Sid Marty Does It Again with "The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek."
While in Calgary for the Canadian Parks For Tomorrow conference, I and some of the other attendees had the great pleasure of catching Sid Marty reading from his most recent book “The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Marty’s writings, He is the author of such Canadian conservation classics as “Men for the Mountains,” “A Grand and Fabulous Notion,” “Leaning on the Win,” and “Switchbacks.” He is also an acclaimed cowboy poet and folk singer.
“The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek” has been described by some reviewers as an “eco-detective” story. It centers on a series of maulings by a grizzly bear in the Whiskey Creek area adjacent to Banff townsite, in the national park by the same name.
I found the narrative as gripping as it was tragic. So powerful was the story arc that I simply couldn’t put the book down except to sleep. No doubt Marty’s ability to portray the unfolding events from both the wardens perspective as well as from that of the bears.
While the book does not spare the reader from the gory details, what really stuck for me was Marty’s critical analysis of the underlying causes for the maulings - bears becoming habituated to garbage. He makes it abundantly clear that Parks Canada administration was as much to blame for this situation as the restaurants and other businesses in the townsite.
And in case you might be thinking that the book could be on the heavy and dark side, be assured that Marty allows his sardonic wit to shine through here and there, bringing just the right amount of humour to the narrative.
The story is definitely tragic on several levels: for the victims and for the bears. But also for the wilderness ideal that national parks represent.
All in all, it is a must read. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy today.
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