Fort St. James

Winding our way across the plateau on our way to Fort St. James, the magnitude of the Enbridge  proposal really began to sink in. The sheer number of rivers and stream crossings and the vast number of lakes, swamps and wetlands the pipeline must navigate through is astounding. The potential risks to not only fish and wildlife but the human communities that rely on these rich resources seems misguided. Everywhere we travelled, the opposition to the pipeline project was overwhelming. The support our project received from native communities was very encouraging and helped us realize the importance of our work; to give a voice and vision to those that have been silenced.

Fraser Plateau, Pipeline Crossing (8x10) oil on panel. Peter Corbett

The proposed route of the pipeline crosses just south of the town Fort St. James and through the territory of the Nak'azdli Band. Once again, governments and corporations are attempting to impose their wishes onto us all "for the greater good of Canadians", while forcing the local communities to assume all of the social and environmental risk.

Stewart Lake, Fort St. James (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

Heading west from Fort St. James along the extensive network of logging roads that crosses over the proposed pipeline route, we eventually got to a high point of land where we looked west towards Burns Lake and Boer Mountain. This was the terminus of the first leg of our journey back in June. Like a coyote following the scent of its prey, Glenn and I had now wove our way across the breadth of BC in pursuit of the pipeline route from the Douglas Channel at Kitimat to the Alberta/BC border. With brushes in hand, we lay witness to an astounding array of ecosystems, geology and people all connected by this invisible line that if is allowed to become a pipeline, will change northern BC forever.

Tureen Lake, Northern BC (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

Once again we reluctantly turn the van around and head south for home. With the number of field sketches now mounting in the studio, its time to start thinking of larger scale pieces and the up coming exhibition but not before our return to the Buckley Valley to experience the fall colours of September.

Fraser Plateau

After leaving the Monkman Park area we back tracked down Highway 97 to Bear Lake. We left the highway and headed into a maze of logging roads criss-crossing the Fraser Plateau back towards the westside of the Rockies. After a few false turns we finally crossed the Parsnip River and started up the Missinka River where the pipeline is proposed to cross over the divide and makes its way down river. After 3 hours of effort with a chainsaw cutting our way through deadfall timber across the road and crossing dubious wash outs we eventually made our way to the headwaters of the Missinka. Up to this point we encountered few painting opportunities due to the overgrown nature of the road so we were very excited when the country finally opened up and were rewarded with a great camp site and amazing alpine views.

Glenn In Action Up On the Deck, Missinka Headwaters (P.Corbett)

After a stormy evening the following day greeted us with sunshine and spectacular morning light. After knocking off a few paintings before breakfast we sat with our coffees and pondered this lovely subalpine pass and the adverse effects the pipeline would have on the area. 

Serrate Ridge, Hart Range (8x10) oil on panel. Glenn Clark

After spending the day painting in the Missinka watershed we travelled back out onto the rolling terrain of the plateau dotted by numerous swamps and wetlands. This country seemed to go on for miles with little geographic relief. With the mountains now long behind us we pointed the van west onwards to Fort St. James and the many beautiful lakes and rivers that awaited us.

Swamp Lands, Fraser Plateau (8x10) oil on panel. P. Corbett.

Heading North

After a great weekend at the ArtsWells Festival we were once again anxious to get on the road and back on the trail of the pipeline. With the van fully stocked with supplies we headed north into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains where the pipeline is proposed to cross into BC from Alberta and the Tar Sands beyond. Our first destination sent us down the Heritage Highway 52 from Tumbler Ridge. A bit of a misnomer as the highway was really just miles and miles of dirt road. At this point the pipeline route crosses through the rolling terrain of the front ranges of the Rockies. It was good to finally get out of the van after many hard fought miles and start to paint once more.

Rat Lake Basin (8x10) oil on panel, Peter Corbett

From here the plans were to head to Monkman Provincial Park but the logging road we hoped would take us there had been deactivated and was impassable, forcing us to take the long way around back up to Tumbler Ridge and then south again. The pipeline route is proposed to pass just north of Monkman Park, crossing the Murray River and then heading into the Hart Range.

The Hart Range (8x10) oil on panel, Glenn Clark

The route now begins its steep ascent up towards the continental divide crossing through the steep rugged mountainous terrain of the Northern Rockies. This is a very remote and wild part of the country with limited access and were stymied again by numerous deactivated roads and washouts. This would be very challenging terrain to build a pipeline through and even more challenging in the event of an oil spill. After 5 days of painting in the area and exhausting all possible road access options it was time to try to find a way into the west side of the Rockies through a maze of logging roads starting at Bear Lake north of Prince George. The adventure has once again truly begun and we are in our glory.

Up Valley Towards the Divide (8x10) oil on panel, Peter Corbett