are also many risks which we must accept and live with if we choose to call these places home. It would be irresponsible to ignore the very real danger of our environment. I am in no way suggesting our environment is something to be feared; rather, I am stating that we cannot pretend that there is no risk in living in, say, the Okanagan. That being said, too much emphasis on safety is dull - we need to appreciate the many joys and benefits of our environment. For example, the Okanagan's climate allows grapes, cherries, peaches, apples, pears, and much more to flourish, and we can all appreciate how wonderful it is to bite into a succulent peach or sip a magnificent Merlot that came from just across town!
Some burnt, blackened tree stumps.
A withered tree that has been battered by fire but still remains standing.
This picture may look idyllic, with a path meandering through a stand of trees; however, just beyond the trees is a massive section of forest that was ravaged by fire. Hundreds of black trees, mere sticks of charcoal, stand on barren ground that is just starting to regrow.
This little cluster of Oregon grape, grass, and pinecones looked so perfectly arranged, I had to take a picture. The Oregon grape, with its shiny leaves and blue berries, is incredible. It withstands drought very well, apparently, and its berries have been used by various aboriginal peoples as food and in medicine.

As an aside: Using native, drought-resistant plants in the yard surrounding my home is appealing to me. We can plant species that require fewer resources, do not choke out other native plants, and save some money in the process. Further inquiry into what is known as "xeriscaping" is needed before we make the switch.