Tatshenshini: River Wild

Charlene Porsild is a visiting Fulbright Scholar in the Department of
History, University of Colorado.

This photo essay celebrates the Tatshenshini wilderness of northwest
British Columbia. It contains 17 short essays by such figures as Pierre
Trudeau and Al Gore, as well as many notable Canadian and American
naturalists. The book is illustrated with work donated by some of the
world’s finest photographers and wildlife artists.

Tatshenshini: River Wild was conceived as part of the 1989 campaign to
prevent an open-pit copper mine project on Windy Craggy Mountain, in the
heart of the Tatshenshini wilderness. Happily, through the efforts of
many of the book’s contributors, the government of British Columbia
halted the mining project and made the Tatshenshini part of a huge
international park wilderness area (now totaling more than 22 million
acres). Unfortunately, many of the essays in the book were written
during the heat of the campaign to save the Tatshenshini and thus do not
reflect its ultimate outcome. This makes the book rather confusing, for
while a number of contributors argue for the preservation of the
Tatshenshini, others celebrate that very accomplishment.

Nevertheless, between the photographs and the essays, the book conveys
the contributors’ shared respect and awe for this special region of
northern British Columbia. The photographs and paintings of the flora
and fauna bear witness to the delicately balanced ecosystem that is the
Tatshenshini. The layout and design of the book are creative, and the
photographs are well integrated with the text.

That the goal of this book—preservation of the Tatshenshini river
wilderness—was achieved by the time it went to press is testimony to
the dedication and hard work of its contributors. This is a beautiful
and moving tribute to one of Canada’s most beautiful and unspoiled
wilderness regions.