At Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing we understand that we are fortunate to operate in one of the most beautiful regions of the world. We also know that we have a responsibilities to care for the environment that we live and work in so that others may enjoy it for many years to come. We work with the local community, all levels of government and the heli ski industry to make sure that we always meet or exceed industry environmental regulations.
Because our policies have already established MWHS as a sustainability leader, we collaborated with Helicat Canada and industry partners to develop the Stewardship of Mountain Ecosystems - Best Practices for Sustainability Manual which guides heli ski operators in British Columbia in sustainable business operations.
In our terrain we commonly see mountain caribou, mountain goat, wolves, moose, wolverines and eagles. Black bears and grizzlies commonly travel through our region in the spring and fall.
MWHS actively participates in land use planning with forest companies, recreationists, First Nations, and all the levels of government . In support of ongoing environmental research, we are creating a Environmental Stewardship scholarship at Thompson Rivers University.
All of our fuel containers have been switched to Enviro-tanks, which have internal fuel spill containment capability. These tanks and all of our refueling locations are checked regularly for leakage and tampering. We make every effort to recycle all of our landing stakes and we researching biodegradable flagging for each stake.
In 1992 we built a spawning channel for Eleanor Lake to create a self-sustaining population of Rainbow Trout in the lake. Eleanor Lake is spring fed, so there is no inflow or outflow and the spawning channel helps keep the ecosystem of the lake healthy by keeping a supply of cyclical water.
We are fortunate to share our unique terrain with the mountain caribou - a species that requires special protection in British Columbia.
We have been working closely with the guidelines set out by SARCO (Species At-Risk Coordination Office) to monitor the mountain caribou in our area - and have implemented an "Alert and Closure" protocol that ensures that we are not in conflict with the animals. Each morning our grouping list includes the runs we need to avoid because the mountain caribou are in the area.
Our commitment to environmental sustainability and a healthy ecosystem rest in understanding wildlife in our area and the practices we undertake regarding such knowledge. Partnering with Thompson Rivers University, Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing has set up a $50,000 scholarship fund for a TRU student to conduct research in the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains. The research will study the behavior of caribou, wolves and mountain goats. The 2008/2009 recipient of the MWHS scholarship is Katharina Hubel.
At the Resort we have implemented conservation policies wherever possible. We are challenged by our remote location to implement all of the recycling and conservation policies that we have identified - but we are working to create innovative solutions to these challenges every day and are succeeding.
Some of our more successful initiatives include our guest towel-saver program, composting program for all landscaping wastes, and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Reducing energy consumption is supported in all our employee housing units. The majority of Resort buildings and almost half of the chalets are heated and cooled by environmentally-friendly geothermal heating systems. All outdoor decorative lighting has been switched to energy-efficient LED bulbs. All indoor lights are being switched to incandescent bulbs as required. We are working with a Canadian company to determine how we can replace all disposables with biodegradable products. Blue River has a limited Recycle Station where we transport our qualified recyclables. The recylcables that are not accepted there, such as the empty juice boxes from heli-lunches, are then donated to the local school as part of their fund raising activities.
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