This was a short week because of the statutory holiday. We didn’t plan any major events for the week but Fraser and Leif both conducted interviews and continued editing. They both have episodes that are near completion, but as we discussed this week, we’re not going to consider any of the episodes truly complete until the final week of the project. We don’t know what opportunities for great interviews may arise, or what refinements we may wish to make to the episodes.

For each of the past several years, the Rivershed Society of B.C. (http://rivershed.com/) has run its Sustainable Living Leadership Program in which a group of intrepid travelers (mostly young people) travel down the Fraser River from its headwaters to Vancouver. Along the way they have learning sessions on the ecology of the river. Upon completion, participants are expected to become involved with environmental initiatives in their own home towns. (Leif took part in this program a few years ago.) On August 1, Fraser and I had an enjoyable evening at the Cayoosh Creek Campground here in Lillooet where, along with a number of other Lillooet residents, we met the participants in this year’s S.L.L.P. trip when they arrived in Lillooet. One of the participants in the program this year was Lillooet resident Amanda Ned. Amanda’s family had turned out to join the welcoming party. She said that as they rafted under “the Old Bridge” (across the Fraser River) she could see her dogs on the bridge! You can hear a part of Amanda’s interview below. The participants very patiently put up with us bugging them at the end of their day for interviews as they set up camp for the night and began preparing for dinner. After listening to their responses to Fraser’s questions, I can only say that if they represent the future of environmental leadership in this country, it is a bright one. Our timing was pretty good too: just around the time we finished interviewing, their evening meal (with numerous contributions from Lillooet residents - I made cornbread) was ready for consumption and looked very appetizing.

One other random thought that occurred to me a couple of weeks ago but which I thought was significant: it has become apparent while listening to the interviews conducted by Fraser and Leif that women are spearheading much of the environmental work being done in the Lillooet area. I’m not going to try to extrapolate any brilliant conclusion from this observation. I just think it’s interesting and encouraging.

Jeff O’Kelly - Station Manager