The day has arrived and I’m on my trip documenting the Routes of Relocalization. I've come to Nelson B.C., a small town tucked away on the side of a mountain located in the West Kootenay's. This is the place that I also call home. A place where my family still gardens, my brother and his wife raise their two girls and my friends are busy with careers and family of their own. This is also a place where a group of motivated Kootenay locals have started transforming the way they are experiencing their food.

Nelson is a town that sits off the beaten path. To get here is by no means an accident. Leaving Canada's major east west travel route, the Trans Canada Highway, you venture south through soaring peaks and fertile valley bottoms, following glacier fed rivers through farmland. Once here, you are 7 hours away from any major Canadian city and completely reliant on an automobile to travel any significant distance. You are somewhat isolated.

A group of Nelsonites is hoping to address that isolation, and they are doing so through the most basic of our necessities. Food. This diverse network of individuals is forming to educate the West Kootenay region on issues relating to their food. Issues such as the vulnerability of their food supply, biodiversity, community building and feeding those in need. This group has been in existence since the late 70's but is taking on a fresh identity with a resurgence in food issues globally.

John Steinman, the host of Kootenay Co-op radio's DECONSTRUCTING DINNER – (http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/) invited me to attend a potluck the group was holding. This was John's fist formal meeting with the group and being a newcomer myself, we were both unsure of what to expect. To my surprise, we were welcomed by a diverse cross section of people, each of which had an intimate connection to food. Nestled in the back yard of a beautifully restored Uphill home, the table was set amongst overhanging trees and the well tended garden, overlooking Elephant Mountain and Kootenay Lake. The wind whispered quietly through the trees and the sound of chimes could be heard amongst the conversation. What a great start to my documentary trip, and what better people to surround myself.

There was representation from the academic, governmental, advocacy, youth and media groups. Our timing couldn't have been better as we sat to eat within minutes of our arrival, but as is often the case in the late spring in the Kootenay's our idyllic gathering was welcomed by a short but torrential downpour that sent us scrambling indoors to continue the discussion.

Because this group is re-defining itself, the focus of the evenings meeting centred on how to present the group to the public and I sensed the overwhelming theme was to ensure that this group appeal to all walks of life since food affects each and every one of us. After an hour of talks, decisions were made, grants were to be written, a name was close to being decided upon and a fall "Stone Soup" forum was in the works. Progress is clearly being made and it was an honour to be a part of that process.

Action at the community level is so rewarding. There will always be differences in ideas and how things should be run, but because food issues affect each of us, I feel it was easy to reach a common ground when there were differing opinions and it was refreshing to see such a diverse group of people joining together to address their concerns with how food is represented within their community.

More to come from Nelson as this is where I’m working on my motorcycle and awaiting parts to continue this trip...

Dave