Heads up listeners! CFURadio will go off-air by powering down our transmitter between 12pm-3pm, today:
Saturday, June 27th
This is due to campusmaintenance work, but we still love and respect you, dear audience ;)
Our STREAM though will also not be live, so sorry if you plan catch us there on your device: cfur.ca/listen-live
Bug Riot is an absolute force who blends punk, folk, and metal with raw and honest emotions. Bug brings life’s chaos and challenges into their music, offering a relatable human experience.
Catch new episodes of the Northern Static Series on CFUR 88.7FM every Wednesday at 7pm, re-broadcasted on Sundays at 10am. All episodes will be posted on our website, mixcloud, youtube, and can be found on podcast platforms “Northern Static Series”!
Produced, recorded, edited by Genevieve Tucker in CFUR Studios
Interviewed by Grace Hoksbergen
Performance edited by Connor Pritchard
Audio mixed and mastered by Connor Pritchard
This initiative is made possible by the Community Radio Fund of Canada
Today we talked about whats to come with Artswells Festival.
Forest tent caterpillars, or “t’angoo dughai” have been spotted massing on deciduous trees locally, and across the west of Canada this summer, returning after an approximately 10 year cycle. If you find them yucky, luckily this year’s cycle will soon be over, but next year could support them in larger numbers. Photo Credit - Ian Gregg
Caterpillars have inspired many-legged creativity from children’s books, famous literary characters, theories involving government intervention, culinary exploits, to the Stranger’s rockabilly hit The Caterpillar Crawl. Perhaps more commonly, forest tent caterpillars inspire revulsion in those who happen upon a writhing infestation of them roughly every ten years. Locally, they’re doing just that as their blue-striped presence has re-emerged. They’re even making appearances as far away as Chetwynd, Calgary & Edmonton this June 2026. While it’s evident that many people find forest tent caterpillars yucky, CFURadio wondered if they pose any serious threat to people, the environment, or the plants they actively munch on.
Dr. Dezene Huber, an entomologist in the University of Northern British Columbia’s Ecosystem Science and Management Program spoke with us to essentially say, “No.” While their presence may be alarming, they do have a number of natural enemies which eventually bring their numbers down, all are an integral part of the ecosystem, and the critters have been present long enough locally to earn the Lheidli Dakelh name “t’angoo dughai.” While the forest tent caterpillar can cause allergic reactions in some people, and stress the trees after repeated outbreaks, ultimately, “a lot of forest insects, things we call pests, things like the mountain pine beetle,” said Huber, “they’re just here in low levels doing their thing. You’d have to go look hard for them to find them nine years out of ten, but then suddenly they show up and everyone is like, ‘Where did they come from?’ Well they were here. They just haven’t… they haven’t left.”
Meanwhile these arthropods will continue to munch until they mature into moths later this month. At which point they will lay their eggs, locally, and we will get to see if our environment can support their numbers next spring or not. Have a listen for lore, curiosity, and hopeless prevention tips.
Ian Gregg, CFURadio 88.7FM, Due North News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
In the collection of photos above, a stand of aspen trees has been eaten by forest tent caterpillars on the east side of Tyner Blvd near the University Heights neighborhood in Prince George—Lheidli T’enneh. One of these trees is featured in the photo collection. Another photo shows the pedestrian path on the East side of Tyner Blvd, which is littered with the desiccated remains of thousands of forest tent caterpillars.
Photo Credit - Ian Gregg
A mass of forest tent caterpillars is pictured. They tend to gather on hammock like structures of their own design, spun from the silk they can produce and dangle from.
Check out more of our stories on FrequencyNews.ca
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Born and raised locally in Lheidli T'enneh Keyoh , Katherine Benny is a wearer of many hats. She is a seasoned arts administrator, producer, performer, and passionate advocate for the arts in Northern BC. Since 2022, Katherine has been involved with 'Coldsnap - the prince george winter music festival', where she is currently Communications Manager and Producer. She excels at "Vibe Management"—harnessing her contagious enthusiasm to build powerful, collaborative teams where every performer, crew member, and volunteer feels supported and appreciated. As a performer, Katherine typically focuses on mallet percussion, but also dabbles in Foley arts, melodica and piano.
Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5F9F2Omn73G8KZxYgNdXw7?si=4I4yVLmcR4KgxgcIi1uM_
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZJvI0N-g9bk
Catch new episodes of the Northern Static Series on CFUR 88.7FM every Wednesday at 7pm, re-broadcasted on Sundays at 10am. All episodes will be posted on our mixcloud, youtube, and can be found on podcast platforms “Northern Static Series”!
Produced, recorded, edited and interviewed by Genevieve Tucker in CFUR Studios *with help from Grace Hoksbergen
Performance edited by Connor Pritchard
Audio mixed and mastered by Connor Pritchard
This initiative is made possible by the Community Radio Fund of Canada
Tune in to 88.7FM to hear an interview with Elyssia Sasaki who is the Executive & Artistic Director of Island Mountain Arts and ArtsWells Festival. Tune in to hear about the lineup, special programming, packing tips, and more! The ArtsWells festival is coming up soon on June 26-28.
Tickets are available here: https://www.artswells.com/
Looking at the next seven days in Prince George–Lheidli T’enneh, the weather forecast contains a bit of welcome precipitation, and a mix of sun & clouds. In the newsroom, here is what we’ve picked up on:
A city council meeting occurred Monday June 8th on the second floor of City Hall. Items on the agenda included a report on downtown fires, a zoning amendment for high density housing on 2000 Central St. East, an economic development strategy was approved, and a number of expenses totalling roughly 19 million dollars were ultimately approved the following day after an April 2026 Alternative Approval Process ran its course.
Prices at the pump dropped from last week, with highs of ¢176.9/L and lows of ¢157.8/L for gasoline reported.
There are three active fires in the Prince George fire district.
June marks Pride Month in Canada, with a Mayoral Proclamation kicking off Pride Week events June 26th at City Hall. The week includes a drag show on the 27th, followed by a dance, featuring a theme of queer history through the 20th century.
June 16th, 8pm @ Omineca Arts Centre BA Johnston entertains with Crones. $20 at the door.
June 20th, 8pm @ Prince George Legion 43, Master of Justice: A Metallica Tribute performs. $30 presales, $35 at the door (19+).
June 27th, 7pm @ Omineca Arts Centre Heatseeker & Vagabond play. $15 presales $20 at the door.
Beading workshops occur Wednesdays at Omineca Arts Centre, 6:30-9:00pm, hosted by Lynn Biles. Swing on by with a couple bucks for beading supplies.
- Ian Gregg, CFURadio 88.7FM, Due North News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Boomhauer has hot info for you
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Performing Arts BC’s (PABC) Festival made its way to Prince George–Lheidli T’enneh this June 1st to 5th, not just awarding the finest performances in the province, but sharing resounding tales of resilience through decades of unstable provincial support.
Photo Credit - Ian Gregg
