The Atlin Whisper

“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.”

Margaret Mead

Month For Lovers

February month for Lovers

Time to put away our woes, Time for candy hearts and flowers

Valentines with pretty prose

Cupids busy shooting arrows Randomly into the air, Catching unsuspecting people Laying their emotions bare

Little children make for mother

Their own masterpiece of art, Cut from red construction paper A beautiful… imperfect heart

Older people catch the madness For they too can feel the sting, That a prick from Cupid’s arrow In the form of love can bring

If February could stay longer Like a river love might flow, From one nation to another Why must February go?

Pat Logan

TAKU RIVER TLINGIT MAKE A HISTORIC DECLARATION TO PROTECT LINGÍT KUSTEEYÍ (Tlingit Way of Living) & THE TAKU WATERSHED BY ESTABLISHING AN INDIGENOUS PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREA

January 21, 2023 – At a series of community meetings held in Atlin, BC and Whitehorse, YK this week, the Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit celebrated the declaration of an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) within their traditional Territory.

The Taku watershed covers 1.8 million hectares and is the largest watershed on the Pacific Coast of North America that is inaccessible by road. It is a biodiverse ecosystem that includes all five species of pacific salmon and supports large mammal predator-prey relationships from the inland boreal forest and glacier-fed streams to coastal transition zones. The Taku’s size, diversity, and intact network of life provide a foundation for its resilience to climate change, supporting a future for all who depend upon it.

The Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area fulfills the ambitious direction set out in the nation’s 2009 Tlatsini (Places That Make Us Strong) Vision, which states, “Protection of Tlatsini lands is necessary to ensure Lingít kusteeyí –– Tlingit Way of Living – while providing for opportunities for ourselves, as well as others, who pursue the land-based life we all value in the Atlin-Taku region… Within the Tlatsini lands, our intent is to maintain functioning ecosystems over large, connected landscapes necessary to sustain effective wildlife and fisheries populations that are so vital to our health and cultural wellbeing.”

Jìnìk (Charmaine Thom), Spokesperson for the Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit, says “Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit have a sacred relationship with our territory, reflected in the concept of Lingít Kusteeyí (Tlingit Way of Living), which encompasses caring for all life. The declaration of the IPCA is an extension of this commitment to forever care for the fish, wildlife, waters, and all other life and spirits within Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit Territory.”

“The new IPCA establishes a fair, responsible and respectful framework for indigenous leadership, reconciliation, economic certainty, environmental protection, climate resilience, and wild salmon conservation and restoration. The mapped vision for the T'akú Tlatsini Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (T'akú IPCA) represents generations of knowledge and decades of work,” says Jìnìk. (see attached Map).

The T'akú IPCA protects critical landscapes while providing for a diversified economic future. 60% of the T'akú watershed is protected through the IPCA to preserve salmon rivers and spawning areas, and landscapes needed for wildlife, for clean water, and Lingít Kusteeyí These landscapes are appropriate for a diversity of non-extractive uses, such as tourism, research and restoration

The remaining 40% of the T'akú watershed is identified as specially managed landscapes. These specially managed areas include zones with high mineral potential, where the T'akú IPCA provides opportunities for respectful, clean mineral extraction and other uses that support a low carbon economy.

The Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit have historically been miners, and this IPCA provides a path forward that values and considers all aspects of their cultural heritage while supporting Canada’s need for critical minerals. The IPCA supports Tlingit laws, standards, and protocols to guide the use and harvest of Tlingit resources in sustainable and honourable ways to ensure a shared and thriving future The Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit welcomes collaboration to foster clean economic opportunities that align with their cultural values. As changing climate exacerbates existing challenges and health stressors for Indigenous peoples in Canada– such as wildfires, permafrost thaw and glacier retreat, changing wildlife patterns, diminishing access to traditional food sources and flooding– it is increasingly important to protect climate resilient landscapes. Large, intact ecosystems such as the Taku watershed provide species with the necessary space and genetic diversity needed to adapt to environmental change.

The Tak’hu (Taku) River Tlingit First Nation looks forward to implementing the IPCA with the continued support of the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Canada, neighbouring first nations, the community, responsible businesses, and local partners.

Contact: Rebecca Law, Communications Officer

Taku River Tlingit First Nation communications@gov.trtfn.com

C: 867.332.4912

A Man For All Seasons

John Kilmer

by Paul Lucas

Atlin,1988. It was midnight. Musician’s hours are not the same as regular folks. Many gigs in my early years were from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and after that you either went out for something to eat with your bandmates, or engaged in nefarious activities of one sort or another until hitting the hay at 4 a.m.

Anyway, this particular evening I found myself pacing about the cabin at midnight. What to do … well … I knew one guy who was still up - John Kilmer.

Sticking on my pack boots and sliding into my parka, I eased out the front door into the chill air and tried starting the truck without waking anyone. It roared into life. “Great,” I muttered. Evidently the hose clamps that were holding my muffler together had come loose again.

The moon was near full, and the snow was a billion tiny, shimmering diamonds. It was as close to a fantasy landscape as you can come. The truck padded down the driveway like a bobcat - big old paws treading lightly on the surface. I turned onto the Warm Bay Road for the short hop to Kilmer’s house.

Pulling into John’s driveway, between his collections of this and that (one of everything and eight of most), I peered through the frosted glass of his basement work room. Sure enough, there he was, head bobbing and arms flailing, right in the middle of some instrument repair job.

I rapped on the window and flattened my nose up against the glass to make the face … like you do … and John dropped his soldering iron in a paroxysm of laughter. That particular night we ended up experimenting with novel pickup ideas for acoustic guitars - a project that kept us up ’til dawn.

To say John is multi-talented would be an understatement. In his early days he worked for CBC as a sound man, became a luthier (instrument maker) under the tutelage of Oscar Graf, and began collecting ‘valuable items’ of all stripes. Concentrating mostly on musical instruments and electronic equipment, his collection grew until it became formidable.

Today that collection includes rare violins, mandolins and guitars, along with vintage amps, live sound and recording equipment, gongs, cymbals and bells. His vinyl and book collections rival anything I’ve ever seen.

On top of that, the lot warehouses lumber, industrial equipment, wardrobes of clothes, lighting systems, plumbing supplies, electrical gear, communications equipment, kitchen appliances, bicycles, motorcycles …

A true jack of all trades, nothing fazes him. Whether he is rebuilding an engine, rebracing a Martin or rewiring a mixing board, he takes it on with a competent equanimity that never fails to stun me.

Over the years, John Kilmer’s house has become legendary in the North. CBC eventually sought him out to shoot an episode of ‘On The Road,’ and the movie industry has, over the years, hired John to supply props and expertise.

One morning I showed up at John’s place, and had just finished squeezing my way through a raft of new acquisitions leading to the basement door, when it suddenly swung open and there he stood, a big old grin plastered on his face.

“You’ll never guess what I just found in the loft,” He squawked excitedly.

“What?”

“One of those flying wizards from the movie we worked on last spring.”

A production company from China had recently been looking for a wilderness location to shoot a fantasy film involving princesses and wizards. Atlin ended up being their first choice, and one day in early spring the whole crew landed lock stock and barrel on our doorstep. Predictably the whole town got involved, and John was elected the prime source for props.

I got to know the props master after he discovered I was a guitar player. He immediately got excited and wanted to show me the Fender Telecaster he had built with a stainless steel body. It was impressive. As it turned out, I ended up working on plaster of paris moulds for the full size flying wizards needed for one of the scenes, and this morning John wanted to show me one of the finished wizards he had saved from the shoot.

We picked our way, through the yard, to one of the storage sheds in back. Reaching up and carefully sliding the single remaining flying Godzini from the loft, he pointed to the fingers of the left hand, attached as it was to an extended arm in true flying wizard style, and started laughing.

You see, they had used my left arm as the model for the plaster of paris mockup, failing to realize that I had lopped off part of my middle finger a few years before. The mould, naturally, was accurate to the last detail, and currently a gimpy wizard was flying to the rescue in theatres everywhere.

We dredged up a copy of this action/adventure epic recently, and showed it at the Globe. It is perhaps the worst movie I have ever seen.

John is indispensable in the North. He helps all those around him, throws himself into a cause with a grace few of us can muster, and has saved my butt more times than I can count. Thank you, my friend.

Atlin Gold Nugget 53rd Bonspiel was a success!

I would like to take a few minutes of your time and thank you for your kind donations for our 53rd Atlin Gold Nugget Bonspiel. The numbers were a bit low this year, but it was still a very successful event, thanks to your generosity. The nine teams entered were named after the top 9 sponsors which were the following companies and beside your company name is the placement that your teams placed.

Atlin Cabins 1st. Team Gord Zealand

Canagold Resources 2nd. Team Bob Smallwood

Revenant Resources 3rd. Team Bob Walker

Brixton Metals 4th. Team Scott Odian

Kilrich Industries 5th. Team Rick Avery

Mellette Electric 6th. Team Beat Pickles

Brewery Bay Chalet 7th. Team Darlene Gamble

Grizzly Home Services 8th. Team Stuart Simpson

Atlin Coffee Roasters 9th. Team Dani McNeil

I can not express enough gratitude and thanks for all your awesome prizes you donated to our prize table. The players were very thankful and appreciated. So, thank you Core Assets, Yukon Honda, Trading Post, Smallwood Enterprises, ATELP, Atlin Grocery Store

Atlin Mountain Inn, Magpie. ect. Atlin Mountain Inn, Atlin Mountain Shack, Tlinglit Electric, Taku Wild, Yukon Yamaha, Total Trac Yukon, Tintina Air, Barb & Jamie Tait, Dennis Odian, Joanne Snobelen, Dick Fast, Lorry Boguski, Scott Cole, Lynn Turnbull, Chris Rye, Bruce & Shirley Milligan.

Also, a big thank you to all the volunteers that helped out over the weekend.

The Little Blue House is for sale! The Queen Anne style Victorian cottage dates to the Gold Rush, and the beautiful property includes 5 titled lots. The home at 1st & Rant is being sold with many antiques, and nearly entirely furnished. Please see Property Guys listing #143447 for more information. Showings are by appointment only.