Falling Leaves and Waterfalls

Falling Leaves and Waterfalls

Moses Falls, Revelstoke, BC

My last post Chasing BC Waterfalls was the inspiration behind last weekend’s trip to see Moses Falls, BC.

It’s almost November, yet the lower elevations in southern BC are snow free; thus, I have decided to make the most of the great outdoors and explore as though it’s still summer.

I’ve always longed to visit Moses Falls.

Moses Falls did not disappoint. Not only is the beauty paradisiacal, the experience proved to be a huge learning experience; the big picture of the temperate rainforest’s vulnerabilities became crystal clear: Moses Falls is the epicentre of the plight of Earth’s only temperate inland rainforest.

Moses Falls is located near Revelstoke, BC It is a tranquil place of Zen, juxtaposed amongst both astounding BC beauty and tragic environmental destruction. The falls flow into a creek that empties into the wide, majestic Columbia River, only meters away from the massive Columbia River hydro dam.

It is the Columbia River that created Upper and Lower Arrow Lake; or rather, a massive, concrete, electric hydro dam built on the Columbia River, created the Arrow Lakes.

Moses Falls exist within the Earth’s only inland temperate rainforest: this rainforest is home to the nearly extinct mountain caribou and many other wild creatures, such as wolves.

The BC government continues to slaughter entire packs of wolves that call the rainforest home. Unjustly, the wolves are scapegoats, the governments attempt to make it look like they are trying to help save the mountain caribou by slaughtering all the caribou’s natural predators. Sadly, the only predator that is truly hurting the caribou’s chance of survival is the human being.

In the area that surrounds Moses Falls, I discovered so much industrial and recreational destruction, that it is no wonder the shy mountain caribou are facing extinction.

The huge dam prevents caribou from accessing the Columbia shore line and also floods vast hectares of their valley habitat. Sadly, the hydro dam is only the tip on the environmental-destruction.

The fragile rainforests and alpine forests of this region are overpopulated with outdoor adventure operations that encourage tourists to explore the rainforest wilderness all year long, in motorized quads (all terrain vehicles) and snowmobiles.

The caribou don’t stand a chance; their sacred winter breeding grounds (and summer birthing grounds) are constantly trespassed on and damaged by careless human beings in noisy, destructive vehicles (that harass and frighten the caribou).

“Beautiful BC” is British Columbia’s provincial slogan. However, to remain “Beautiful,” BC needs to ban motorized vehicles from wild spaces.

Anyone who wants to explore the forest, needs to do so in an environmentally respectful manner: hiking, snowshoeing, nordic skiing etc.

(Peter on the banks of the Columbia River, a few kilometres down stream fro the massive electric-hydro dam)

I have chosen not to photograph the ugliness that I found in the rainforest, as my blog is intended to celebrate and honour the natural beauty that still exists on Earth; however, if the camera were turned around, this picture would reveal the horrific side of industrialization—scars left by the dam and  motorized vehicles are everywhere.