Odyssey to the Sacred Headwaters

In a rugged knot of mountains in northern British Columbia lies a spectacular valley known to the First Nations as the Sacred Headwaters. There, three of Canada's most important salmon rivers—the Stikine, the Skeena, and the Nass—are born in close proximity.

Now, against the wishes of First Nations, the British Columbia government has opened the Sacred Headwaters to industrial development. Imperial Metals is building an open-pit copper and gold mine called the Red Chris mine. This is all taking place while the Mount Polley mine disaster in August 2014, a mine also owned by Imperial Metals, is at the forefront of public debate.

Professor Wade Davis describes the beauty of the Sacred Headwaters, the threats to it, and the response of native groups and concerned citizens as part of UBC Reads Sustainability.

Davis’ message: no amount of gold, copper or methane gas can compensate for the sacrifice of a place that could be the Sacred Headwaters of all Canadians, and indeed, of all peoples of the world. Part book club, part lecture, Davis’ presentation goes beyond the visually stunning text, The Sacred Headwaters (2011), a collection of images by an array of photographers portraying the splendor of the region.

LEARN MORE: HERE

Royal Dutch Shell's threat to the Stikine area continues

New Water Act may help protect endangered Sacred Headwaters

By Karen Tam Wu

The last Sunday of September marks Rivers Day, the day when people around the world celebrate one of the planet’s greatest resources — our rivers. This Rivers Day in British Columbia, however, may be one to mourn.

In May of [2014], the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers, an area known as the Sacred Headwaters, were declared the most endangered rivers in our province. Royal Dutch Shell’s plan to drill for coal-bed methane (CBM) is the biggest threat to three of our greatest salmon rivers.

During his keynote address at the World Energy Congress in Montreal last week, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser extolled the virtues of unconventional sources of natural gas as the answer to worldwide hunger for energy, and he claimed the risks associated with extraction were worthwhile. Voser dismissed public concern about the impact of hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to drill for natural gas, on freshwater resources. Voser called for relaxing of regulations to allow natural gas development to “reach its potential.”

Seen somewhat as the messiah who can lead the world to B.C.‘s wealth of natural gas, Bill Bennett, B.C. minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources, became an instant celebrity at the congress.

Given Bennett and Voser’s comments last week, it sounds like B.C. is going full speed ahead in the natural gas business. While some risks of development may be mitigated, ecologically unique and sensitive areas, such as the Sacred Headwaters, should never be endangered in the first place.

The Sacred Headwaters is an intricate complex of lakes and streams, amid delicate alpine meadows, lush with alpine shrubs and flowers. The Skeena is the second longest river in the province and the second-most productive salmon-bearing river in North America. Subjecting an area so abundant with pure freshwater to gas extraction and the subsequent impacts on the local and downstream communities, wildlife and fish that depend on the rivers — the arteries of the landscape — is cause for grief.

Well pads, pipelines and roads associated with CBM would transform this picturesque landscape into an industrial checkerboard. Burying our heads in the sand would only review an equal, if not worse horror underground.

 

READ MORE: HERE

 

Still Strong

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BC should keep Shell’s gas drills out of the Sacred Headwaters for good: Skeena Swimmer

One year after the BC government put a moratorium on Shell’s coalbed methane drilling project in northern BC’s Sacred Headwaters, support for permanently protecting the area remains strong.

That’s what southern British Columbians are hearing this week from Ali Howard, the 33-year-old who in August became the first person to swim the length of the 610-kilometre Skeena River. Howard is in Vancouver and Victoria presenting a multimedia show of her trip.

“Our communities applauded the government’s move to put a drilling moratorium in place last year,” said Howard. “Now, with our province in the global spotlight, the BC government has the perfect opportunity to implement permanent safeguards for this remarkable area.”

The Sacred Headwaters is the shared birthplace of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers – three of British Columbia’s most important wild salmon rivers. Shell wants to drill over 1,000 coalbed methane gas wells in the Headwaters’ sensitive subalpine ecosystem, which residents fear will harm wildlife and salmon spawning habitat.

“Northwest residents have clearly demonstrated that they will not allow a project such as Shell’s to proceed under any circumstances,” said Shannon McPhail, executive director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. “Permanent safeguards for the Headwaters would be welcomed by a broad cross section of our communities.”

This is a message Howard heard many times over the course of her historic swim.

Read More: Here
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‘Sacred Headwaters’ Endangered

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The headwaters of the Skeena, Nass, and Stikine Rivers – so important in Tahltan history and culture - have made the annual list of endangered rivers, compiled by The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. The Council lists the headwaters at #6 due to the possibility of coal-bed methane mining.

Source: Tad McIlwraith
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