News/Reports

Keeping the Options Open -1980- NFB film on Ecological Reserves in BC

Keeping the Options Open
Ecological Reserves in British Columbia 1980

A Film by the National Film Board of Canada on the History of the Development of Ecological  Reserves in BC.

In the film are important interviews with Dr. Vladimir Krajina, Dr. Bristol Foster, Tommy Walker, Pamela Field, Dr. Tom Reimchen  and Dr. Roderick Haig Brown

 

Dr. Vladimir Krajina and Dr, Bristol Foster in a scene from the film, laying out Ecological Reserve Boundaries

Director- Ray Harper, Cinematography- Ron Orieux, Narrator- Scott Swan, Script- consultant  Bristol Foster, Director of Ecological reserves Unit,

Producer-Tom Radford

Produced for the Ecological Reserves Unit , Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing, Province of British Columbia.

Some quotes from the film are worth noting;

  • When commenting on the problems of sport vehicles, cattle grazing and damaging recreational use in Ecological Reserves,  Dr. Krajina said: “I hope that there will be enough courage among politicians , even if they would lose maybe a little of votes, but they should stop that, because, if they will not stop it, then they will be blamed I hope, at least in the future, that they had in their own hands the power to do it and they did not do it. “
  • Dr Roderick Haig-Brown at the public hearings for the Tsitika Ecological reserves: “Remember how man formerly lived in harmony with nature. Nootka Indians ideal man who was mild, generous and humorous– and generous is a very comprehensive word — It means generosity to wild life of all kinds, to the forest, to the land, to the river, lakes and the sea, — to everything!””
  • Narrator: But the work is far from over, many critical habitats remain in danger, We cannot predict all the sorts of questions that Ecological reserves will be used to answer in the next 10 or 100 years.. What is certain is that without protected areas there will be no way that natural areas can be recreated. Once gone, they will become extinct and without natural areas it will be impossible to answer many questions of crucial concern to (hu)man’s survival on this planet.