Going strong at 92: Play us a song Mr. Banjo Man

Published 12:30 pm Saturday, August 30, 2025

With his joy for playing the banjo or strumming his guitar, Herb Green has complemented his life – which was oftentimes in the wildest places in our province.

Green, now 92-year-old, is long retired from his distinguished career with BC Parks.  

It was a career that took him, and often his family, to live in not only the largest park in our province, Tweedsmuir – but  in the remotest park, Anthony Island (the most southerly part of the Queen Charlottes – now Haida Gwaii).  

Mt. Robson and Wells Grey have both been under his management; however, the most challenging was, in his early years, busy Manning Park. With its proximity to the Lower Mainland, and with severe weather conditions, motor vehicle accidents and searches for injured or missing people were a constant callout.

Each part of Herb’s life could be a chapter in a book.

He was the coordinator for putting up reflectors along highways and railways. This experimental project by Wildlife for the Future included volunteers from the Rod and Gun Club and the Guide Outfitters.

The reflectors showed promise in reducing collisions with wildlife, by alerting them of oncoming trains or vehicles. The Deptartment of Highways took it over.

Another project managed by Herb Green was deer monitoring. A three-year-program, it as well, was a project by Wildlife for the Future and the Rod and Gun Club.

The deer were trapped with a bribery of oats, tagged, and some collared. Scientists monitored them by GPS tracking, and by air..  

Observing the data, over three years, they found the collared deer travelled the watersheds out of the Bulkley Valley and journeyed as far as Burns Lake, the Babine and Morice areas. 

The monitored deer returned, in their own time, to the same area where they were tagged.

With years of experience of searching for missing people, Herb would lead a team on a callout with Search and Rescue. He had the skill-set to aid in ground search situations that needed to be resolved. Herb notes that Kamloops has a great training school for search-and-rescue dogs.   

But for today, Herb would love to play music and enjoy some company. He said that the social, and musical part of his life came to an abrupt end with the isolation of COVID.

If you would like to join Herb in some music, give me a call and I’ll let him know. I can perhaps refresh my music too – with the ukulele bass.

If you have items that would be of interest for our valley, please send me an email at sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com or call 250-847-4414.