Interviews with Environmental Elders and Senior Leaders in British Columbia
by Maggie Paquet
The “Voices for Change” project is a partnership of the Watershed Sentinel Education Society and the BC Environmental Network. The project highlights the contributions to environmental education and activism by British Columbians who are considered to be elders in the environmental community.
We hope you are inspired by the words so generouslygiven by these 14 elders: May Murray, Paul George, Rosemary Fox, Ric Careless, Vicky Husband, Gordon Hartman, Ed Mankelow, Katharine Steig, Wayne McCrory, Ruby Dunstan, Catherine Stewart, Michael M’Gonigle, Olga Schwartzkopf, and Calvin Sandborn.
This final article in the Voices for Change series focuses on questions 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The words and phrases these interviews have invoked from the hearts and minds of these elders are their primary messages: Passion. Commitment. Courage. Integrity. Stick to your principles. Be accurate in your facts; don’t embellish.
Question 8 asks for the “most urgent environmental issue today.” One of the most challenging responses came from Gordon Hartman, who said, “I want people to think deeply about the issues and look beyond the accepted paradigm. People need to look at the big picture, consider the demographics, and how to control growth, rather than promote it.” Climate change, loss of biodiversity, the economics of over-consumption, over-population, loss of wilderness areas world-wide, the lack of protection for and damage to ecosystems, numerous water-related issues (from pollution to energy diversions to wasteful use to the threat of privatisation of water resources), multinationals and the unbridled power of corporations, were all offered as pressing environmental issues. And, from Michael M’Gonigle, came this pointed comment that resonates in today’s political climate: “the lack of informed and free dialogue about the real systemic nature of the environmental problem; a lack that many environmental groups and individuals participate in by staying within safe boundaries that don’t challenge the real nature of power in the West for fear of being labelled as “radical” and thus marginalised.”
For Ruby Dunstan, as for many First Nations (and other British Columbians), a primary concern is for wild salmon; their habitats, how DFO seems not to protect salmon to the same extent as they do to protecting corporate interests, and general environmental issues both marine and terrestrial that affect salmon. A recent poll revealed that salmon are an iconic species for all British Columbians (see: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bcresidents- consider-salmon-a-cultural-touchstone-survey-finds/article1998476/).
Vicky Husband and Olga Schwartzkopf zeroed in on BC provincial politics and politicians. For Vicky, the pressing issue is “the complete destruction of the Forests and Environment ministries … About 94% of BC is Crown land. That’s public land, but there is no protection of the public interest in those lands, no political leadership for environmental protection… Government has been engaged in privatising public interests of all kinds. There is no oversight to protect forests, wildlife, water, fish, rivers – all of it.” Olga, with characteristic directness and clarity, simply said, “Ignorant politicians. Self-interested politicians.” Of course, politicians, generally, are reflections of the state of awareness – or, more accurately, the ignorance – of the general populace.
Paul George agreed with all the issues mentioned above and added, “People need to be more scared about this stuff. They need to take it seriously. Half the people (probably a lot more) are not aware of any of it; they’re comatose.”
Most of the responses to question 10 elicited pleas from the elders for all of us to take the time to look at the natural world around us, to reconnect with nature. A number of their comments were directed at young people, such as this one from Katharine Steig, who said, “I would focus on young people and on engaging them – and everyone else – to look at Nature, such as with stewardship groups and ‘Young Naturalists’ groups.” Gordon Hartman said, “I’d design a strategy that got people’s heads out of silly electronic things and had them looking at the world around them instead. The world is more beautiful than all the things we can construct.”
Rosemary Fox elaborated further on our disconnect from Nature: “Our industrial society has severed its roots in the natural environment. This has to change. We are killing the planet with our economic growth-focused ideology. We need to reconnect with Nature. If we destroy our habitat, we destroy ourselves … I also think that to live in harmony with the planet, we humans need to learn to live in harmony with each other. Currently, there is a huge amount of intolerance in the world; people are killing each other over opposing ideologies as well as cultural, and possibly, racial differences. If we despise other humans, I think we are also more likely to disrespect other forms of life and the environment we all ultimately depend on.”
Wayne McCrory implores all of us to “Become a spokesperson and advocate for saving the planet … reduce your consumption of global resources; work hard to leave more behind that is protected for future generations, who are being so robbed today, whether human, plant, or animal.”
Question 11 raised quite a few chuckles among these elders. I loved Gordon Hartman’s response: “Well, I’m 83 years old, so I’m doing less.” He doesn’t seem to me to be slowing down much, however, having been active in the Teztan Biny/ Fish Lake/Taseko mine issue, and still doing a lot of research and advising on a number of issues to do with fish and fish habitat. Like so many of the elders interviewed, he is devoting more time to his family, particularly grandchildren. All are still involved to varying degrees in the important environmental issues that inspired them to get involved in the first place, whether it be on mining, parks and wilderness, water, environmental law and advocacy, or sustainable agriculture issues.
The three primary wishes these elders voiced were for (and in no special order) (1) dealing successfully with population growth and over-consumption; (2) larger budgets for protecting and managing parks and wilderness areas; and (3) smarter leaders who see the need for social change, including peace, and who would commit to achieving sensible environmental policies, acknowledge and commit to aboriginal title and rights, and who would be open and honest with constituents.
Some of their heartfelt comments, which we should all take to heart, were: Calvin Sandborn: “My main wish is for people to be in touch with themselves, with others, and with nature.” Ruby Dunstan said, about the treaty process, “I wish that governments would recognise title and rights so we don’t have to go to court all the time to prove our rights. We have nothing for sale. The Creator didn’t give me the right to sell out my grandchildren.” I think we all dream about one of Catherine Stewart’s three wishes: “For all of us sloggers, working for all these years, I’d like to find a way for us to have a sort of retirement home for environmentalists. It would be great if, as a community, we could find a way to help each other in our so-called ‘golden’ years.” Others had a variation on that theme of some kind of special pension plan for so many of us who have worked as volunteers, many of us for decades, at great sacrifice, if the truth be told, to our own financial well-being.
Wayne McCrory wished for more benevolence so that environmentalists didn’t have to spend so much time fundraising. He also added, in line with Catherine Stewart, that “ENGOs need a dental plan, a retirement plan, etc. but they don’t have this. You just hope you make it long enough to get CPP and OAP and that you don’t have any major medical crisis along the way to slow you down.”
Most of the responses to the last question were framed in the context of securing a future for the next generations. Ed Mankelow said he’d like to see groups come together on important issues for the next federal, provincial, and municipal elections, particularly on the Agricultural Land Reserve. Ric Careless expressed a desire for us to “keep our institutional memory; build on information already learned.” A final comment from Ruby Dunstan, who said, “I’d like to thank everybody who supported us on the Stein issue. The books, the events … from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you for fighting the government. Thanks to everybody on behalf of my elders, some who are still here and those who have passed on. Without the elders, I would have buckled. I thank them for all the work, all the support given. I’d like to end by saying that we all have to believe in and accept two things: Truth and Change.”
This project has come to a close, for now anyway. There are dozens more “environmental elders” that come to my mind and who I would have liked to interview – Ruth Masters, Mark Angelo, Bristol Foster, Bob Peart, Jim and Rosamund Pojar, David Suzuki, Guujaaw, Nancy Turner, Sharon Chow, Jim Bourquin, Mae Burrows, John Bergenske, George Smith, Eva Durance, Valerie Langer, Jim Cooperman, even former federal Environment minister David Anderson – and some who have passed on now and are sorely missed: Colleen McCrory, Bert Brink, Grant Copeland, Carol Berryman, Melda Buchanan, Curley Chittenden, John Clarke – and that we could have written about. It was difficult to select the ones we did. Maybe we can do features on some of these other folks in subsequent issues. I’d like to write one about “our own” Delores Broten.
Sitting in my cluttered office in my little house by Kitsuksis Creek, interviewing all these wonderful, dedicated people and listening to their magnificent stories, I was re-energised and re-inspired to continue doing “environmental” work. This inspiration aspect is so important. Without it, I doubt we could carry on. Inspiration comes in different forms, often unexpectedly, but is always welcome. I hope you have found some inspiration in these articles.
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The Interview Questions
1. What is/has been your major field(s) of interest/activity?
2. What was the primary impetus/reason that got you involved in environmental work? Why?
3. Did it ever have an impact on your family or other relationships? In what way? How did you deal with that?
4. What has kept you involved in the environmental movement? What keeps you going when things look bleak?
5. Do you work with an environmental organization? If so, why? If not, why not?
6. What do you think are possible traps to effective activism, or known failing strategies?
7. What changes do you foresee, if any, in the role of environmental organizations in the future?
8. What do you think is the most urgent/important environmental issue today? For BCers? For Canadians?
9. What lessons have you learned to share with the next generation? What advice would you give to the next generation of environmentalists? What advice would you give to all environmentalists?
10. If you could design a strategy to engage people to live in harmony with our planet, what would it look like?
11. What are you doing these days?
12. If you had the proverbial three wishes, what would they be?
13. Have I left out anything you’d like to mention?
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Author and editor Maggie Paquet was awarded the Martha Kostuch Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) in September 2010.