Willmore Wilderness Foundation ... a registered charitable foundation 15th Anniversary: 2002 - 2017 2017- Annual Newsletter Photo courtesy of Arthur Veitch Willmore Wilderness Foundation Page 2 Jw Mountain Metis otipemisiwak - freemen People & PeaksLong Road Home Long Road Home People & Peaks Centennial Commemoration of Jasper’s Mountain Métis Ancestors Calling Ancestors CallingIn 1806 Métis guide Jacco Findlay was the first to blaze a packtrail over Howse Pass and the Continental Divide. He made a map for Canadian explorer David Buy DVDs On Line Thompson, who followed one year later. Jacco left the North West Company and became one of the first “Freemen” or “Otipemisiwak” in the Athabasca Valley. In 1907 the Canadian Government passed an Order in Council for the creation of the “Jasper Forest Park”—enforcing the evacuation of the Métis in the Athabasca Valley. By 1909 guns were seized causing the community to surrender its homeland--including Jacco’s descendants. Six Métis families made their exodus after inhabiting the area for a century. Ancestors Calling Long Road Home: 45:13 min - $20.00 This documentary, evicted families, as well as Jacco’s progeny. Stories are shared through the voices of family Ancestors Calling members as they revealLong their Road struggle Home to preserve traditions and culture as Mountain Métis. In 1804, the North West Company brought voyageurs, proprietors, focuses on a 14-day return trip by the descendants of the interpreters, and clerks into the Rocky Mountain District near the present town of Jasper, Alberta. A new culture, traditions and way of life was born. The 1872 JasperRegistered House: Trade PA-009129 Name Willmore Wilderness Foundation People & Peaks Productions copyright © Willmore Wilderness Foundation indigenous Shuswap and Beaver Indians intermingled with the new French, CollaborativeWillmoreWilderness.com Production with the Mountain | PeopleandPeaks.com Scottish and Iroquois immigrants. The Mountain Métis, a horseback culture Wildie: 44:14 min - $20.00 emerged from this unique blend of people. Ancestors Calling shares the rich www.MountainMetis.com culture through music and stories of award-winning musician Laura Vinson, a Métis Centre descendant of an early voyageur of the Canadian Fur Trade: Louis Loyer. Rosie Award Nominee in 2013 by Alberta Film & Television Long Road Home 44:27 minutres. • Facebook.com/WillmoreWilderness Facebook.com/PeopleandPeaks 1872 Jasper House: PA-009149 Vimeo.com/PeopleandPeaks Women of Willmore Wilderness: 44:50 min - $20.00Twitter.com/WillmoreTweets People & Peaks Productions ta Film Alber & Television People & Peaks Rosie Awards Nominee Rosie Award Nominee in 2014 by Alberta Film & Television 2014 People & Peaks Productions Women of Willmore Wilderness Mountain Mustang Canadian Rockies Series Mountain Mustang Ancestors Calling: 44:28 min - $20.00 Mountain Mustang Women of Willmore Wilderness Rosie Award Nominee in 2015 by Alberta Film & Mountain Television Mustang Mountain Mustang shares the story of Master Horseman Larry Nelles teach- ing true horsemanship through feeling: sensitivity, kindness, patience, and a soft manner. Nelles has a mystical way of communicating with these four-leggeds. - Trailmen seek advice from this amazing trainer and bring their free-spirited colts Mountain Mustang: 44:03 min - $20.00 to turn them into faithful friends. People & Peaks Larry trains three young horsemen between the ages of 11, 13 and 15, who Women of Willmore Wilderness start Mountain Mustangs that were raised in the Alberta Rockies. Larry shares his Rosie Award Nominee in 2015 by Alberta Film &thoughts Television about the synchronicity of working with the same family that his father Following the lead of historic women who challenged the traditions of the day, blaz had worked with, when he was a Jasper Park Warden in the early 1900s. The boys ing trails into a man’s world on horseback in the Canadian Rockies, modern genera- tions of women face their own challenges to travel these same trails. are the descendants from the Canadian Fur Trade, whose forefathers arrived in the Rocky Mountain district in the early 1800s. Women of Willmore Wilderness shares the stories of riding the Rockies thru time. It shares the stories of women past and present as they revealProduced how their with experiences the assistance in of 43:54 minutes mountain culture deeply inspired them. Meet free thinkingAlberta individuals Multimedia Developmentwho blazed Fund • Facebook.com/WillmoreWilderness trails into a man’s rugged world. Share theta Film humour and deep emotion of these souls who find the essence of their lives’Alber work on trails rarely travelled. Mountain Men ... Ways of the Trail: PeopleFacebook.com/PeopleandPeaks & Peaks & Television Vimeo.com/PeopleandPeaks Mountain Men Women of Willmore Wilderness Share in the adventures of mountain men who couldn’t see spending theirRosie Awards CanadianTwitter.com/WillmoreTweets Rockies SeriesVER Nominee Facebook.com/WillmoreWilderness lives penned up; and devoted their efforts to being free spirits. The characters 2014 45:25 min - $20.00 Produced with the assistance of CO Facebook.com/PeopleandPeaks have strived to be independent souls, travelling the old pack trails in the Canadian Vimeo.com/PeopleandPeaks Alberta Multimedia Fund NT NominatedR forO 2 (two) 2014 Alberta FilmRockies & Television where few Rosie have Awardsjourneyed. They have spent their lives experiencing the Twitter.com/WillmoreTweets F sounds and beauty of the earth, immersing themselves in the mountains—their Women of Willmore Wilderness home. These men were enticed by the Rockies because of the rugged wilderness, Mountain Men ta Film Nominated for a 2013 Alber and horseback culture that nurtured their spirit. Some of these trailhands have Men Mountain elevision & T Alberta Film & Television Rosie Award Rosie Awards trekked Alberta’s eastern slopes for over sixty years. This is part six of the 6 X 60’ HD Nominee R 2013 VE Nominated for a 2013 AlbertaCanadian Film Rockies & Television Series. Rosie Award Go to SHOP at: CO S • K PIN C - In partnership with the E BA MD of Greenview 45:25 minutes WillmoreWilderness.com Produced with the assistance of the Government of Alberta People & Peaks Alberta Multimedia Fund ta Film Alber Women of Willmore Wilderness & Television Rosie Awards AlbertaRockiesAdventures.com Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) Nominee 2013 Following the lead of historic women who challenged the traditions of the day, blaz Willmore Wilderness Park Infrastructure Support ing trails into a man’s world on horseback in the Canadian Rockies, modern genera- Facebook.com/WillmoreWilderness tions of women face their own challenges to travel these same trails. Facebook.com/PeopleandPeaks Produced with the assistance of PayPal accepted Vimeo.com/PeopleandPeaks_ _ _ _ Women of Willmore Wilderness shares the stories of riding the Rockies thru time. It shares the stories of women past and present as they revealAlberta how Multimedia their experiences Development in Fund Twitter.com/WillmoreTweets SAFETY mountain culture deeply inspired them. Meet free thinking individuals who blazed TEXT trails into a man’s rugged world. Share the humour and deep emotion of these souls _____ who find the essence of their lives’ work on trails rarely travelled. Facebook.com/WillmoreWilderness CUT/FOLD _ Facebook.com/PeopleandPeaks _ _ _ 1-866-WILMORE or 1-866-945-6673 or 1-780-827-2696Vimeo.com/PeopleandPeaks BLEED Twitter.com/WillmoreTweets ON CATI Canadian Rockies Series O Y 0.6”0.6 ODE L B C X 1.25”1.25 B Box 93 Grande Cache, Alberta, Canada T0E 0Y0 TE BAR WHITE BOBOX PLEASE INDICAUDING A BY INCL TRAPSHEET DVD SIZE: 10.75” x 7.2” Inside This Edition February 2017 President’s Report 3 Spirit House Project 16 & 17 Willmore Wilderness Foundation Annual Newsletter Moccasin Telegraph 6 2015 Finances 18 & 19 © Willmore Wilderness Foundation Norman Willmore 20 no portion of this newsletter may be re- Willmore’s Wild Camera 8 printed without written permission. Mountain Horsemanship 21 Registered Charitable Organization Welcome to the Kohlers 9 #89655 0308 RR0001 Membership Online 22 Tall Tales of the Trail 10 Book/DVD Sales Online 23 Trail Clearing Trip #1 12 Alberta Rockies Adventures 24 Trail Clearing Trip #2 13 Trail Clearing Trip #4 14 Page 3 Annual Edition - 2017 President’s Report by Bazil Leonard As I sit here at my trapline cabin at Kvass Flats, over the New Year, I am grateful for my life and the gifts the universe has bestowed on me. Susan and I travelled into Willmore Wilderness Park on a cold bleak winter’s day, for four days of trapping, filming and writing. We had a few hick-ups getting out of Grande Cache, but were glad when our snow mobile and sled started moving down the trail. It was getting dark when we passed Davey Creek and headed across the upper meadow. A storm was brewing and it wasn’t being kind to us. We both huddled for protection in the blizzard conditions. I had to Trappers Landon Delorme & Bazil Leonard at Kvass Flats: navigate the skidoo down a gully, Photos courtesy of Susan Feddema-Leonard which proved to be deep with snow. I thought I was fine, but I got one ski of our frozen bodies. We were dog-tired always amazes me. Landon dropped the machine buried in snow. We were but grateful for the light from the everything on New Year’s Eve, and a mile (1.6 km) away from camp. The candles and the heat from the fire. It was a life line to Susan and myself. light was fading fast, and we didn’t wasn’t long before Susan brewed a His new machine pulled mine out in want to stay out in the open in such pot of cowboy coffee which tasted less than 5-minutes. Susan had pork harsh conditions. Susan grabbed like a bit of heaven. She made us a chops, mac and cheese, and brown her camera gear and strapped her quick supper and we were both off to beans ready for us when we arrived Canon C300 to her back, and slung bed, tired but warm.