Scofield sings of forests

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Vancouver-based Meis artist Sandy Scofield sange to an appreciative audience during the True North Wild and Free performance on the Horowitz Stage at the University of Alberta. The Nov. 5 event was a fundraiser for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Edmonton chapter, and it was part of a cross-country tour by CPAWS to promote the preservation of the Canadian boreal forest.

"Well I think it's a really wicked cause what they're doing. It just struck me as something I would like to do," Scofield told Raven's Eye.

The boreal forest wraps around the Earth in a belt around the Artic Circle, covering Canada from coast to coast.

In British Columbia, the boreal forest occupies the northeast corner of the province.

"It's kind of exciting that [the boreal forest is] one of the last ecosystems but at the same time it's like, when are the big corporations going to figure that out, and that's frightening too. Maybe the organization is at a stage right now where they can impact people's awareness, effectively preserving the forest and the life that's in it," said Scofield.

"We've pretty well destroyed or come to destroying the rest of Mother Earth," added Scofield. "The polar caps are melting, you know. It's frightening, and it's not even, I think, in our generation that's going to feel it. It's like in our grandkids' generation. What are we leaving for them? What are we doing?"

For this musician, the forest is an important refuge from the big city streets. "It isn't good to be subject to cement and buildings. That fuels human ego. That perpetrates the misleading idea that we're superior, when in fact we're not. So I think, I know for myself, going into the bush helps me keep my humility, that I'm at the mercy really of the natural forces."

Scofield shared the stage with best-selling wilderness author James Raffan, who delighted the crowd with songs and stories based on his new book Rendezvous with the Wild: The Boreal Forest.

A significant part of Raffan's presentation honoured the Aboriginal population who live in the boreal forest, including those working in partnership with CPAWS to preserve their ancestral heritage. Among them are Algonquin Elder William Commanda and writer Thomas King. Colin James and Fred Penner performed for the CPAWS event in Vancouver on Nov. 10.