BIRCH ISLAND—Whitefish River First Nation band member Brian Still has seen great success with his Stillwater Fishing charter service but while serving his clientele he realized that there is a growing market for immersive nature experiences.
“We noticed that there was a lack of accommodations in Birch Island year-round,” said Mr. Still, who was attending the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit with Indigenous Tourism Ontario.
“We” is Mr. Still and his partner, Kristin Hanson-Still, and the duo set about coming up with a plan for a resort that could be expanded organically. They settled on the concept of geodesic domes nestled in the heart of the forest. The new venture was titled ‘Among the Trees’ and focused on the concept of “glamping.”
“Kristin was a huge help, especially in organizing,” said Mr. Still.
Glamping is a combination of luxury camping—or camping with some of the luxuries of home.
“We are focused on a year-round glamping experience,” said Mr. Still. The business currently has two geodesic domes set up on the couple’s Whitefish River First Nation property and can accommodate up to six people—two in one dome and four in the other.
“We see our business as a huge benefit, not only to Birch Island, but to the whole region,” said Mr. Still. “The domes help spread business around.”
As the business expands, Mr. Still hopes to employ more Indigenous people in his community as well.
In its first year of operation the business was sold out between August 1 to mid-October, noted Mr. Still, “and we are still getting clients in November.” Although aimed at becoming a year-round operation, he and his wife plan to take this winter to go over the operation’s first season and smooth out the logistics involved.
“We have a waiting list for winter,” Mr. Still advised.
The domes themselves offer more than just a place to gather with the family in the forest. Evenings are often spent playing board games together and just experiencing quality family time. Featuring clear sky-gazing windows that offer a unique ability to watch the night sky from a dark sky locale, the domes are also a great educational experience for families, especially those urban dwellers who rarely get to experience the full impact of the Milky Way at night.
While most of his customers hail from southern Ontario, especially Toronto and the London regions, Mr. Still said that they are seeing a lot of interest from international tourists.
More information can be found online at AmongTheTreesGlamping.ca
Mr. Still can be contacted through email at still91@hotmail.com or by phone 604-353-7660.
