British Columbia: Paradise on the Pacific
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Here's why the Pacific Northwest has such a wide divergence of climate: Warm, moist ocean air moving inland cools, turns to fog and releases moisture as it rises over the obstructing mountains. The dry air then has very little precipitation to deposit on the mountains' eastern slopes, leaving that region semi-arid.Thus, within only a few miles, the character of the land changes rapidly from a forested, mild coast to sub-artic plains and bush.
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by VIKKI OSINSKI
ANOTHER GARDEN
Long before Europeans came to spoil and pillage this North
American Continent, Nootka, Salish, Kwakuitl, Haisla,
Tsimshian, Makah, Bella Coola, and Skokomish "Indians" led
a rich, full life among the bountiful nature of the
Northwest Coast. Their elaborate tribal societies
flourished in the abundance of natural game, berries and
fishes. Their "status structure" was based on giving. The
more generous a man, the more costly his gifts, the more
bountiful his feast table . . . the higher his status in
the community. In this land of plenty, of gentle rain and
mild climate, civilization had reached a pinnacle of
generosity.
Of course this was not a mythical idyllic paradise. There
were frequent wars among tribes, but these were usually
wars of acquisition, not annihilation. The chieftal powers
were very weak, and when the social structure was
threatened – by the arrival of aggressive, mercenary
colonists – it rapidly collapsed. Little is left of
those original inhabitants, or their culture, and most of
what remains is generally misinterpreted and totally
misunderstood. (For a totally empathetic and realistic view
of this fantastic culture and others of the North and
Central Americas I suggest reading MAN'S RISE TO
CIVILIZATION, Peter Farb; Avon Books 1968, the source of
the preceeding material.)
Much of the natural abundance of the great West Coast has
changed too, of course, with the growing of great
industrial ports and the gross exploitation (such as lumber
and fishing) of the natural resources. Technology and
pollution have decreed that salmon will no longer cram the
rivers so thickly that "you could step across their backs
to the other side (of the river) without getting your feet
wet." But all is certainly not lost. We have abused the
land but vast areas along the beautiful coast have never
yet felt the foot of man or the scars of super-highways.
THE NORTHERN JUNGLE
If you were asked to identify a photo taken of the forests
along the west coast of British Columbia, Canada, you would
probably first associate the lush, green, fern-infested
jungle with a tropical rain forest.
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