The Headwaters

The Columbia River Treaty governs the water that flows from the headwaters of the ColumbiaRiver, through the Kootenays, to where it ends in the United States. It profoundly changed theBasin, turning once fertile valleys into lakes and altering river ecosystems forever, while at thesame time, preventing catastrophic flooding and generating billions of dollars in hydroelectricrevenue. The treaty that shaped this place is up for renegotiation. We talk to familiesdisenfranchised by treaty dams, politicians who negotiated ways to mitigate its impacts, andwriters lobbying for a better future.

Before our insatiable addiction to the almighty car, getting around the Basin was a muchdifferent affair. We were transported on trains and paddle-wheelers, a mode of travel that wasoften an adventure in itself. In this episode, we look at all the ways we move around: weexplore an ancient hiking route over a mighty mountain range, relive train travel, ride bikeswith seniors, and learn about the history of moving across big water.

Although the Basin is blessed with thousands of square kilometres of wilderness, our humanimpact on the land has been profound: we are changing the landscape and significantlyaffecting many Kootenay animal species. In this episode, we head into the woods and the waterto meet the people who are working to save keystone animals, like the sturgeon, the mountaincaribou, and big-horn sheep. We’ll also find out why stink bugs are taking over!

The Kootenays always produce amazing musical talent, and in this episode, we find out the story runs much deeper. We have an internationally recognized music school here in the Basin, where we’ll meet some talented musicians who’ve emerged from Selkirk College’s Contemporary Music and Technology program. We’ll also take a unique trip into the world of the Kootenay luthier, craftspeople who put many hours of talent and passion into making some of the world’s finest stringed instruments.

It is a largely forgotten blemish on British Columbia’s and Canada’s history, one that creates apotent stigma in the Columbia River Basin. During both the First and Second World Wars,thousands of people, many of them Canadian citizens, were interned in makeshift campsthroughout the region. Russian Doukhobors, Austrians, Germans, and Japanese wereconsidered threats to the country and so the government uprooted them, changing their livesforever. This episode features a New Denver man who made a documentary about the letterswritten during internment that he found in an old church. We also discover a book titled TheKissing Fence, about Doukhobor parents separated from their children, and we look back on thedark years of Kootenay internment.

There’s something in our mountain water that’s driving a groundswell in comedic talentthroughout the Basin. Never have more people wanted to make others laugh in our little sliceof the hinterland. In this episode, you’ll hear our own host on stage and in character, and wevisit a raucous amateur comedy night in Nelson, where the scene is exploding. We alsointerview Golden’s Ricky Diamonds, whose comedic crooning keeps his audienceslaughing—and groaning—and we check in with social-media giggle disruptor Katie Burrell andher take on this decidedly difficult but hilarious profession.

People like to do things a little differently out in the back 40. Perhaps it’s the open spaces thatcreate different opportunities when it comes to business, community living, and recreation. Inthis episode, you’ll hear about an outlier who infiltrated a Slocan Valley commune, Australianentrepreneurs who moved to Canal Flats in search of cryptocurrency, an uncommon residentialdevelopment, and a woman who runs. And runs. And then runs some more.

We’ve got some yarns to tell you. Some real beauties. We swear some are true, while otherswe can’t quite confirm, except through legend. You’ll hear about rogue circus elephants from100 years ago and cheetahs in the snow just a few winters back. There’s a mysterious giantgolden nugget that fell into the depths of Kootenay Lake, and a homemade sub that might findit. And to round it out, we have a story about the world’s first “unofficial” helicopter. You haveto hear it to believe it.

In the Kootenays, we are blessed with an abundance of forests and a multitude of tree species,with some individual trees over a thousand years old. We revere these towering giants, we alsodepend on them as a resource. In this episode, we dive into the state of old growth with CraigPettitt and Rachel Holt, two biologists who have dedicated their lives to helping preserve theancients among us. Through another tree crusader, we learn about the fascinating Whitebarkpine, which relies on a particular bird to germinate, and we travel to Fernie to meet the authorof a big-tree guidebook.

Have you ever ventured into the spirit world? Had an encounter with a ghost? Heard voicesfrom another realm? We take you to places very few understand, and where even fewer dareto tread. Meet psychic intuitive Norm Pratt, whose unique gift allows him to communicate withmissing persons, helping families find closure. Along the way, we’ll go on a ghost walk withNelson’s Paranormal League and interview a writer and podcaster from Revelstoke who goesdeep into the “Strange Little Places” of the Kootenays.

It’s the fourth largest waterway in North America and the inspiration for this podcast. The Columbia River has a long, storied, and tumultuous history. We dive into all aspects of the river, from a bizarre idea in the late 1800s to join the Columbia to the Kootenay River to the Indigenous Peoples and their powerful relationship to this waterway that dates back thousands of years. We talk about dams, how they work, and who runs them. We also interview a man who swam the entire 2,000 kilometres of the Columbia to bring awareness to how industry is polluting rivers and its impact on communities and the larger environment.

Their stories are as diverse as their backgrounds: A family from war-torn Syria out for an afternoon of disc golf. Jamaican truckers learning new skills on snowy mountain roads. A Kootenay hot-sauce entrepreneur who escaped tyranny in Africa. Russian immigrants lured by the Columbia River’s abundant rainbow trout. In this podcast, we hear from people making a new life in the Basin and those who are helping them.

A young hockey player with a dream to play in the NHL. A teenage musician who serendipitously finds herself singing with a mega-star. A multi-disciplinary talent who plays concert piano and climbs competitively. Meet Columbia Basin youth who are dreaming big and living bigger.

Hang on to your toque! We take you on a highline adventure between mountain peaks; we dive deep into the Revelstoke backcountry with an all-female freeride camp; and we wax poetic on the labyrinth that is your local library. Featuring guest host Patricia Smuga.

A century ago, the Kootenays produced approximately 70 per cent of their food and imported the other 30 per cent. Today, that ratio has flipped. For a region blessed with bountiful water and rich soil, why aren’t we producing more of what we consume? We talk to creative people with their hands deep in the dirt of positive change.

We often talk about how technology is coming to the Kootenays — but it’s here, and it’s having a big impact. We meet the creators of a booming nutrition app based in Revelstoke, tour an internationally renowned particle-accelerator company, and introduce you to Nelson vending machines that talk. Join us on a journey through the region’s newest and most exciting business sector.

Climate change is upon us, and it’s more important than ever to do our part to make a difference. In this episode, we meet three Basin residents who are making an impact in very creative ways. We drop by a resourceful shop in Kimberley selling products that yield zero waste. We speak with the young and passionate climate activists behind Fridays for Future. And we learn how anyone can cut their carbon footprint by 50 percent by making subtle lifestyle tweaks.

A pacifist sect of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Doukhobors have had a profound impact on the Kootenay region. We meet the great-great-grandson of Peter Verigin, an influential Doukhobor leader killed in what is considered Canada’s first act of terrorism. We then tour a family-owned state-of-the-art sawmill that’s taking forestry into a more value-added future.

The invention of a new snow-sports industry. The first 3D-printed house in Canada. The birth of a craft-gear collective. Firefighting clothing designed for women. We introduce you to Columbia Basin residents who are growing big ideas from small places.

We take a quirky, investigative look at various definitions of saving species. People who are paid to kill invasive frogs, a rare taxidermy school, and an Indigenous celebration that calls the salmon home; but don’t get us started on the wild turkeys.