Revelstoke Mountaineer Podcast

Wayne Stetski is the NDP candidate in the riding of Kootenay-Columbia in the October federal election. Stetski served as Mayor of Cranbrook for three years until he was defeated in the 2014 municipal election. His career background is in government parks management and conservation. This our second audio interview with Wayne Stetski was recorded on Aug. 24, 2015 while he was campaigning in Revelstoke. This long-form interview explores a number of issues facing the riding, and seeks to find out more about the candidate's take on issues facing the riding.

Two consultants who worked on Revelstoke’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan say now’s the time to get your property ready for a potential interface fire. Archie McConnachie served as a senior government wildfire manager in Revelstoke before retiring 15 years ago. He worked alongside forester Cindy Pearce on the 2015 update of Revelstoke’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan update. McConnachie told the Mountaineer that this season is as dry or even a little worse than 2003, when wildfires swept through B.C. and caused massive damage.

Myrtle and the Nocturnal are a Revelstoke-based collaboration between Myra Morrison and Denis Severino. We recorded Going Across the Mountain at Revelstoke's Centennial Park on a sweltering hot July 8, 2015. This interview and song is a preview of their performance at the Revelstoke Street Music Festival on Saturday, July 11, 2015.

D.R. Michel is the Executive Director of the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), and he told the Revelstoke Mountaineer the June 25 presentation in Revelstoke will explore the ongoing technical, scientific and political efforts underway to promote restoration of traditional salmon migrations in the Columbia. He will also explain the importance and progress of UCUT and other groups’ efforts to link ecosystem and salmon restoration to the international Columbia River Treaty, which is in the midst of a process to explore negotiation and modernization of the Canada/U.S. deal concerned with water and hydro issues relating to the international river system. The presentation starts at 7 p.m. on June 25 at the Revelstoke United Church, 314 Mackenzie Avenue.

Revelstoke-based geologist Agathe Bernard is gearing up for a fall scientific expedition from Africa to Brazil aboard a sailing ship that will explore plastic waste in the Atlantic. Bernard will participate in the experiments and document them as a photographer and filmmaker.

The Martha Creek Makeover initiative is a summer 2015 community project to repair and renovate the popular downhill-oriented trail on Sale Mountain just north of Revelstoke. Organizer and mountain bike guide Matt Yaki is leading the push to raise funds for the project, and the target is about $30,000. Currently, they’re past the halfway mark on a crowdfunding campaign on the fundrazr platform — see the Martha Creek Trail page here — and they’ve just announced a big new prize for anyone donating $100 or more.

Revelstoke residents are encouraged to attend wildfire FireSmart sessions to learn how to prepare their properties before this fire season, which is shaping up to be drier and hotter than usual. The May 26–28 sessions will also provide Revelstoke residents the opportunity to review a new draft fuel break plan for the community, part of ongoing wildfire management planning in Revelstoke. Consultant Cindy Pearce explained the new fire break design maps out existing fuel breaks around Revelstoke – such as roadways, hydro lines, and ski runs on Mount Mackenzie – and also proposes some new ones. The gaps in forest cover are used as defensive barriers in the event of a wildfire.

The Revelstoke Board of Education has been ranked first in B.C. alongside their West Vancouver counterpart in a report by the Fraser Institute. The neo-liberal think tank’s report is usually accompanied by an asterisk denoting criticism of their school ranking reports. Critics say the ranking focuses on unhelpful selection of criteria that favours private schools and produces a snapshot that doesn’t factor in important socio-economic differences between districts. Alan Chell is the long-serving chairperson of the Revelstoke Board of Education. In the interview with the Revelstoke Mountaineer embedded below, Chell said the Revelstoke School District is data-focused and utilizes the information to improve education here. He spoke with the Revelstoke Mountaineer about the 2015 edition of the annual report on May 14.

The Revelstoke-based North Columbia Environmental Society (NCES) is asking governments of all levels to enforce existing rules prohibiting motorized recreation on the Upper Arrow Lake drawdown zone, most commonly known at the Columbia River Flats. We spoke with NCES president Jody Lownds about the issue.

Vancouver-based company Emergent Waste Solutions (EWS) is exploring building a bio-waste processing facility in Revelstoke. The facility would process waste including wood chips into byproducts like bio-oil, charcoal and carbon. They would then be resold. The Revelstoke Mountaineer spoke with EWS president Kevin Hull about the concept for the Revelstoke facility concept.

Organizer Matt Yaki of Revelstoke bike guides Wandering Wheels talks about plans to refurbish the battered trail at Martha Creek during the summer of 2015, including fixing buckled bridges and other improvements.

Director Denny Kaulback discussed the Revelstoke Theatre Company's production of Proof, a David Auburn play opening April 30 at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre

Hugo Rampen is the director behind the new Revelstoke Axis Mundi festivals, which starts with the Axis Mundi Harvest festival September 18–20 featuring Ashley MacIsaac as the biggest name announced so far. The Revelstoke Mountaineer explored the new festival in a Mar. 26 story. This week, we sat down with director Hugo Rampen, who joins the new Revelstoke festival offering after many years in charge of the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues festival. Rampen talked about the vision for the festival, which is much more than just a live music show. Multi-venue performances are planned for downtown Revelstoke, for example. Rampen plans to integrate outdoor adventure, culture, environmental themes and community-driven initiatives into a cutting edge overall festival package. The fall Axis Mundi Harvest festival is one of two; the spring Axis Mundi Solstice will have a slightly different take. The Mountaineer sat with Rampen for this audio interview below on April 21, where he elaborated on his plans, and talked about hi

A new cross country mountain bike trail is in preliminary planning for Mt. Revelstoke National Park. Revelstoke resident Jason Zimmer is a proponent of the plan and is organizing volunteers to help with the idea. He was also behind the online Revelstoke Bike Park survey (and Facebook page) exploring demand for lift-access gravity biking in Revelstoke. Zimmer said the idea for a trail on Mount Revelstoke came from that survey. “After the survey for the downhill bike park, just chatting with friends … we were thinking about where else in town would there be potentially an area for more trails, and somebody mentioned Mt. Revelstoke national park,” he said. For more, see www.revelstokemountaineer.com

Does Revelstoke need a homeless shelter? A new study commissioned by the Revelstoke Community Housing Society seeks to answer that question. Revelstoke business analyst Nicole Fricot worked on a report entitled Emergency Shelter Feasibility Study, over the past year, and will present the findings later this month. In an interview with the Revelstoke Mountaineer, Fricot explored the study. For the full story, and to see the report, visit www.revelstokemountaineer.com.

The Official Opposition critic for the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure was a guest at the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce’s April luncheon. Claire Trevena (NDP) is the MLA for North Island, and has served in several critic portfolios since she was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2005. At the April 8 meeting in Revelstoke, Trevena met with business owners on transportation-related issues. The Mountaineer interviewed Trevena at the luncheon, asking about transportation issues in the Revelstoke area, and about the new 10-year ‘B.C. On the Move’ transportation plan announced in March. Trevena touched on many transportation issues in the Revelstoke area. She suggested the possibility of added mountain weather training for commercial vehicle operators. She called for more commercial vehicle inspections. She called for accountability when it came to actually budgeting for improvements announced in transportation plans. She called for improvements to highway maintenance programs. She said

We spoke with Revelstoke Cycling Association leaders about plans for the 2015 biking season. Downhill director Danielle Backman spoke about a big new signature trail on Boulder Mountain. Cross country director Richard Brittin shared plans for trail connectors and consolidation on Mount Macpherson this season, and two new cross country trails in the planning stages for future years, including one on Mt. Cartier. Events coordinator Bart Jarmula talked about the upcoming twoonie race series which includes gravity, XC, and street races.

Revelstoke Caribou Rearing in the Wild executive director Kelsey Furk talks about the capture of 18 mountain caribou cows for their 2015/16 maternity penning project, and about the successes and challenges of the inaugural 2014/15 project. Interview with Aaron Orlando from the Revelstoke Mountaineer.

Revelstoke skier Zach Birnie survived mostly unscathed from a Mar. 27, 2015 avalanche incident in the Mount Mackenzie sidecountry. In a video he posted to YouTube, Birnie is seen dropping from a ridge into a chute in the Kokanee Bowl backcountry area. Suddenly, the snow beneath his feet gives way and he's swept down the slope for about 300 or 400 metres. Bernie said the avalanche broke just behind him and was about 30 to 45 centimetres deep at the crown. He lost a ski pole and wrenched his shoulder in the avalanche, but other than that was relatively unscathed.

Revelstoke Rod & Gun Club president Gary Krestinsky says new restrictions to fishing on the Columbia and Illecillewaet rivers in and around Revelstoke are a step in the right direction. The new regulations came into effect on April 1, 2015. In this interview, Krestinsky explains why many club members feel the new restrictions are necessary.