Columbia River Field School - July 15-19, 2019
Wildsight will start interviewing students for the 2020 Columbia River Field School soon. It is scheduled for July 15-19th this summer. Applicants must be 15-18 years old and live within the Columbia Basin Trust Region (east or west Kootenays). The Columbia River Field School is an immersive two-week learning adventure for students ages 15-18. The Field School is a 4-credit, multidisciplinary Board/Authority Approved Course (BAA) where students travel the Columbia River by canoe while exploring important aspects of the river’s story through lessons in geography, ecology, hydrology, technology, economics, politics, history and culture.
Here is more information from the Wildsight website...
https://wildsight.ca/programs/crfs/
PADDLE, LEARN, AND EARN 4 CREDITS – Summer 2020
History | Culture | Water | Energy | Environment
Students paddle key sections of the river and visit important places, including the Columbia Wetlands, historic First Nations’ sites, dams and reservoirs, and more. Along the way, they will meet with a diverse selection of highly qualified guest experts including Indigenous leaders, local and provincial government officials, scientists, conservationists, writers, artists, adventurers, and other lifelong residents.
The Field School is designed to give students a much-needed understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities of the Columbia, so they can help shape its future. On top of this, the Field School is an opportunity to meet other young people from all over the Basin, have fun together in the outdoors, and take turns practicing leadership skills.
Along the way, place-based workshops, speakers, activities, and discussions will cover the history and the future of the river, including:
- The geography of the Columbia River, watersheds as a key feature of the landscape
- Indigenous peoples: History, culture, future
- Salmon: History, cultural and ecological importance, challenges, potential restoration
- Key species and ecology: River and wetland ecosystems, endangered and threatened species, invasive species
- Water quality and quantity: Flows, flooding, glaciers and snowpack, water quality monitoring, nutrient flows
- Dams and hydroelectricity: Energy and environment, reservoirs and flood control, the history of dam construction
- Columbia River Treaty: Impacts and opportunities, the ongoing renegotiation
- Climate change: Causes, current and projected impacts, challenges and opportunities for adaptation and mitigation
- Youth: What can young people do to have a voice in decision making?
RCABC Membership Updates
RCABC's volunteers and our database programmer have been working on a number of small updates to our database (your membership accounts) and the website. Please let us know asap if you experience any problems with the sign up process or any other aspect of the website so we can fix them quickly.
Thank you from the RCABC Executive!
New! RCABC Canoe Guide Program
We are pleased to announce the new RCABC Canoe Guide Program. RCABC is a leader in the development of new canoe certification programs, and this is another unique initiative that we hope will set a standard for safety and professionalism in an important outdoor recreation industry in Canada.
The Guide Program offers a standardized foundation for training canoeing guides for the commercial recreation or adventure tourism industry. The program is divided into two categories; Day Guide and Expedition Guide. Both have been developed with the help of many of the best guides and instructors in the industry, over many years. It has gone through multiple revisions and test runs over several years to ensure we’ve got the best quality program possible.
The Day Guide Certificate sets standards and trains canoeists for leading activities without overnight stays. The Expedition Guide is a river based course that sets standards for multi-day remote trips that include camping, cooking, river travel and rescue and other skills applicable to remote wilderness canoeing.
More information on the RCABC Guide Program can be found here . We are looking to develop more guide instructors and get support from as many business owners as possible in the coming years. Please contact Roger Warnatsch, the Instructor Coordinator, if you’re interested at
Free National Park Passes for 2017!
For all of 2017 this pass gives you unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across the country!
Please note:
- You only need to order one pass for your group or family if you are all travelling together. A 2017 Discovery Pass is valid for everyone arriving in the same vehicle at a national park, or arriving together at a marine conservation area or historic site.
- The Discovery Pass is only accepted at national historic sites which are operated by Parks Canada.
- Activities such as tours or parking that normally carry a separate fee may not be covered by the Discovery Pass.
- Camping fees are not included with the Discovery Pass
- Validity Period: January 1st 2017 to December 31st 2017.
- Display: The 2017 Discovery Pass must be hung from the rear view mirror of the vehicle facing forward or it can be placed on the front driver side dashboard facing up.
If you have questions regarding the above information, please contact our National Information Service at 1-888-773-8888 or
Esquif and T-Formex Update
It's looking very good for retailers having stock of T-Formex (Royalex replacement) canoes in the spring. Check out Esquif's Facebook page for updates including lots of information on durability, weight, outfitting and so on.