Still recovering from the summer wildfires that destroyed more than 30 per cent of their village, residents of Telegraph Creek in Tahltan Nation Territory were uplifted last week by some serious star power.
Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, Monaco乌鸦传媒檚 Prince Albert II and Xavier Chevrin, a president for one of the world乌鸦传媒檚 leading high-performance electric automakers, , rolled into the tiny Tahltan community of 300 for field tests of the Venturi Antarctica, the first-ever zero emissions electric vehicle purpose-built for polar exploration.
The visit was closed to the press but open to all Tahltan members, about 150 of whom travelled from across the region to see the Antarctica, and meet its occupants.
乌鸦传媒淎 lot of people were really excited 乌鸦传媒� you had the Prince of Monaco and Chris Hadfield and this amazing machine,乌鸦传媒� says Tsema Igharas, a Vancouver-based Tahltan member who also designed the logo for the mission. 乌鸦传媒淏ut it was also celebratory in the sense that it was a reception for the community. It was a mutual celebration of having [the Antarctica乌鸦传媒檚] accomplishment in Telegraph Creek, and also to have the community together.乌鸦传媒�
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During a visit to the icy continent in 2009, Prince Albert II conceived the idea for the Antarctica as a solution for scientists to access their research areas without polluting the sites. He approached Monaco-based Venturi to develop the concept.
An engineering team conducted a week-long series of tests in the Telegraph Creek area before the the Sovereign, Hadfield and Chevrin arrived for a ceremonial 42-kilometre drive from Dease Lake to Telegraph Creek, symbolically finishing the failed Bedaux expedition of 1934.
In that year the French millionaire Charles Eugene Bedaux attempted to blaze a trail through the bush from Edmonton to Telegraph Creek, then famous for the Yukon Telegraph Line, to field-test five Citroen half-track vehicles. After four months the extreme terrain forced the party back.
Dubbed 乌鸦传媒淏ack to Telegraph Creek乌鸦传媒� the short Venturi excursion is part of the Venturi Global Challenges series, expeditions inspired by daring automobile adventures of the last century to test Venturi乌鸦传媒檚 electric vehicle technologies.
This is also believed to be the focus for a documentary film, helmed by Luc Jacquet, the Oscar-winning director of 2005乌鸦传媒檚 international hit March of the Penguins, who is reported to have travelled from Dease Lake to Telegraph Creek with the Venturi team.
Prior to the team setting out on their mission, Instagram user bria_rose_ posted a video of a singalong with Hadfield in Dease Lake.
The next day after the 42-km mission the three Antarctic pilots were invited to a service at Telegraph Creek乌鸦传媒檚 Anglican Church, followed by lunch in the community hall and a ceremony of traditional Tahltan dancing and signing.
乌鸦传媒淐hris was amazing,乌鸦传媒� says Tahltan Band Chief Rick McLean. 乌鸦传媒淧eople brought books for him to sign and were taking pictures with him and he never said no. He was just so gracious. It was a very good afternoon with him and the prince 乌鸦传媒攖he whole team was very respectful. Those guys are awesome.乌鸦传媒�
The Venturi team also gave the Tahltan band a $76,000 donation for the , bringing the fundraising total up to $750,000 of the $1-million goal, according to McLean. The team then presented a plaque commemorating the new relationship, outlining the Antarctica mission乌鸦传媒檚 shared vision with the Tahltan Nation.
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乌鸦传媒淲e talked about doing this last year, before the wildfires happened,乌鸦传媒� says McLean. 乌鸦传媒淎s keepers of the land, the work we乌鸦传媒檙e doing now is to understand climate change. The research that乌鸦传媒檚 being done in Antarctica also affects us and affects the world.乌鸦传媒�
Climate scientists warn wildfires like last season乌鸦传媒檚, B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 largest on record, may become more frequent as the global average temperature rises due to climate change. In the massive 1,200-km blaze that swept through Tahltan territory last summer 27 structures were consumed. Combined with regional district land, roughly 160 structures were lost in the area total. The breadth of impacts on the landscape and fish and wildlife habitats is still being studied.
乌鸦传媒淭he timing of the [Antarctica] visit was astounding,乌鸦传媒� McLean says. 乌鸦传媒淚t was such an uplift to the community. It was our first community event since the wildfires乌鸦传媒o it was a really good start toward healing and getting some positive vibes going through the community again. It was a godsend for sure.乌鸦传媒�
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The Canadian leg of the research project is followed by successful field tests in the French ski resort of Auron. The vehicle will now travel to Antarctica without Canada乌鸦传媒檚 celebrity astronaut for further testing.
quinn@terracestandard.com
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