Our first field trip started on the west coast of British Columbia, exploring the Douglas Channel and Kitimat River watershed, painting the landscape associated with the proposed pipeline route. This took us deep up into the headwaters of the Kitimat River, encountering grizzly bears, glaciated mountain scapes, and wild rivers and streams of the Great Bear Rain Forest.
Along the lower Kitimat River we encountered an extensive riparian ecosystem with many low lying swamps, transected by the mighty Kitimat River that all 5 salmon species and steelhead trout utilize for spawning and juvenile rearing. The Kitimat River is considered one of the most productive salmon rivers in the world, providing an essential commercial, recreational and native fishery. An oil spill from the pipeline would significantly threaten these stocks.
After 5 days of painting in the Kitimat River watershed, our journey continued along the Skeena River to the native village of Kispiox surrounded by totem poles and a culture intrinsically tied to the salmon and wildlife of the region.
