News
Our Sacred Spaces Are Natural Spaces: Joe Pierre Interview Part 3
In part one of our three part interview series with ʔaq̓am Chief Joe Pierre, Joe spoke about the importance of water, stories and respecting all living things to the Ktunaxa people. In part two, Joe gave us a detailed look at Qat’muk and what this sacred place means to him and the Ktunaxa.In part 3, Joe details what a sacred space means to him, and what the Supreme court case could mean for Ktunaxa, Qat’muk and indigenous sacred spaces across Canada.Eddie Petryshen: Do you have anything you’d like to say to the nearly 60,000 people from around the world who ...
Dancing with grizzly bear: Part two of our interview with Ktunaxa storyteller Joe Pierre
Head on over to Kootenay Mountain Culture to read part two of our interview with Ktunaxa storyteller Joe Pierre and then part three here.
All Living Things: Our Qat’muk Interview with Ktunaxa Storyteller Joe Pierre – Part 1
In my eyes, Joe Pierre has always been a mountain of a man. He was my basketball coach and I remember his slender 6’6 frame towering over elementary-school hoops and his composed voice echoing through the weathered floors of Amy Woodland Elementary in Cranbrook. So it’s only fitting that we’re back on that same weathered floor for an interview about the fight to protect Qat’muk—to keep Jumbo wild. Joe is a Ktunaxa storyteller, works as an educator with the school district and is the Chief of ʔaq'am (St. Mary’s Band, near Cranbrook).The conversation we ...
Think Locally, Act Globally: Patagonia and Jumbo Wild
In late 2014, our long-running Jumbo Wild campaign was selected as Patagonia’s environmental spotlight for the coming year. We had no idea that our small, local campaign was under consideration. As the phone call check-ins got more frequent, and as more of the Patagonia team joined the calls, it quickly became clear we were about to become part of something much bigger.Since being proposed in 1991, The Jumbo Glacier Resort—a year-round ski resort that would occupy 6,000 hectares and access four glaciers in the Jumbo Valley, threatening wildlife and our Purcell ...
Jumbo Wild, The Song
Over the lifetime of the Jumbo Wild campaign, there have been many songs written to protest the proposed development, celebrate the wild valley and rally the troops. They've been sung around campfires, made up the soundtrack for road-trips and rally-cried many a protest. And just as the fight to keep Jumbo wild continues on, so too does the muse the cause stirs up.'Jumbo Wild Wind', written and performed by Montanan Bob Foppiano after being inspired by the valley, is the latest musical torch to join the march. Bob will be donating a portion of sales to support the ...
61,526 Signatures for Jumbo Wild
On March 13th, we presented a petition calling for permanent protection of Jumbo, with 61,526 signatures from around the world, to the transboundary Ktunaxa Nation in support of their Qat’muk Declaration at a ceremony in a packed venue at the Ktunaxa Nation offices, with more than 100 in attendance.The petition was launched from a partnership between Wildsight and Patagonia, with the feature-length film Jumbo Wild that inspired tens of thousands around the world to stand up for the remote wilderness, critical grizzly bear connectivity habitat and Ktunaxa spirit...
Stand with Jumbo
On March 13th, Wildsight will present the Keep Jumbo Wild petition supporting the Qat'muk declaration to the Ktunaxa tri-nation leadership at a special ceremony in Cranbrook (please join us if you're local). After that, we’re travelling to Victoria to present the petition to Christy Clark’s government before the upcoming BC election (please join us in Victoria).We're honoured to be asked to present our petition to the Ktunaxa leadership, so let's show them just how many people around the world support their cause. So far, almost 58,000 people like you have made a ...
On Patagonia’s Cleanest Line: Sacred Spaces and Wild Places
Read our latest on Patagonia's Cleanest Line blog: Sacred Spaces and Wild PlacesPhoto by Douglas Noblet
Leah Evans: Join me in keeping the wild in our lives
I first discovered the Jumbo Valley on a fall camping trip when I was 13. I still remember the golden larch trees and the crisp blue water of the tarn. My parents talked to us about the importance of the area for bears and there was never any question in my mind: this place was extraordinary and should be kept wild.I want to be able to show my kids wild spaces like the Jumbo Valley one day, to cultivate their own inner wild and inspire a desire to care for the world we’ve been entrusted with.Will you join me in making sure the Jumbo Valley remains wild by making ...
