From Flooding to Fires

Before heading up to Beaver, Maggie (the coordinator of the program) would update us as needed to the goings on in the area. During training, the Peace River flooded which threatened Fort Vermilion. And then, right before we were scheduled to leave, fires started in Child Lake (one of the reserves of Beaver) which required quite a few people to evacuate for safety. These fires threatened our leave date a bit, but the volunteer firefighters got everything under control, which meant we could leave as scheduled. Thankfully, the last 6 days of me being here have been uneventful on the natural disaster front.

Emily, the Lands and Consultation intern from 2016, made the drive up with me last Tuesday and helped settle me in. The Fire Hall is cozy and simple- and the first night Emily baked muffins to bring in to the Band office. I'm admittedly not a baker and never really have been, so I was pretty much there as moral support while I hung up some blinds in my room to block out the sun (which already seems to never go down!).

Can you believe that these muffins are only 5 ingredients?

As I was unpacking, I've already noticed at least 6 things I'm missing. The only one that really irks me though is the cord I forgot for my camera. I have a few photos that Emily took and sent to me, but It'll be a few weeks until I can get the cord. Expect a large photo dump on here soon!

The first few days were spent getting to meet everyone and exploring the area. Naturally, Emily took me to the water treatment plant first as she is a Civil Environmental Engineer. Near the water treatment plant is a small bridge, which for whatever reason, it faintly says "Welcome to Lebanon" on top (???). It's pretty faded, but here's a photo:

We also made the 10 minute drive out to the Eleske Shrine, which was built around 1944 and completed 10 years later. St. Bernadette's Church is located nearby. A pilgrimage takes place every year, which I look forward to attending if I can. It is a peaceful spot located in the bend of the river.

The concrete and gravel was all hand mixed and the rocks were hauled from Fort Vermilion- which probably explains why it took quite a long time to complete.

The poplars have decided that today is the best day to expel their pollen, and the mosquitos have emerged in full force, so even though it has been reaching temperatures of 30 degrees it is a bit unpleasant to be outside. You can't complain too much though- it is still beautiful and pleasant regardless.

I look forward to the next few weeks as everything ramps up after the long weekend.

I'll update you all soon!