Hardy, resilient, adaptable.
These are all words used to describe the people of the Cariboo Chilcotin, who through the years have weathered much more than wildfires: economic up-ticks and downturns, waves of industrial booms and busts.
From the Gold Rush of the 1800s, to issues facing the region stemming from the pine beetle and now the Douglas fir beetle, the Cariboo Chilcotin has always relied on our environment and have adapted to the challenges inherent within that.
It’s no secret we live in a resource-dependent community, from the mines and mills that make up the backbone of our economy to the nature-dependent tourism operators who make their living from the natural beauty the region provides.
It’s also a given that because we are resource dependent, we need to be adaptable. Our environment — as proven by the wildfires last summer — is constantly changing, and as such always providing new challenges, and opportunities.
As you’ll find in the pages of today’s Tribune, the resource industry in the Cariboo Chilcotin is vibrant and doing just that — adapting to the changes presented to us and also turning them into opportunities to make sure this region continues to prove its worth.
From West Fraser processing burned timber, to Gibraltar Mine looking at ways to adapt to cyclical copper prices, to the tourism industry looking to rebound after last year’s wildfires, among many other stories, it’s encouraging to see that our industries reflect the people who live here and will continue to live here as the region changes into the future.
—Williams Lake Tribune
