Family Environmental History
October 28, 2026 By: Danika Zerr
Looking at my family’s history, I can see how each generation experienced the environment differently. My grandparents grew up in different parts of Western Canada, some on farms and others in cities. Both sides eventually settled in Barrière, British Columbia, where I grew up. Their experiences show how occupations, financial circumstances, and family traditions shape how people use and value their surroundings.
On my dad’s side, both grandparents grew up farming on the Prairies. My grandpa was born in Mankota, Saskatchewan, where the region’s relatively dry climate shaped the open grasslands and agricultural fields. According to the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, climate, soil texture, and organic matter are important factors in determining agricultural productivity. My grandma was born in Calmar, Alberta, where the Alberta Geological Survey identifies agricultural soils as having generally favourable growing potential, though drainage and climate can affect productivity. Although both grandparents grew up farming, their families worked with different environmental conditions and depended on the land for their livelihoods. Human activity also shaped these landscapes, as people cultivated and maintained the land for agriculture.
My grandpa grew up in a traditional German family with two brothers and a sister. His family was financially comfortable, though not wealthy. My grandma had nine siblings, and her family had considerably less money. The children were expected to do much of the farm work. One sibling drowned in a frozen pond, while another lost an arm in an accident involving a farm conveyor belt. These stories show how dangerous rural life could be for children whose labour was needed. Unlike my childhood, when the outdoors was mainly recreational, their daily lives involved far more physical labour and a greater dependence on the seasons.
My grandparents eventually left farming. My grandpa served in the Navy and later became a conservation officer. That work gave him another relationship with the environment, one focused on managing and protecting natural resources rather than producing food. My grandma moved from Alberta to Terrace and later Vancouver. They eventually moved to Barrière in 1981, where they owned Zerr’s Major Appliances. Although they no longer earned income from farming, the outdoors remained important to them.
My grandpa enjoyed hunting and fishing and passed those interests on to my dad. My grandma was a Scouts leader, helping children spend time outdoors and develop practical skills. Their involvement in conservation and Scouts shows that the environment could be something to care for and learn about, not only a source of income. My grandpa was also handy and took pride in maintaining his property.
Our family lake house on Adams Lake shows how my family changed its environment. It began as a one-room shack, but my grandpa, with help from my dad, mom, aunt, and uncle, renovated it into a much larger home. My grandparents eventually lived there full-time. The property itself was also changed considerably. My uncle worked in logging, so my family used old logging truck tires to help level the land behind the lake house. This altered the natural landscape and made the property more usable. Although we valued Adams Lake for its natural beauty, we also made significant changes to the surrounding environment to accommodate our family.
My mom’s family had a different relationship with their surroundings. Her dad grew up in Vancouver and worked in shipping and receiving, while her mom was born in St. Boniface, Winnipeg, and later worked in several occupations before becoming a foster parent and staying home to raise children. They eventually settled in Barrière. My mom grew up with two older sisters in a fairly sheltered, traditional household. Her parents were more homebodies than my dad’s, so outdoor recreation wasn’t as central to her childhood. After meeting my dad, she began spending more time outdoors.
My dad grew up hunting, fishing, and spending time outside with his parents. He also learned practical skills from his father and worked alongside him repairing appliances before eventually becoming a small-engine mechanic. Looking back, I think their work had an environmental benefit I hadn’t really considered. By repairing appliances instead of replacing them, they helped extend the lifespan of household products and reduce unnecessary waste. My parents passed many of those outdoor interests on to my older sister and me. Growing up in Barrière, my family spent much of our free time outdoors, enjoying activities like quadding, fishing, boating, and swimming. Our home environment also blended natural and human-made spaces: we had a large backyard with a trampoline, swimming pool, and playhouse, plus many pets.
Unlike my farming grandparents, I could enjoy the surrounding forests and lakes without depending on them for my family’s income. Even those recreational activities had environmental impacts. Boating and quadding, for example, allowed us to explore the area but also required fuel and motorized equipment. Growing up, I mostly associated nature with family time and enjoyment rather than work.
My dad was always the handyman in our family and encouraged me to create things with him in his shop. I have always been crafty and enjoyed those projects, although I was not expected to do much physically demanding labour. That has changed since I started living with my boyfriend, whose family runs a cattle farm in Darfield, British Columbia. He grew up with two older brothers and was accustomed to farm work, so I have become more involved in it myself. My relationship with the environment has gradually expanded beyond recreation to include agricultural work.
After living in Saskatoon, my boyfriend and I plan to move back onto his family’s farm. I hope to raise our children outdoors, as I was, although they may grow up with a closer connection to agriculture. In some ways, this feels like a return to my grandparents’ farming background, but under very different circumstances. Across these generations, my family has relied on the environment for income, managed and altered it, and enjoyed it recreationally. The relationship has changed, but the environment has remained part of our lives.