A Brief Look Into My Personal Environmental History

August 5, 2025 By: Logan Forman

A Brief Look at My Personal Environmental History

I come from a Ukrainian Canadian family with roots in the regional district of Fraser-Fort George, specifically the Village of Valemount, British Columbia. A village situated between three mountain ranges, the Monashee mountains, the Cariboo ranges, and the Rockies. Valemount has always been a village with deep roots. Shaped by nature, forests, rivers, and plenty of wildlife are all accepted aspects of life in the mountains. For three generations, my family has lived, worked, and accepted the rugged terrain around Valemount. Reflecting on my family’s experiences as well as my own paints a clear picture of how environmental relationships grow over time, culture, and class, blossoming into values that remain persistent today.
My great-grandparents, Olga and Jon, were first-generation Ukrainian immigrants who settled in Valemount in the early 1950s. Jon and Olga were then joined by Jon’s brother, Alec, and his wife, Jean. Alec and Jean are still there today, living on the farm they worked for several decades at the age of 97. Olga and Jon’s world was defined by survival and subsistence; they lived on the south end of town in a small log cabin that had been decimated throughout the years. Alec and Jean’s farm sits on the east side of town, 20km from Kinbasket Lake. Both families slowly carved out small and large-scale farming operations, with the wives staying at home to tend to the house and smaller farm chores while Alec and Jon hunted deer and trapped beavers on the north end of Valemount, closer to the Fraser River. My ancestors saw the environment as something to work with, not something to conquer.
Their lifestyle was a mix of Ukrainian tradition and Indigenous land practices, as they upheld old practices such as crop rotation and composting, and introduced new ones such as regeneration methods, which involve not taking entire berry patches, as the wildlife also needs to thrive. These methods used in tandem were a winning combination, as respecting the land was essential for survival. For my family, stewardship is not a theoretical practice; it is a practical way of life. Born from necessity, the land gives only when it is treated with respect.
My parents both grew up in Valemount, as my mother’s family, including Jon and Olga, settled there early in Canada’s history. My father’s family moved from Golden in 1974 and started an aviation business called Yellowhead Helicopters. My grandpa worked at the mill, my grandma was the elementary school secretary, and my mother worked at the school as a care aide. In the early days of the 70s and 80s, Valemount was a changing landscape, logging expanded, the mills were running at a high efficiency, and this industry caused a small boom in the town. The industry and drive to live there saw a positive change for Valemount, as individuals who moved there were outdoorsy and respected nature.
Growing up in Valemount was amazing. Summers were great for fishing with my grandpa, and the fall brought hunting season. There was also youth Hockey and a school that was in top shape. Also, during the summer months, there was no school, which meant everyone had to put time into the farm. This was a great bonding metric for the family and highlighted the importance of family and environmental connection. I later moved to Prince George at the age of 13, but I always feel more at home venturing down a logging road or hiking in the Mount Robson Provincial Park.
When reflecting on Valemount and the surrounding area, I see how human intervention can destroy key factors in a certain area. The once plentiful forests are thin, and the wildlife is forced to find higher ground due to industry. The mills are closed now, but the damage has been done; many years of mills and logging have taken a toll on the natural beauty of Valemount. However, through conservation efforts and regulations, there is hope for the wild to reclaim parts of Valemount, which may bring back some of those old factors we dream about today.
Living in Valemount and visiting often because of family has been an enormous asset in my life. From my ethnic background of being Ukrainian and learning the old farming techniques to exploring the rivers and forests to hunt, these experiences have added depth to my life. Growing up in this environment, gender was not a barrier, as everyone hunted and farmed. Regardless of gender, everyone had to contribute, and this created stronger bonds throughout the family. The lifestyle and respect for the environment were not only a survival, but a cultural and spiritual way of life.
In the future, I feel responsible for carrying these lessons into every new adventure I embark on. I don’t live in Valemount currently, but I visit my grandma and great-grandparents often. I still fish and hunt when I am there, as the feeling of those activities is deeper than a connection; it is a part of who I am. I am environmentally conscious as my family always has been, and I honour the balance that my ancestors lived by.
The relationship instilled by generations before me is still rooted in an environmentally conscious outlook on life. I carry this outlook and have furthered it through reflection, stewardship, and education. The sentiment is the same and always will be the same; we all accept the environment as something worth protecting. The need to protect the environment is born from a personal attachment, as it is where home is, not because preserving the environment is trendy.