White Water Black Gold
Join David Lavallee on a fact finding mission to uncover the complex realities of oilsands development and climate change and its effects on Alberta’s Athabasca watershed.
Written by
David
January 10, 2011
After three years of exhaustive research, I finally have picture locked this film. Over the past three years I have travelled to many places across western Canada and have uncovered evidence of major threats to over half of Canada’ water.
Whether it’s a dam breach that could destroy the third largest watershed in the world (the Mackenzie), tailings ponds that are approaching the size of a great lake, a new unproven technology for removing bitumen from deep underground that threatens aquifers over an area the size of Florida (explosions and steam releases have already occurred several times) or tanker traffic on Canada’s pristine west coast: it’s clear that our country’s water is in trouble.
Have a look at a trailer here:
See you on the river!
-David
Leave a comment
Category : Blogroll
Written by
David
September 21, 2007
Ola, this is Nívea once more,
I want to share this part of the journey with you because it was filled with emotions. Leaving Fort McMurray with the Flotilla organized by the Pembina Institute was an event filled with wonderful encounters. Imagine a group of people taking a few days off with a common objective: to gain knowledge of the state of the Athabasca river by paddling its course. Everyone was really excited and the weather could not be better. We all left together and throughout the day I had the chance to exchange some words with individuals from CPAWS, Waterlution, the Pembina Institute, and others. That night, we established camp on a sand bar. It was a really peaceful place, away from any signs of the city. Simply calm water, forest and white sand.
Indifferent to the starving mosquitoes, we all (about 35-40 people) sat around the fire and started to share a little about our lives and about our reasons for participating in this event. That moment was really special for me. Despite our divergent beliefs and definitions of quality of life, it seemed for a moment, that we all agreed on one thing: life is not possible without water.
Rain decided to join us the next morning. Hiding in our tent we waited for nature to consent to our departure. We got organized, loaded the canoes and silently got back on the water. The cold and wet morning did not stop anyone from continuing the journey. This section of the river seemed quite vast due to its wide channel and mirror like calm water. Filled with suspended sediments, this section of the river appears almost creamy and reminded me of the Amazon River. The strangest thing was the absence of birds. For kilometers and kilometers there were no birds singing. Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring did cross my mind…
As we continued down the river, in contrast with the previous fairy tale scenery, I was suddenly shocked by a Mad Max movie scene. A forest of smoke stacks had replaced the original forest of trees. Giant stacks from which smoke and flames were filling the air with an intense smell of traffic at rush hour. The surreal dimension of these plants belongs to the realm of science fiction. Kilometers and kilometers of stripped land, huge buildings, smoke stacks, trucks and piles of black dirt. I can’t see how this industry makes any real benefit to the area when it requires such huge investments and results in the inevitable destruction of the supporting ecosystems. Another thought that crossed my mind was what will be left behind for my children and future generations: a sterile and contaminated land unable to support life? What Alberta will look like after the oil sands are exhausted? What will happen to the communities and the people making a living off this industry when the industry is no more?
Leave a comment
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
September 3, 2007
I came across an idea recently that has been gaining traction in my mind. Economists have this term, externalities, to describe the price of manufacturing a product and the hidden costs associated with it. For example, if a manufacturer puts out a product that causes cancer, the costs associated with treating those cancers are “externalities”.
What are the externalities on the Athabasca? What value does this river bring to us- drinking water, wetlands to filter water, water for agriculture, industry, etc… If we mistreat the river, how much does that cost our society? Who pays? If industry pays for cleanup of a tailings pond/log cut, then that cost will be passed onto consumers. Consumers may not be happy about those extra costs. But consumers are also citizens, who may not be happy about having to pay for that cleanup through their taxes. Either way the people have to pay, but if we pay in the marketplace rather than through taxes, we retain more choice in that we can force industry to clean up their act before they leave a mess.
A case in point is the state of Montana. Jared Diamond, Purlitzer prize winning author, also wrote a book called “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”. In it he describes from a historical point of view the choices societies make and the lessons we can learn from that. Montana has a history of gold mining, and gold mining leaves a mess of cyanide laced tailings ponds behind it. The Montana tax payer had to shoulder the costs of cleaning these tailings ponds and now the state is one of the poorest in the Union.
I wonder what Alberta will look like when the party is over? Will the tax payers shoulder the burden of these externalities?
What are the benefits of turning externalities into internalities?
See you on the river…
David
Comment (1)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
August 31, 2007
Here are some folks, Shaun and Don, that we met on the river. They are hard core and tackled some rapids we didn’t want to stick our noses into- yahoo!!
Leave a comment
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
August 31, 2007
After walking out from Columbia Lake (30 km’s of bush bashing and river crossings) we found ourselves in Jasper, the first urban experience the Athabasca has after flowing from its headwaters. There we spoke to some folks who designed an innovative waster water treatment plant to care for the river- after all a national park’s waste water treatment has to be at a much higher standard. If only all the communities (or more to the point, industries) could care for the water this much.
We also spoke to Ben Gadd, a naturalist and ecologist from the Jasper area who had a lot to say about the river and protecting it. Having studied geology at University, he knows a thing or two about extinction events. I guess if you study the planet’s history there have been quite a few, and he believes we are witnessing one right now with global climate change. He came out with a particulalry powerful statement in an interview we did with him- it was a ringer that resounded in my mind, about how we share 75% of our DNA with trees. It was a reminder of how, as John Muir once said, everytime you try to pick up anything you find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
I’m pictured here at Old Fort Point in Jasper with Stephanie Allen, from a group called Riverwatch. She has joined us on select portions of this river and we look forward to future opportunities to travel with her. She is from a group called “Riverwatch”. Riverwatch is a non-profit society that educates young people as to the value of our water resources, taking children on rafting trips and using this as a teaching opportunity to impart the school curriculum in a hands-on way. Check them out at http://www.riverwatch.ab.ca/
Many thanks to Tony at Undercurrents in Calgary for supporting us in the Canoe part of our expedition, check them out at http://www.undercurrents.ca
Our next stops are Hinton and Whitecourt, land of big logging companies. See you then,
David
Leave a comment
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
August 27, 2007
Hello, Nivea here.
Glacial discovery, human interactions and personal challenge. I believe that traveling in such a vast pristine environment can hardly leave anyone cold in front of such beauty. Just back from the Columbia Icefield, the starting point of our adventure, I am still processing all these incredible images and related feelings.
We hiked up the Columbia Glacier with heavy packs to establish our camp near the Trench. Spectacular setting with Castleguard, Andromeda, Snow Dome and Bryce surrounding us. The richest moment of the day was around 5 am, when we experienced the awakening of the sky from dark grey to purple to bubble gum pink. Simply breathtaking!!
This is Columbia Lake, headwaters of the mighty Athabasca, one of the longest undammed rivers in North America. According to scientists and glaciologists we’ve spoken to, between 1% and 50% of this water (depending on flows and drought circumstances) will end up in the oilsands area, where it is available almost free of charge to oil companies who will poison it and leave it in toxic tailings ponds.
This is Mount Columbia, the tallest mountain in Alberta. The waters that flow from its glacial ice only make it to Revelstoke before being dammed.
Ascending Mt Snow Dome (3480 m) was one of our objectives and we were successful on our second try. David falling into a crevasse on the first attempt was a good reminder of Nature’s own rules. Walking on a glacier in a whiteout generally calls for trouble. Luckily, no one was hurt. I remember sharing my thoughts after the event with regards to pushing ahead despite signs that things aren’t looking good. I made an analogy between pursuing the summit without visibility and having Industries continue business as usual regardless of the signs nature sends us. I believe we have a tendency to want to control and modify our environment without fully understanding the impacts it might have on natural resources. Nature is powerful and will usually regain its equilibrium if we give it a chance. Important changes in precipitation and temperature that we are experiencing in Alberta, most noticeably in alpine environments where they cause changes in crevasse size and location, are examples of change occurring. I want to understand how this change will affect us, Western Canadians. Our lives depend upon natural resources such as the water stored in these glaciers.
While on the glacier, there is no place to hide and sharing a tent with two members of the team for seven days can be a challenge. Regardless of a couple of days lost to bad weather, we were busy enough with filming to keep us focused. The big challenge was yet to come: hike out the glacier and exit by following the Athabasca river. So we went with our heavy packs through glaciers, moraines, cliffs, impressive waterfalls and all these remnants of the previous extent of the Columbia glacier. It is impressive to realize how thick the ice was, how far the toe reached and how powerful it must have been to carry all these erratic rocks sometimes the size of a school bus. I noticed an old moraine way up high above our heads while hiking. It is definitively hard to visualize the mass of ice this glacier once was.
From Columbia Lake our long journey along the Athabasca River began. We hiked three days in glacial till (mostly clays) trying not to lose our boots and crossing the river over and over again all the way to Sunwapta Falls.
We embarked on this glacial adventure with specific goals. Not only did we get the shots we needed, but I also came out with a stronger conviction that our environment is rapidly changing and that our adventure will expose facts we cannot ignore.
Comments(4)
Category : Uncategorized
Tags: Andromeda, Athabasca, Bryce, Castleguard, Columbia, dome, glacier, lake, nature, river, snow
Written by
David
July 28, 2007
My name is Nivea de Oliveira and I am an environmental scientist and outdoor enthusiast who grew up in Quebec and Portugal. My initial adventures skiing, climbing and kayaking in the mountains of Quebec, the Rockies and the French Alps lead me to pursue a bachelor degree in Geography and Remote Sensing with a specialty in alpine and glacial environments in order to better understand the landscapes I so love. As I became conscious of the human footprint on the irreplaceable landscapes I enjoyed, I realized the importance of finding a balance between human resource use and the conservation of natural spaces for future generations. I went on to complete an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences. I have worked for Environment Canada evaluating the long-term effects of pulp and paper mill effluents on river ecosystems; as a researcher for municipal governments north of Montreal to produce a sustainable development plan for the region; and most recently, I worked with a non profit environmental group to identify methods for monitoring the ecological health of the “Crown of the Continent” landscape in Alberta and British Columbia.
I decided to join David on this trip because I believe that better informed people make better decisions. The fast transformation of northern Alberta seems to be happening beyond the awareness of a great number of people. Ultimately this will affect us all directly as we also have an obligation to leave a responsible legacy to the generations that follow us. I believe that doing this documentary I will raise awareness and help individuals rethink their consumption habits in light of the scarcity we will face if we don’t.
Comments(5)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
July 23, 2007
Democracy- it’s not too radical or controversial an idea to wrap our heads around, really. And yet why does it feel that way sometimes?
I heard someone on the CBC the other day talking about research he had conducted on the quality of various democracies around the world. He found that petroleum rich nations (and provinces) had poorer quality democracies than countries that were not resource rich. He based his research on a number of indicators, such as voter turnout. Alberta Inc. has been a one-party state for many years now- my province did not fare well in this research.
It seems as though oil and democracy, like oil and water, do not mix very well. When you have the second largest oil deposit in the world, it becomes pretty hard to adhere to the values that made your province (and nation) great in the first place.
Yet it is easy to be blind to the influence we have. Being a citizen is a full time job in a democracy. If you are on the stand in a court of law and you say nothing, than that is implied consent. The same holds true in society in general- if you say nothing, then you are saying yes.
Remember Clayoquot sound? The entire country rose up and said no- people boarded trains from all over the country to protest the logging of one of the oldest, most beautiful old growth forests in the world. Now the area is protected, draws tourists from all over the world, and logging companies have turned their attention elsewhere.
All that attention focused on clearcutting- and yet with oilsands development clearcutting of a boreal forest is only step one….
As for me, I will use my camera to shine a light on a dark corner of Alberta- let’s see what we will find, shall we…
For more information on organizations that are empowering filmmakers to find their voice and democratize our modern media, check out the following websites for the Gulf Islands Film and Television School and Current TV:
www.giftsfilms.com
www.current.tv
Comments(2)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
July 16, 2007
These cold frozen areas capture our imagination- what is it about inhospitable places that draws us to them? Is it because it requires us to adapt to survive in them? Is it because they are so outside of our realm of day to day experience that we can’t help but be inspired by such natural beauty. Or, in the words of one famous mountaineer, because “it is there”.
Or is it because it might not be there much longer….
To travel safely in these areas requires specialized training. One must read the glacier and guess at its secrets. Are there crevasses behind that bend? Will the ice hanging above my head (called seracs) calve and fall off and send me scurrying for cover?
A couple of organizations have prepared me for this kind of wilderness travel. One is the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (www.acmg.ca) . Although this kind of trip is outside of my typical ‘terrain guidelines’, the decision making processes they teach in their courses have held me in good stead while travelling in the mountains. Another is the Alpine Club of Canada ( alpineclubofcanada.ca). I began my mountaineering career with them on one of their introductory courses- they are a fantastic resource for connecting to the mountaineering community, operate a number of backcountry huts and run mountaineering camps annually for people of all ages and abilities. Check them out if you are interested in travelling on the glaciers of the Canadian Rockies.
Cheers,
David
Comment (1)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
David
July 12, 2007
Here it is:
www.davidsuzuki.org
Leave a comment
Category : Uncategorized
Tags: nature-challenge
Next entries »
