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Mystery of the Nazca Lines in Peru

There’s a place in southern Peru called the Nazca Plain. Classified as a coastal desert, it is one of the driest places on Earth, getting less than 2.5 centimetres of rain a year.…

First steps to building a village

On Oct. 10 the Whistler Museum will be opening Construction of the Whistler Village: 1978 – 1984, a temporary exhibit featuring images of a village in progress from the Whistler Question collection. The planning and development of the Whistler Village is often referred to as one of the first tasks of the newly formed Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) in 1975.…

California runner finishes Whistler Alpine Meadows 100-miler just under the wire

Chihping Fu crossed the line with three seconds to spare

Competitors at the Whistler Alpine Meadows (WAM) 100-mile (160-kilometre) race were allotted 48 hours to complete the course. Chihping Fu needed all but three seconds of that time.…

Planning wildfire mitigation in Whistler

Total of 57 hectares prescribed for treatment before 2021

While Whistler’s wildfire anxiety may be dampened somewhat after a wet summer, officials aren’t assigning any less urgency to protecting the valley. “The modelling that we’ve done for the Community Energy and Climate Action Plan clearly shows that the long-term trend is for longer, hotter, drier summers, and so I am going to pay attention to that,” said Heather Beresford, environmental stewardship manager for the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW).…

Local lensman: Guy Fattal

When you look at the list of Israel’s top exports, ski photographers are probably as far as you could get from the top of the list. That’s because there’s probably just one: Guy Fattal.…

The Courageous Mountain Rangers cap off busiest season yet

Long-time local bluegrass band headlines Thanksgiving party at The Point Artist-Run Centre on Friday, Oct. 11

Brett Florio has a rule for jamming. You better show up with one of two things—musical chops or bearing gifts.…

Volunteer program pairs young readers with therapy dog companions

Paws 4 Stories is on now at North Vancouver District Public Library

Although he might not be able to read, no one likes relaxing with a good book more than Virgil. In one corner of the children’s section at Capilano library, youngsters are moving at a rapid pace as they engage in the art of playtime, their curious and encouraging parents hovering close by.…

Why this B.C. woman’s ‘cell phone in the car’ ticket should never have been issued

A great deal of attention lately has been paid to the case of a woman who was issued a ticket for having her cell phone in her cup holder in Vancouver. The phone was simply sitting in the cup holder, plugged into a charging cable.…

Salmon swimming through dire straits

Seafood society suspends its own MSC certification over lack of stock assessment

The BC society that holds Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificates for BC salmon is taking the unusual step of suspending its own MSC certification, due to concerns about the crash of some stocks and a lack of proper stock assessments by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Canadian Pacific Sustainable Seafood Society (CPSSS) has announced the “self-suspension” of the MSC certification for B.C. wild salmon, over concerns that the proper stock assessments required to maintain MSC verification are not being done.…

Whistler runner completes Barkley Fall Classic

Local runner has mixed feelings about third attempt in Tennessee

Peter Armistead has put up some strong results in his three cracks at the Barkley Fall Classic in Tennessee, but has ultimately fallen short of earning the win. The Whistler runner was hoping to use the race to qualify for the Frozen Head State Park’s cornerstone race, the Barkley Marathons, but will now try to find another way in.…

Wade in the Water

Poetry as an Invitation to Speak Together Differently

When we enter into poetry we are like two strangers in the park, making an invitation, and listening to each other with curiosity. Something starts to happen.…

Naturespeak: Why spores are not a bore

If you’ve walked through the forest lately, you may have noticed mushrooms sprouting up around every corner. Mushrooms are actually the reproductive structure, or fruiting body of fungi, like apples are the fruiting body of apple trees.…

Postcard from a #ClimateStrike

I see my first students at the Greenwood subway station. Young teens, still in middle school, maybe a hundred of them.…

Send in the clowns!

Despite the title, this column is not about the upcoming federal election. (Having said that, here’s some free advice for all the parties: Attack ads are not very Canadian.…

WCSS’s 30th anniversary dinner will raise funds for its food security programs

Whistler Food Bank handed out food 2,773 times last year—including 677 times to children

The Whistler Food Bank has a simple yet significant mission: to feed people with dignity. That goal is the same today as it was 10 years ago, when the local food bank still operated out of the cramped confines of a trailer with no running water.…