Wild TV

Join Bazil Leonard, an authentic mountain man, and experience the wonders of Willmore Wilderness Park. He shares the Rocky Mountain culture and traditions, of life on horseback and on the trapline.

Discovering Mount deVeber

In 1992 Bazil Leonard acquired a trapline on the south side of Mt. deVeber, deep in Willmore Wilderness Park. The trails were badly neglected and in need of restoration. There was a lot to learn, and country to explore. Through persistence and determination, Bazil and his trail crew re-established the trail around the base of Mt. deVeber, a 200 km distance, over a 30-year period. Fifteen years after restoring the extensive trail network, Senator Leverett George deVeber descendants contacted Bazil, who outfitted them by horseback to the base of Mt. deVeber. They wanted to see the majesty of this great mountain that was named after their forefather. The universe works in mysterious ways. This is true in the case of Bazil Leonard who recently found an unexpected personal connection to Mount deVeber. Join Bazil Leonard on a 21-day trip around Mt. deVeber as he shares his story of synchronicity and coincidence.

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Living the Dream

Very few young people have the good fortune of experiencing the wilds of the Canadian Rockies from birth. Living The Dream follows Bazil Leonards grandson Kyle, who was raised in the Rocky Mountains. He decided to brings his young wife out to the wilderness. Paige grew up in the Alberta prairie landscape and she wanted to learn the traditions of the trail.Kyle Leonard is a descendant of Louis Karakuntie, one of the first Iroquois Voyageurs who arrived in the Canadian Rockies in the early 1800s. Kyle was raised in the outfitting business and has learned from his father and grandfathers horsemanship skills and how to live off the land. Follow this young mountain guide, as he introduces his wife to the history, traditions and culture of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

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Willmore's Wildlife

While on his trapline, Bazil Leonard meets Arthur Veitch learning the fine points of how to film animals that most Canadians never see. Arthur has all but given up traditional photography in his efforts to create provocative images and film footage of the almost invisible animals that prowl the Willmore Wilderness. Arthur is driven to create unique images of wild predators; images that are imbued with the spirit of the Willmore. He is an accomplished wildlife photographer with his images of cougars, lynx, bears, and wolves published in magazines like National Wildlife and Canadian Geographic.Arthur won runner up for two (2) Animal Portraits with the BBC Wildlife Camera-trap Photo Contest in 2013. Arthur was nominated for Best Cinematographer at the 2016 Alberta Film and Television Rosie Awards for Mountain Mustang; Best Cinematography for Trials & Tribulations of Old Trailmen in 2018 and for The Forgotten Ones in 2020.

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Ride The Great Divide - Part 1

This episode features the history of Grande Cache and the effort that Bazil Leonard and crew makes in keeping the historic pack trails open. He shares how his old Cree friend Tom Wanyandie has played a key role in helping the trails "live again."

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Ride the Great Divide - Part 2

The history of the opening of three of the five mountain passes during the fur trade, to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. These included the route through the Rockies to Bella Coola, Howse Pass and Athabasca Pass.