SMITHERS BC

August 30, 2024 By: JORDAN WHYNOT

Location: 1206 MAIN STREET, SMITHERS, BC, V0J 2N0

HIST 3991: Environmental History

Exercise #1: Local Environmental History

By Jordan Whynot

Smithers BC

I live in Smithers, British Columbia, located in the Bulkley Valley, the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Smithers is a European-alpine themed mountain town with approximately 5400 people[1]. The town is located along the Trans-Canada Highway and is approximately 13 hours north of Vancouver by car or a 1.5-hour direct flight from Vancouver to our regional airport. The town is bordered by the Bulkley River, an abundant life force for local First Nations and world-renowned Steelhead and Salmon fishery for recreationalists, and the Hudson Bay Mountain Range, which offers a ski hill and mountaineering for many mountain enthusiasts. The town is surrounded by Boreal Forest, consisting of pine, spruce, hemlock, some cedar, birch and alder – it is a subarctic climate – not great for growing tomatoes!

It’s hard to tell unless you go digging deep, but the town was built on a swamp, and consists of several neighbourhoods, parks, green spaces and a downtown main street. According to Wikipedia, the town was designed to accommodate 10,000 people but planners had to change course due to soil conditions, flood plains and slope issues[2]. Adopted on October 11, 2022, the town follows its most up to date “Official Community Plan”, which outlines land use, greenspace, roads, utilities, and future expansion boundaries[3]. The town also adheres to strict zoning bylaws, which includes a bylaw for alpine themed buildings on Main Street. The town gets its water from three deep wells, has a sewage treatment plant, and is also serviced by a regional transfer station for garbage and recycling[4]. The town operates with sustainability in mind and has recently switched its streetlights to LED, adopted a charge for plastic bags at retail outlets to discourage plastic use, and recently tested a hybrid electric garbage truck for potential purchase. In 2021, the town developed the Smithers Community Energy and Emissions Plan, which outlines different goals for reducing operational and citizen emissions, including retrofitting town buildings with solar panels and promoting cycling versus driving, including the creation of cycling lanes and paths[5].

Pre-contact, Smithers was rich in wildlife, such as deer, caribou, wolf, and moose and inhabited for thousands of years by the Wet’suwet’en people, specifically, the Gitdumden (Wolf/Bear) Clan, a branch of the Carrier or Dakehl people[6]. However, in mid 1800s, European explorers looking to establish a telegraph line and in search of trade opportunities settled into the valley, drastically changing the local ecology for farming, homesteads, and resource extraction[7]. In 1914, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was established in Smithers, which connected Smithers and its abundant resources to outside markets[8], which increased the demand for logging and mining. The town advanced rapidly, bringing more settlers and pushing First Nations to a reserve north of the town called Morristown (now known as Witset) and to a section of Smithers labelled “Indian Town”, eventually destroyed by the town in the sixties to make room for more settler homes[9]. The surrounding landscape was reshaped by European farmers, which stripped land and altered critical habitat for livestock. That said, some land around Smithers has been protected by provincial park status, such as Babine Mountain Provincial Park[10].

True to its history, Smithers is still a hub for mining, logging, and transportation. Looking out my front window, you can see scars in the earth, old mine roads on the face of the mountain, helicopters flying mining drills, you can hear the train whistle every 30 minutes for trains moving goods – coal heading west to port and sea cans moving east to the rest of the country – and different colour tree stands, indicative of old logging cut blocks. Additionally, several of the province’s major producing mines are located north of Smithers in the “golden triangle” and have yards or warehouses in a recently developed industrial section of town. More so than mining, the local economy is heavily dependent on logging – there is a mill and a wood pellet plant in town – and everyday you’re sure to see loaded logging trucks on Highway 16. In addition to logging, mining, agriculture, and transportation, Smithers depends on eco-tourism. Smithers offers exceptional mountain biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, and Nordic, downhill and backcountry skiing, to name a few activities. Each year, thousands travel to or through Smithers on their great northern adventures[11].

Industrial and recreational activities put a lot of strain on the local ecosystems, particularly the Bulkley River and its tributaries, a key fishery for several salmon species and a food source for First Nations. Luckily, Smithers is a large government centre for several ministries, which ensures industrial activities and recreation are heavily regulated. In addition to regulatory control, there are non-profit and local First Nation governments that provide oversight and conservancy strategies. However, there are still concerns and battles between industrial activity and ecological preservation and First Nations land rights, as seen in the most recent blockades south of Smithers between the coastal GasLink pipeline, land defenders, and First Nation Hereditary Chiefs[12].

In terms of invasive species, bordering the town limits, there are two lakes – Lake Kathlyn to the north, fed by the Kathlyn Glacier, and Seymour Lake to the south, fed by a spring. These Lakes provide habitat for local trout, salmon, and migratory birds. More recently, the lakes have been overcome by Yellow Flower Heart, which is an invasive plant from Europe and Asia that has the potential to alter local ecosystems. Lastly, wildlife and human conflict encounters in the area are on the rise[13]. Last year, a record number of black bears – 41 – were destroyed for getting into residential garbage, and a few weeks ago, a young grizzly was caught and destroyed for getting into garbage and killing livestock[14].

Lastly, Smithers is a mountain paradise, offering limitless adventure and an outdoor lifestyle. Originally from Toronto, this is exactly where I want to live, explore, and raise a family. However, reflecting on the town’s history, current demand for resources, and pre-contact abundance, I realize how much the settlers have taken and continue to take from this land and its First peoples. My wife and I often reflect on this point and remind ourselves to do our part in reducing our impact on the local ecosystem. It’s so easy to get lost in the alpine-themed Main Street and views of the mountain and turquoise river and forget that we weren’t here first.

RESOURCES

[1] https://tourismsmithers.com/plan-your-visit/about-smithers/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithers,_British_Columbia

[3] https://www.smithers.ca/business-building/building-development/ocp-zoning

[4] https://www.smithers.ca/node/414/annual-water-report

[5] https://www.smithers.ca/sites/default/files/2023-04/2021_Smithers_CEEP_Report.pdf

[6] https://www.smithersdirectory.com/sites/default/files/SpeakingGuide-November2022-FINAL.pdf

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithers,_British_Columbia

[8] https://www.smithers.ca/town-hall/our-history

[9] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/book-explores-early-relationship-between-indigenous-people-and-smithers-settlers-1.4816047

[10] https://bcparks.ca/babine-mountains-park/

[11] https://tourismsmithers.com/things-to-do/fishing-hunting/