The State of the Mountains Blog

Les cinq saisons d’incendies de forêt les plus importantes en termes de superficie brûlée, d’intensité et d’impacts socio-écologiques en Colombie-Britannique ont toutes eu lieu depuis 2017. En 2023, plus de 2.8 millions d’hectares ont brûlé, dont 82% dans le nord de la C.-B[1]. Au moment d’écrire ces lignes, la mi-juillet 2024, nous subissons à nouveau les impacts importants des incendies de forêt alors qu’il reste plusieurs semaines à la saison des feux. Les incendies de forêt extrêmes ont été amplifiés par un siècle de suppression efficace des incendies, le réchauffement rapide du climat, et une industrie forestière à large échelle[2]. De plus, l’expulsion forcée des peuples autochtones de leurs territoires par la colonisation a érodé les pratiques de gestion de la subsistance, y compris le brûlage culturel.

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The five most impactful wildfire seasons in terms of area burned, intensity, and social-ecological impacts in British Columbia have all occurred since 2017. In 2023, over 2.8 million hectares burned, 82% of which were in northern BC.

At the time of writing, it’s mid-July 2024 and we are once again experiencing significant wildfire impacts with many weeks left in the wildfire season. Extreme wildfire events have been amplified by the combined effects from a century of effective fire suppression, a rapidly warming climate, and large-scale industrial forestry. Further, the forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their territories through colonization has eroded subsistence stewardship practices including cultural burning. And although fire can be frightening and destructive, fire is integral to ecosystems and species across all regions of BC. Proactive fire management through cultural and prescribed burning provides significant benefits to ecosystems, wildlife, and human communities. Although Indigenous fire science and knowledge is becoming increasingly recognized, research on climate adaptation, ecosystems, and food security are still primarily driven by western scientific knowledge systems.

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We are researchers that go on expeditions hundreds of kilometres offshore of British Columbia to study the deep sea. We use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs – robots with cameras, lights, sensors, and sampling equipment) that remain tethered to the vessel and transmit data and imagery by cable technology to the team studying from above. The dives descend from the sunlit surface and enter a world of darkness, where we turn on the ROV lights to illuminate an incredible world in the depths of our ocean. Not just barren plains as once thought, our deep sea has an incredible density of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs), where life thrives in the deep. These include seamounts that rise over a kilometre above the ocean floor, hydrothermal vents from which super-heated and mineral-rich water spews from the ocean floor, tall stands of coral and sponge gardens, and cold seeps where gas bubbles out of the seafloor.

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We are researchers that go on expeditions hundreds of kilometres offshore of British Columbia to study the deep sea. We use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs – robots with cameras, lights, sensors, and sampling equipment) that remain tethered to the vessel and transmit data and imagery by cable technology to the team studying from above. The dives descend from the sunlit surface and enter a world of darkness, where we turn on the ROV lights to illuminate an incredible world in the depths of our ocean. Not just barren plains as once thought, our deep sea has an incredible density of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs), where life thrives in the deep. These include seamounts that rise over a kilometre above the ocean floor, hydrothermal vents from which super-heated and mineral-rich water spews from the ocean floor, tall stands of coral and sponge gardens, and cold seeps where gas bubbles out of the seafloor.

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La consommation d’énergie dans les refuges du Club alpin du Canada a beaucoup changé au cours du dernier siècle. Les premiers refuges de montagne canadiens, au début du vingtième siècle, étaient des structures simples en rondins ou en pierre locaux conçues comme des abris de base contre les éléments. La consommation d’énergie se serait résumée à brûler du bois de chauffage collecté localement. Plus d’un siècle plus tard, la demande en énergie dans les refuges est plus élevée, l’opération s’enracine dans des valeurs de conservation, et la transition vers l’énergie renouvelable réalise ses premiers pas. Toutes ces raisons méritent qu’on retrace l’évolution des besoins énergétiques dans les refuges et les facteurs qui ont influencé ces changements au fil des ans.

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Energy usage at Alpine Club of Canada huts has changed greatly in the past century. The first mountain huts in Canada, early in the twentieth century, were simple structures built from local logs or stone and intended for basic shelter from the elements. Energy usage would have amounted to burning locally gathered firewood. More than a century later, energy demand at the huts is higher, operation is rooted in values of conservation, and we’re in the early stages of a move to renewable energy. For all of these reasons, it’s worth charting the evolution of hut energy needs and the factors that have affected these changes through the years.

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Les Nations Unies ont déclaré 2025 comme Année internationale de la préservation des glaciers, et le 21 mars la Journée mondiale des glaciers, pour sensibiliser au rôle critique que jouent les glaciers, la neige et la glace sur les systèmes climatiques locaux et mondiaux, et pour reconnaître les impacts sociaux et économiques qu’entraîneront leurs changements.

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The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) and March 21st as the World Day for Glaciers, to raise awareness of the critical role of glaciers, snow, and ice on local and global climate systems, and to recognize the social and economic impacts that changes will bring.

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L’hiver dernier, la chute de neige tardive et inhabituelle, les températures chaudes et la pluie, et les défis de l’enneigement artificiel faisaient parler de changement climatique dans les files d’attente du Canada, pendant que des pentes boueuses et vertes apparaissaient dans les médias sociaux.

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This past winter, late and unusual snowfall, warm temperatures and rain, and challenges with snowmaking meant talk of climate change was heard in lift lines across Canada, with green and muddy slopes surfacing across social media.

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What comes to mind when you hear the words “Indigenous guiding?” If you are like most, early 1800 images of Indian guides with hulking loads on tumplines moving up mountain passes with David Thompson or Jimmy Simpson probably come to mind.

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Dans cet article, Alexandre Bevington and Brian Menounos résumerons des travaux récemment publiés qui mettent à jour les cartes des glaciers de l’Ouest canadien grâce à de nouveaux outils de cartographie automatisés.

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In this article, Alexandre Bevington and Brian Menounos summarize recently published research that updates maps of western Canadian glaciers using new automated mapping tools.

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En avril 2022, les Stoney Nakoda ont achevé un rapport qui considère la réintroduction du bison dans le parc national Banff (Mînî Rhpa Mâkoche) selon un point de vue culturel autochtone.

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In April 2022, the Stoney Nakoda completed a report, “Enhancing the Reintroduction of Plains Bison in Banff National Park Through Cultural Monitoring and Traditional Knowledge” (The Stoney Bison Study), that considers the bison reintroduction to Banff National Park (Mînî Rhpa Mâkoche) from an Indigenous cultural perspective.

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