#181 June 2018 Vanderhoof to Smithers - the Phantom Grizzly

We have lived in British Columbia for almost 20 years and have not explored the central and west part of the province. From Surrey to Barkerville we followed the Gold Rush Trail. At Prince George we turned west on highway 16 towards Prince Rupert. 

Unfortunately this stretch of highway is also known as “The Highway of Tears”. 

Since 1969 there have been a series of murders and disappearances mainly of aboriginal women and girls. These billboards are posted frequently along the 720 km stretch of highway from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

As I write this post we are in Prince George again, having travelled to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) and back. I’m going to create our blog posts following the highway from east to west. Our travels hopscotched the towns going both directions.

This map shows the communities where we stopped except Vanderhoof and Fort Fraser. They are west of Prince George approximately where the road and air routes intersect. Queen Charlotte is on Haida Gwaii.

Vanderhoof is the geographical centre of British Columbia.

It is also the spawning grounds of the Nechako White Sturgeon. Sturgeon are pre-historic animals whose ancestors lived 170-245 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Sturgeon have changed very little since that time but this sub-species is now an endangered species.

The Nechako White Sturgeon is a genetically distinct species which has lived in the Nechako River watershed since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Prior to that they migrated across the Northern Hemisphere between continents and over mountains as the topography changed.

Most Nechako white sturgeon die in the first few weeks of life. 

Males mature at 20 – 25 years

Females mature at 40 years

Males mating cycle is 2 or more years

Females mating cycle is 3 – 10 years

Adults outnumber juveniles 10 to 1. This makes the survival of the species precarious.

In the spring the Conservation Centre captures sturgeon in the Nechako River. Immature animals are tagged and measured then released back into the river. The eggs and milt are harvested from mature animals and painstakingly fertilized and nurtured until a year old then released into the river.

These ancient animals can live to 100 years old and 3 metres long.

Anna, one mature female in the Centre is about 100 years old. She can produce as many as 750,000 eggs each cycle and has possibly spawned up to 20 times.

The Conservation Centre plays a critical role in the survival of the Nechako White Sturgeon. This carving was created from a 200 year old Sitka spruce. 

Humans have influenced and affected much of our Earth. We need to care for our endangered species and their habitat.

While in Vanderhoof we had a planned visit with Lynn and Barry from Surrey. It was a treat to see familiar faces after a few weeks on the road.

In 1914 the Last Spike in the Grand Truck Pacific Railway (later the Canadian National Railway) was driven near Fort Fraser. 

For 3 years in the late 1990s ranchers between Houston and Smithers were plagued with a cattle killing grizzly bear. It became known as the Phantom of the Hungry Hills as it repeatedly eluded snares. 

These paw prints were found at 18 kill sites which included two full grown cows weighing 1,500 pounds each.

In 2001 two conservation officers killed The Phantom only 20 feet from where they were standing. It weighed in at a whooping 1,012 pounds and is on display in the Smithers Airport.

Ironically, five years to the day, a second bear was caught and destroyed for killing cattle in the same area. It is believed that this was the father of the first bear. This bear weighed 975 pounds and is on display at the Houston Tourist Information Centre.