Many 'nobodies' support Jumbo
May 9, 2009 by CVNews
Filed under BC government, Business, Environment, Letters, Local government, Recreation
Letter to editor –
There seems to be a great misconception out there that the plans to develop parts of the Jumbo valley into an area that allows safe and comfortable access for everyone for the purpose of skiing and other healthy recreational activities has little or no support from the residents of the Kootenays. Time and time again through letters to the editor and rants by opportunistic politicians, environmentalists and lobbyists it is stated that in the Kootenays that NOBODY supports Jumbo Glacier Resort and their plans.
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am nobody.
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of us nobodies across the Kootenays. If you go outside of the Kootenays across the province and across the country there are millions of us. You may not know me and politicians such as Norm Macdonald certainly don’t know me or the other nobodies. Apparently we don’t really exist according Norm and the folks that feel they need to speak out on the behalf of the residents of the Kootenays.
Us nobodies are people of conviction. We stand up for our beliefs and thoughtfully form our opinions on issues as they present themselves. We are not band wagon folks and seldom do we cling to party lines for the sake of fashion, trend or acceptance from our peers. We believe the best way to create change and have our voice heard is to adhere to the proper, effective, mature and accepted protocols of the day. We respect democracy and realize that we all have a say in who carries out the business of our government. We also realize that at times we are loathed to abide by the decisions made by those who were elected by us. We know that if we have a vastly differing opinion from what our governing officials decide on our behalf that we have the opportunity to end their political career at the next election or sooner. These are beliefs on which the strength of our country was built on and exist to maintain a high level of order and civility. Civil disobedience after the fact is not effective. It is immature and is a behavioral technique most often used by children that don’t get their own ways.
We don’t try to mislead those who have not formed opinions on issues via misleading billboards, half truths printed in editorials, spreading of rhetoric, propaganda and out and out lies. We believe that responsible and effective media should report on the happenings of the day and should clearly report both sides of an issue on matters that are contentious. Our freedom of the press is a blessing to us all, but only when it is used properly. There is absolutely no difference between dictators who force their opinions by controlling the media and a publication that allows blatant one‐sided reporting. Either way the spirit of effective, responsible media is bastardized.
Us nobodies rarely sticker up our vehicles and do not get up in the face of those who wield stickers of differing opinion. We nobodies respect the opinions of others and listen to their side of an issue and if we disagree we try to rebut with thoughtful, factual arguments and try to remain unemotional when clarifying our point of view. We stay far away from using the nah‐nahs, duhs and yeah as‐ifs that are so prevalent in the vernacular of those who feel they speak for everyone; “the enlightened ones,” as they have been referred to. We go about our business quietly, yet conscious of results. You will never find us nobodies haunting around the doors of a Wildsight meeting trying to force our opinions down others’ throats by shouting and name calling. If we want a question answered we do not bus people in and use mob tactics and shout at elected officials until through sheer duress they mutter a sound bite that can be used over and over. We are calm and quiet, convicted yet ever knowing that in the end we will get our opinion into the ears of the decision makers and in the end we know that calmer, cooler and wiser heads will prevail for the best overall benefit of our communities, province, country and planet.
We nobodies are active. We believe in the vibrancy of our youth. We believe in the spirit of competitive sport and the glory winning can bring in a setting such as the Olympics. We also believe in that although not everyone can win or even compete on the Olympic stage. We believe in the long term benefits that can be gained by training at a high level. This nobody has seen first‐hand benefits of training on summer snow in our own country, with a high level of quality and safety. Farnham Glacier has allowed many of local youth opportunities that cannot be equaled anywhere else on the planet. I thank all those that had the conviction to make projects like this a reality. There are many, many young people out there that will forever have their true potential stifled by the do‐gooders of the world. Stifled by the people that block the roads so that the youth cannot have access to train and better themselves in an arena that is accessible and affordable. And yes, these youth do exist. It is difficult for side‐line type people to realize that there are many young people that that want to tap into their full potential and not have their dreams cut short by short‐sighted people furthering their own selfish agendas. My own 3 kids are just 3 of many who did not get to utilize the glacier training as they would have liked too because of the road block. Yes people there are literally hundreds of young athletes that would like access to summer snow, and just because they don’t pound their chests, just because they don’t yell and shout, just because they do not believe in the immaturities of civil disobedience does not make their loss of on‐snow summer training any less real and it certainly does not mean that they don’t exist as the lobbyists tried to make us believe last summer.
We nobodies are have a real love affair with the natural world and are relentless in the protection of it. Being an ‘environmentalist’ does not require us to be socialists. It does not require us to be hyper sensitive or to haul out the enviro‐card and play it against any project we disagree with. Being environmentally conscious requires us to utilize wise decisions in our global pursuit to balance our needs as people with the natural world. Mary Anne Rombach nailed it on the head when she said “I love the natural world and people are part of the natural world.” We need the natural world in order not just to prosper, but to live! I find great pleasure in the recreational opportunities that the back country offers and find myself partaking at every opportunity. Skiing is not the environmental nail in the coffin that some would have us believe it is. New technologies and technologies that are evolving make skiing cleaner and greener that it ever has been. My love affair for the mountains and the outside world was born on a chairlift over 30 years ago. The mixture of cigarette smoke, soggy wine skins and diesel fumes still conjure up memories of my early days skiing. Now lifts in the Kootenays are carbon free. New methods of carrying waste away and environmentally conscious business practices get us closer and closer to balancing our love for the slopes and minimal environmental smudges. Next time you see Scott Niedermayer ask him how clean and green it is to create and maintain ice in Anaheim or Phoenix. We nobodies have nothing, what‐so‐ever against hockey, but it escapes me why the ski industry reputedly gets labeled as the instrument of global catastrophe.
Well, enough from this nobody. Nobody listens or cares what I have to say anyways. As a matter of fact according to Norm Macdonald and the fine folks at Wildsight, I don’t even exist. ‘Everybody’ knows that! The time is quickly coming when us nobodies will start to emerge. The silence will soon be broken and you will all realize that there are many of us. We nobodies are approachable and if you look really closely you will find our feet are not hoofed and our foreheads are mysteriously void of the horns that ‘everybody’ thought were there. I am a proud skier and I proudly support Jumbo Glacier Resorts in their pursuit to build one of the finest ski resorts on the planet. If you are a nobody like me that supports JGR, the time is now! It is, in fact, time to show you care!
Sincerely,
Dave McGrath
Invermere, BC
I am proud to say I’m a nobody. I spend my whole summers mope’ing around wishing for snow, knowing if I had the opportunity to ride year round, I truly believe I could reach a higher level. I commited years ago that if Jumbo were to ever open, I’d be there for its opening season, and I still have high hopes that us “nobodies” can make it happen one day.
So from all of us nobodies here at Chronic Coffee… Let us know what it takes, and we’ll be there.
Thanks for speaking out – saying it like it is on behalf of the “nobodys”
Jumbo resort will put the nail in the coffin for Bear and animal movement patterns. Where jumbo plans to be is right between there. There are a lot of nobodies that are against this too but have no voice.
This is another false allegation about impacts on bears…
Of all Grizzlies killed between 2004 – 2007, 88% or 1224 were intentionally killed by hunters. Yet Wildsight identifies ski resorts as enemy # 1 of the bears? In 1,000 years JGR couldn’t impact that many bears.
The opponents have all the input they wanted into the Jumbo Resort proposal but, like your allegations here, they could not back any of it up so they lost.
“Jumbo resort will put the nail in the coffin for Bear and animal movement patterns.” ??
No it won’t.
That’s the only rebut that a comment like this deserves. to argue further is an exercise in futility and a waste of time. There are many good arguments on the opposition side of this issue that deserve attention. The overall ‘impact’ on wildlife and the many, many ways to mitigate this through forward thinking and thoughtful management is one of them. ‘Skiers bad…they will cut down every tree, they will kill all animals’ is a good argument for primary school kids because it is sensationalist, hypersensitive and creates a very visceral response with folks that really haven’t taken the time to research this project properly and still feel informed enough to comment on it??
I’m afraid that our views on you poor, hard done-by opposers to this project not having a voice are also miles apart. Just because you don’t get your own way after years of public input, yelling screaming and carrying on doesn’t mean that you don’t have a voice. Sometimes it means that our elected officials are hearing both sides of the debate and responding in a responsible manner. The whole premiss of the ‘Nobodies’ letter was to point out the fact that there are many, many people that support this resort and the economic and social benefits it will bring to our communities, but many folks don’t wave flags or carry signs as a show of support. It doesn’t mean we aren’t there and we are not doing anything. Most times I don’t even believe that folks that oppose this project really know why. Your post is a good example. JGR is not there to kill animals? Yet that is your argument. Read ‘letitfly’s response… if you’re really concerned about bear mortality; where’s your action plan for that??
We support balance and feel that JGRs commitments to the over 200 environmental conditions on their environmental certification balance out the evils of the job creation and the families that may be able to enjoy a better standard of living because of wise economic drivers (something opposers have pared down to ‘evil profit’ and ‘cash grab’). We also know that with planned management and the knowledge we have gained from past mistakes that we can enjoy the mountains, while ever mindful and sensitive to the needs of wildlife that need these lands for habitat. We nobodies are in favour of limited access and development in wild areas, we are also in favour of balancing this with some recreational development. Jumbo valley has been slated for an area ripe for recreational development and we support this.
Evan, skis don’t kill bears. Do some homework, this is not the overwhelming plug in the wildlife corridors that you have been told it is. We can balance recreation and preservation, but not until we ALL get on the same side.
Ski resorts and any other human development in bearland are like vaccinations – they may not kill you outright, but in the end they reduce the population or lower its lifespan and vitality, and therefore its viability.
It is obvious that development does not kill bears, or anything else, outright, but also obvious that it does have a large impact on them. All development in undeveloped areas has a big ecological impact. There is no way around that. The only question is whether it is the right thing to do.
Jumbo Glacier Resort (JGR) is a way to create more and more jobs with a fixed amount of natural resources. JGR could be an island of development while allowing a sea of wilderness to be left untouched.
Each year Whistler creates 1 billion $ of economic activity for BC. How many trees and logging roads in pristine bear habitat would have to be logged to create a billion dollars of revenue for BC?
Jumbo will do what??? Please look at the results of Ski Areas on Grizzly populations…..Lets say Lake Louise!!!
The cut out and cleared runs have created such an abundance of habit that the carrying capacity ot the surrounding area has increased by many times.
This has led to such a high concentration of Grizzlies in a small area creating social problems within the population. (They are at a point a reduction in numbers would be an actual benifit)
Jumbo supporter?…Me??? not sure…..But lets use the facts properly ,the way they where supposed to be collected …without bias
There are between 280 and 610 Grizzly bears in Yellowstone national park. There are over 200 miles of mostly 2 lane asphalt roadways in the park. There are several visitor gathering areas such as canyon village, mammoth, Old faithfull and several more. There are about 2,800,000 visitors each year. The population of grizzly bears is slowly increasing. How can this be.
Actually Evan, you are incorrect about coffins and Jumbo Grizzlies.
If a gazetted road goes into the Jumbo area and up the Toby Creek mining and forestry road to the Jumbo site, then by law, no hunters will be allowed to hunt any animal, including Greg the Griz or Bill the Black within 100 meters of that road – both sides. That would then mean that the Griz hiddy on Toby Creek Road would no longer be used by hunters to kill Greg the Griz as is currently the case. Three ? during 2009 so far?
Mary the Moose will be safer, Donny the Deer will not be hunted from the current disused logging and mining roads.
We already know that the argueably three Griz that utilize, sometimes, the area will cross the road – they already do throughout the province, we already know that the slow speed road will not impact any wildlife as far as impacts – check the stats for the similar Kicking Horse Road.
No, this will help the wildlife in many many diverese ways, not hinder the wildlife.
Its true that Jumbo will kill alot of Grizzly’s not to mention cougars and wolves and badgers! We can all ski and board Jumbo for free almost year round now, and have been able to for the past 100 years. Its Free!!! All you need is a car and the effort to take a little walk up the glacier. If Jumbo is ever built we will then have to pay $120 + just to ski the glaciers, thats ridiculas! Keep it wild! Keep it free! Save the bears, cougars and wolves! Let our children ski and have fun! Nevermind the rich Calgaryns and Europeans!
What a load of crap…as it is now the commercial big game hunters are going to kill alot of Grizzlies, Wolves and Badgers. Back up your rhetoric with some facts – for nearly 20 years professional greens tried and failed. Its easy to spout off – hard to show us facts – just ask WildSight.
Bears aside, nobody will work at jumbo, who wants to drive way the heck out there to get payed $8 an hour, when you could got to any fast food joint in Invermere and start at $16 – 17 an hour. Build Jumbo somwehere that needs jobs, not invermere!
Forestry workers – who have almost no work right now – travel 1-2 hours to any job site then work 8-10 hours in the bush. If unemployment stays high even forestry workers salaries will plummet. To say ski hill jobs are minimum wage is another load of crap…do millwrights, accountants, heavy equipment operators, etc etc make minimum wage? Radium mill closes, pine beetle and a continuous decline in resource jobs are of no concern to JS. Talk about uninformed…
JS can you back up ANYTHING for your side of this debate other than raw misguided emotion?…
Didn’t think so…. great points though…well thought out.
Stay mad buddy, stay mad………
To Jumbo Skier About your comment that “who wants to drive way the heck out there to get payed $8 an hour” . The resort has facilities to house 750 employees or about 90 percent of staff. The resort is like a self contained ship in the mountains. This is according to a reading of the Master Plan which is available on line. Most of the people who work there would have housing at the resort.
I agree 100% with Jumbo Skier, We all use it for free! Leave it that way. Nobody will want to live way out at jumbo and spend their entire pay check on their lunch! Jumbo is a silly idea.
Use it for free is so far from the truth…the local taxpayers pay $250,000 to keep the road open to the Mineral King mine site so millionaire opponents can heli ski and the 17 independant ski tourers can go in once a winter. Then there is the cost of avalanche training if you guide yourself or $750 a day to heli ski it. Then to top it off there is the dangers of a uncontrolled ski area that it is now…and with Jumbo you can bring a bag lunch just like ski touring.
Jumbo skier is right. Also glacier resorts are very dangerous, many people go missing each year. Jumbo is shrinking alot each year now. In a few years there wont really be enough ice to ski on anyway. lol and she is right about the jobs, Go to Tim Hortins and start at $16
far more skiers die touring each winter then in bounds at ski resorts…Jumbo’s glaciers will last 100 years and if they go sooner – then Fernie will be shut down to skiing first. Then there is the fact that Jumbo can survive as a winter ski hill and a summer sight seeing facility. Very few ski resorts have that synergy.
Ski Guide,
If you are a ski guide, why did you choose a life guiding in the mountains? Why not follow your own advice and work in town in the food industry? Better hours, less danger, more stability, you can stay close to home and raise a family… heck the benefits go on and on. I would imagine it is because you wanted a bit of adventure and a view from your workplace that is a bit more spectacular than a Tim Horton’s counter (no offense to those that work at Tims). The right applicant to work at Jumbo will be looking for the same things… a chance to live and work in the high peaks! WOW, for a young person, what could be better! Notable people don’t simply look at their life’s experiences as a collection of various jobs. They don’t tally their worth by a simple dollar/hour multiplier; but as a collective of great things they have done. I would bet there are a lot of folks out there that worked a few years at ski resorts in their wild youths that have more than a bag full of great experiences to laugh about. I’ll also bet ya that not many of them could remember or give a flying crap how much they made per hour. Valuable? Priceless!
So while you make an excellent point about the availability of decent paying jobs, I feel your comparison between the inside of a Tim Horton’s to the Jumbo valley lacks a bit of credibility. I’m sure there are lots of management opportunities within many food and beverage franchises that pay much better than a ski guide, but I really doubt that we’ll see any mass exoduses in the next while?
Note to Ski Guide – Invermere Girl – Jumbo Skier:
We do our best to maintain open and free discussion on our stories and welcome comments from all sides of any issue.
We have approved your comments this time, but in the future please refrain from using multiple names while commenting on the same story. If you have something legitimate to say, there’s no reason why you need 3+ names to do it.
Thank you.
To Ski Guide, Invermere Girl, Jumbo Skier in no direct order.
There are more bears per ski hill than any other part of the wilderness due to the fact that the vegetation acts as a grazing ground for these omniverous animals. By the same token, so do clear cut logging operations have high concentrations of blacks and griz in spite of the amount of re planting that occurs.
Minimum wage jobs? Where have you been for the last 4 or 5 years, certainly not in the Columbia Valley or British Columbia.
Check the stats folks, nobody around here works for minimum wage, at Timmy’s, at lawn and garden work, at ski hills. Not even cleaning staff at any reputable cleaning company pay minimum wage.
No Kill Greg the Grizzlie? Then put a gazetted road into Jumbo Glacier Resort and through the entire Toby Creek and Jumbo Valleys and Hillary the Hunter will not be able to shoot from the road; 100 m on both sides of the road. For those of us that are aged challenged – it’s 330 feet on both sides of the road is a no kill zone. Sorry Hillary the Hunter but your days of blowing away Bambie’s brains are fast decreasing.