What would bc be without its wild?
Dear British Columbia,
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about how our wild places are changing way too fast. Some folks say we’ve got to protect every last tree. Others say we’ve got to build more if we want to keep the lights on.
The real answers are out in the wild, and I’ve gotta find out for myself
Me? I figure B.C.’s big enough for all of us — workers, wanderers, weekend warriors, and the wild things. There should be room for the towns and the trees… right? But there’s only so much a lynx can learn from the sidelines.
So I’m packing up the truck, grabbing my camera, a pawful of snacks, and hitting the road! It’s about time.
Hey! It's me, Bruce.
I grew up all over rural B.C. It was a whole lot of snowshoeing, swimming, fishing, picking berries, climbing things my mom told me not to… the whole nine yards. Back then, the outdoors wasn’t just something I visited.
It was where life happened. And I loved every minute of it.
It's been a while since I've been in those wild places
These days? I’m more of a “steady routine” guy. I drive a Bobcat out in the camps, put in long shifts, then head out to my favourite coffee shop to read the paper and shoot the breeze with my buddies.
Not quite the wild-child life, but the smell of wet pine after a good rain still feels like home.
A few years ago, I became an uncle!
I never really settled down but my sister has kits, and honestly, I love being Uncle Bruce.
They’re sharp lil’ critters, cracking jokes and getting curious about everything. It’s a whole different world for them than my childhood, for sure. They explore the world from their tablets, while I did it following deer tracks. Meanwhile, I’m still rocking a flip phone and a film camera.
Keeps things simple.
Stumbled upon my old road trip scrapbook the other day
Tons of memories in there! I was so excited to show the kits. I'm over there doing the ol’ show-and-tell, telling them about how beautiful these wild places are, and the kits go, "Unc, you’re outta touch. Those places are probably just strip malls and selfie spots now."
Not cool. I laughed it off, but deep down, I felt like someone told me my favourite fishing hole had a food court now.
But what if the wild is different now?
So I figured it was time to hit the road again. Revisit the old spots and find out if B.C.’s still got that magical something. Not to prove anyone wrong, just to see what’s out there, what’s changed, and talk to the folks who still care about it. Call it a mid-life nature audit.
B.c.'s wild is apart of all of us
It’s the ocean mist, the creek dips, the fresh snow crunch, the long mountain drives where cell service drops and peace kicks in. The land has a lot to teach us, and so do the folks living close to it, two legged and four-legged. If we listen right, maybe we can keep this place wild for the kids (and kits) coming up behind us.
So, yeah. This trip is going to be epic. Hope you join me.
Hey! It's me, Bruce
I grew up all over rural B.C. It was a whole lot of snowshoeing, swimming, fishing, picking berries, climbing things my mom told me not to… the whole nine yards.
Back then, the outdoors wasn’t just something I visited. It was where life happened. And I loved every minute of it.
01It’s been a while since I’ve been in those wild places.
These days? I’m more of a “steady routine” guy. I drive a Bobcat out in the camps, put in long shifts, then head out to my favourite coffee shop to read the paper and shoot the breeze with my buddies.
Not quite the wild-child life, but the smell of wet pine after a good rain still feels like home.
02A few years ago, I became an uncle!
I never really settled down but my sister has kits, and honestly, I love being Uncle Bruce.
They’re sharp lil’ critters, cracking jokes and getting curious about everything. It’s a whole different world for them than my childhood, for sure. They explore the world from their tablets, while I did it following deer tracks. Meanwhile, I’m still rocking a flip phone and a film camera.
Keeps things simple.
03Stumbled upon my old road trip scrapbook the other day
Tons of memories in there! I was so excited to show the kits. I'm over there doing the ol’ show-and-tell, telling them about how beautiful these wild places are, and the kits go, "Unc, you’re outta touch. Those places are probably just strip malls and selfie spots now."
Not cool. I laughed it off, but deep down, I felt like someone told me my favourite fishing hole had a food court now.
04What if the wild is different now?
So I figured it was time to hit the road again. Revisit the old spots and find out if B.C.’s still got that magical something. Not to prove anyone wrong, just to see what’s out there, what’s changed, and talk to the folks who still care about it. Call it a mid-life nature audit.
05B.c.'s wild is a part of all of us
It’s the ocean mist, the creek dips, the fresh snow crunch, the long mountain drives where cell service drops and peace kicks in. The land has a lot to teach us, and so do the folks living close to it, two legged and four-legged. If we listen right, maybe we can keep this place wild for the kids (and kits) coming up behind us.
So, yeah. This trip is going to be epic. Hope you join me.
06
ON THE ROAD
Bruce has packed his snacks and hit the trails. Along the way he's meeting real people — hunters, Indigenous leaders, anglers, industry experts — to hear about what they care about.
FLY FISHING WITH TODD STOCKNER
CAFFEINATING WITH HARLAN SCHILLING
SIGHTSEEING WITH JEN ZYP
HIKING WITH HARVEY TREMBLAY
ON AIR WITH DJ PAM HAASAN
DOCKSIDE WITH PILOT BRYAN SWANSBERG
FROM THE MAILBOX
Bruce has been asking friends near and far, what would B.C. be without its wild? Dig through the mailbox for videos, stories, and messages from Bruce's growing circle of friends from across B.C. to hear what they have to say.
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The Kaska First Nations have spent years working on their vision to protect Dene K’éh Kusān for future generations of British Columbians to enjoy. Over 3 million hectares of jaw-dropping natural beauty. This is British Columbia’s largest intact wilderness: no clear cuts, no power lines—there’s not even a road. It’s one of the biggest, wildest places left on earth. And right now, there’s a rare opportunity to be part of protecting it forever. If a lynx can sign a petition, you can too.
The Kaska First Nations have spent years working on their vision to protect Dene K’éh Kusān for future generations of British Columbians to enjoy. Over 3 million hectares of jaw-dropping natural beauty. This is British Columbia’s largest intact wilderness: no clear cuts, no power lines—there’s not even a road. It’s one of the biggest, wildest places left on earth. And right now, there’s a rare opportunity to be part of protecting it forever. If a lynx can sign a petition, you can too.
Living on the Island, we see how special these places are, but also how quickly things can change. It’s easy to take wild spaces for granted until you picture them gone. We really hope that in 10–20 years they still feel just as raw and untouched, but that depends on how we all show up now. That’s a big part of why we share places the way we do, encouraging people to explore beyond the crowded tourist spots, and to do it responsibly so these landscapes stay wild for the future.
"We really hope that in 10-20 years [wild spaces] still feel just as raw and untouched."
"The wild isn't always a place, but more of a feeling that nature still exists in that space on its own terms."
Well, I'll ask you to think about your favourite city on the planet and imagine no buildings there anymore. How do people relate to that city, their favourite city? Same with here. So foundational to our lives and also the wild helps feed communities, sustains families and careers, lifestyles, and the youth.
I do work on one really special tree called whitebark pine, and unfortunately, it's been dying quite a lot for the last 50 or so years. There was a pathogen that came over, and it didn't have any ability to fight it off. And then it's also getting challenged by big fires happening in places that they weren't before, and so then whitebark is dying from that as well. This is a really special tree in these ecosystems, where it has these big, fatty, nutritious seeds that all sorts of animals like squirrels and bears and a really special bird called the Clark's nutcracker — they just love these seeds. So when the tree dies, the animals have less to eat, and it kind of affects the whole ecosystem and the food web around it. But we're finding more and more trees these days that have a little bit of resistance to that, and so we're doing our best to find those trees and make more of those seedlings and get them out there in the world to keep that species alive.
“When a whitepine bark tree dies, the animals have less to eat, and it kind of affects the whole ecosystem and the food web around it.”
There's scientific proof that people being in nature for two hours a week — 20 minutes minimum, and that's not that much — significantly improves human health. But that's like getting right into a forest or the wilderness, like kind of away from it all. And actually, doctors in BC are allowed to assign nature prescriptions to do that, and then that includes free access to provincial parks!
“There’s scientific proof that being in nature improves human health.”
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STAY CONNECTED
Postcards from the Wild
Bruce is checking in from the road! Get clues, stories, and snapshots from his travels across B.C. — and hear from the folks he meets and what they teach him about the province’s wildest places.
