UNBC researchers look to install weather stations in Robson Valley

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

University of Northern BC (UNBC) researchers visited Robson Valley communities last week to share updates on the Mountain Snow Hydrology Lab, a research initiative to study mountain landscapes, glaciers and climate change. The lab has been researching the Robson Valley for the past two years with funding from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, a research network.

Led by Joseph Shea, an associate professor in the UNBC Department of Geography, the Robson Valley project aims to collect more data about how climate change is impacting communities and their surrounding landscapes. This work ranges from tracking landslide potential near Swift Creek in Valemount, to discussing water scarcity with residents in McBride and Dunster.

Shea’s work has taken him across the world, from the Coast mountains in western B.C. to the Himalayas in Nepal. This summer, Shea and his team are travelling to several parts of the Robson Valley – including Robson Pass and the Dominion Creek watershed – to install weather stations. This will help them better measure snow over the next several years, Shea said. 

But the group’s work doesn’t end with quantitative measures – Shea says community engagement is a crucial part of what they do.

“There’s a definite long-term population of people who have been here for decades, and they are seeing the changes,” Shea said of the Robson Valley. “They’re aware of how their garden grows this year compared to the last few decades. They’re feeling the pressures from wildfires or changes in water resources… it’s a really important source of information that, as researchers, I think it’s valuable for us to tap into.”

Shea pointed to the work of Mackenzie Ostberg, who recently defended her master’s thesis on water scarcity in the McBride and Dunster area. Ostberg used old newspaper records and spoke to dozens of locals about how drought impacts the community for her research, Shea said. That firsthand experience comes in handy for researchers, he said.

“People here tend to be very resilient and independent – they want to get things done,” Shea added. “And that resourcefulness is important, but it’s also really important to have that social cohesion and social networks that small communities tend to have.”

Speaking with locals also made it easier for researchers to tailor their work for each community – for example, McBride residents may be more likely to focus on water use, while Valemount residents were concerned about geohazards like landslides near Swift Creek, according to Shea.

“It wouldn’t make sense to do a blanket approach and throw it down for the entire [valley], because there are big differences between the communities,” Shea said.

He added that his team usually gets a warm welcome from the places they visit. The group has enjoyed support from a number of locals, including Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson and Regional District representative Dannielle Alan, according to Shea. The Valemount and Dunster community forests have also voiced their support for the project, he said.

At the group’s presentation in Valemount, resident Rhondi Hurlbut, who has lived in the community for about 40 years, said she has seen snowpack dwindle during that time.

“I’m interested in climate change, and I’ve seen big changes around here,” Hurlbut told The Goat. “I’m interested if [research projects] lead to some changes or can alleviate some of the outcomes of climate change.”

Alan Lerchs, who also attended the event in Valemount, said he attended out of an interest in earth science. He too has noticed lower snowpack over the 10 years he’s lived in the Robson Valley.

“The fact that people from the university are willing to drive out here and hang out for three hours is great,” Lerchs said. 

Shea said the group’s research may not lead to solutions for climate change, but it can give some insight to how small mountain towns are being impacted.

“We’re not here to fix all the problems, it’s not something we can do. But it’s good for people to come and talk to us, and we can offer our insights, and we get insights from them as well,” he said. “It’s a two-way thing, which is really unique. And that’s why I think the research is so interesting to do.”