Small Town Films documented a rally to “Keep Jumbo Wild” held in Nelson, B.C. and produced this web video news report for independent media.

Video of the Keep Jumbo Wild Rally in Nelson, BC on Saturday, February 5th 2011. For information about Jumbo Wild go to www.ecosociety.ca and www.keepitwild.ca
The business website for the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort is www.jumboglacierresort.com
Let the BC Government know your opinion on Jumbo as they will soon be making a decision on whether to let development proceed. Contact your local elected representative or email steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca. Minister of Natural Resource Operations.
Transcript of Video -
Twenty years of protest against the development of Jumbo Glacier has not diminished the enthusiasm nor the number of protesters as a rally held in Nelson on the weekend showed.
(Marilyn James – Sinixt spokesperson) “Keep Jumbo Wild”
The rally was hosted by local MLA Michelle Mungall who warned that the government would be making a decision about Jumbo in the next few months.
(Michelle Mungall – MLA Nelson-Creston) “We need to make sure that Steve Thomson Minister of Natural Resource Operations hears us loud and clear. We want to make sure that they know that there is no confusion in the Kootenays when it comes to Jumbo Glacier. We want it wild and we are going to make sure it stays wild.”
The issues on the table include the negative impact development will have on wild animal populations as well as the assumed burden it will place on BC tax payers.
(Bob Campsall – Councilor for District of Invermere)”…if this resort is built in the Jumbo Valley it is the beginning of the end of the Purcell Grizzly bear. And that’s sobering isn’t it?… The road alone is up into the many, many, many millions of dollars and guess who is going to maintain it? Who’s going to do the… ((crowd says “us”))… Yeah the tax payers of British Columbia! ”
There was also discussion about the Environmental Assessment Act.
(Andy Shadrack – Area” D” Director) “We have three MLA’s here today so I want to make an appeal to you, whether or not you are in government, please start putting forward amendments to the Environmental Assessment Act in this Province. It has no teeth! We have been fighting for 20 years! We need an Environmental Assessment act that has a triple bottom line accounting mechanism that integrates Environmental, Economic and Social in one process.”
The Raging Grannies were in attendance and prepared a song
(Raging Grannies) “(singing…) They’ll be messing up the mountain if they can, they’ll be messing up the mountain if they can, they’ll be driving out the Grizzly bears and acting like nobody cares, they’ll be messing up the mountain if they can. Oh the rich will have a playground if they can, yeah the rich will have a playground if they can, they will build a private city and the wages will be shitty, and rich will have a playground if they can.”
NDP leadership contender Adrian Dix was also in attendance to show his support.
(Adrian Dix) “I must say what you are doing here is hugely important for the whole province. I mean this issue has been decided on the facts; this project makes no sense economically, it makes no sense for the ecosystem, it makes no sense for the environment. Overwhelmingly First Nations oppose it, unanimously. Overwhelmingly 92% of people in the Environmental Assessment process who contributed oppose the project. Communities oppose the project and people across the province oppose the project. The facts have been decided, this is a bad project.”
To learn more or find out about how to get involved, got to www.ecosociety.ca or www.keepitwild.ca. Both sites have associated Facebook pages as well.
For Small Town Films in Nelson, I’m Miriam Needoba

Press Release -
Local environmentalists will be holding an anti-Jumbo rally as part of their ongoing protest against the proposed 5000-room ski-resort development in the Jumbo valley, west of Invermere and ‘over the hill’ from north Kootenay Lake.

The Jumbo go-ahead decision now lies in the hands of the provincial government, after the Regional District of East Kootenay opted out of exercised zoning control over the area.

According to the EcoSociety’s blog, “West Kootenay EcoSociety, West Kootenay Coalition for Jumbo Wild, and Michelle Mungall invite you to a rally to send a non-partisan message to Victoria: We want Grizzlies, not Gondolas in the Purcell Mountains! T-shirts, balloons, and passionate voices will be on hand to lend a festive air. Come to the EcoSociety office at 10am to make a sign, or bring your own.” * Where: Central School 811 Stanley St, Nelson * When: February 5, 2011, 12pm to 2pm * What to bring: yourself, your children, your neighbors, costumes, placards, cameras and spirit

For more information, contact EcoSociety at 250-354-1909, info@ecosociety.ca