10 sleeps until it's time to head home for Christmas!
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Illecillewaet (and the bare necessities)
one of my very favorite place names, along with Terwillegar...though some mistakedly think that Illecillewaet is a native word meaning "fast flowing", i was told by a certain smarty pants (after one too many inquiries about what fish might be found in the incredible snow fringed streams at the base of the climb up to the Dome at Rogers Pass) that it means "river without fish"...
so i'm ecstatic to report that i survived my (long awaited) very first backcountry ski adventure (yippppeeeeee!!!!). though the first day could pretty much be summed up by the word "awkward", and the second day up to Balu Pass by "awesome", my introduction to touring also included falling A LOT, skiing (or should i say falling with fluffier landings) on phenomenal deep powder, falling A LOT some more, endless beatiful snow covered trees, the sound of mountain streams (with which i narrowly avoided having intimate encounters on several occasions), discovering a latent talent for getting tangled in alder (and a disappointing lack of talent for getting untangled from alder), skiing in the dark (falling in the dark hurts just as much as falling in the light, in case anyone was wondering), a broken binding (nothing a little duct tape and a super handy strap-a-roo couldn't fix), pretty much constant song and laughter (what would the world be without 80's rock?), and one of the best meals I can remember (at least since my birthday!).
While touring around in Balu, I was thinking about the devastating avalanche that happened there two years ago that kept me out of the back-country that season (despite being all gung-ho after taking an avalanche course)... It all looked so peaceful and innocent in there - made the seriousness of avalanche danger really hit home.
Just might have to try it again sometime - and will definitely have to rent The Jungle Book to celebrate!
Bagheera: Now this takes the brains, not the brawns.
Baloo: You better believe it and I'm loaded with both.
ps - all photos are "borrowed" since it was all could do to keep up without trying to deal with a camera this time around...
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Hotel Rwanda
using this weekend with a cold to catch up on movies from 2004 (while I'm still only 1 instead of 2 years behind!)...another that leaves you completely speechless and stays with you...
word of the day...
Rhymes with Raven...after hearing the reference to "music mavens" a billion times on cbc i finally had to check the exact meaning.
MAVEN: A maven (also mavin or mayvin) is an expert in a particular field, usually one who is self-appointed and who seeks to pass his knowledge on to others.
Friday, November 25, 2005
million dollar baby
...very powerful movie, the speechless for a while afterwards and in your head for much longer, kind.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
A Few Words On The Soul
We have a soul at times.
No one's got it non-stop,
for keeps.
Day after day,
year after year
may pass without it.
Sometimes
it will settle for awhile
only in childhood's fears and raptures.
Sometimes only in astonishment
that we are old.
It rarely lends a hand
in uphill tasks,
like moving furniture,
or lifting luggage,
or going miles in shoes that pinch.
It usually steps out
whenever meat needs chopping
or forms have to be filled.
For every thousand conversations
it participates in one,
if even that,
since it prefers silence.
Just when our body goes from ache to pain,
it slips off-duty.
It's picky:
it doesn't like seeing us in crowds,
our hustling for a dubious advantage
and creaky machinations make it sick.
Joy and sorrow
aren't two different feelings for it.
It attends us
only when the two are joined.
We can count on it
when we're sure of nothing
and curious about everything.
Among the material objects
it favors clocks with pendulums
and mirrors, which keep on working
even when no one is looking.
It won't say where it comes from
or when it's taking off again,
though it's clearly expecting such questions.
We need it
but apparently
it needs us
for some reason too.
Wislawa Szymborska
Translated from the Polish by
Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh
Monday, November 21, 2005
Birthday Tradition
Just returned from seeing the latest Harry Potter...looking forward to watching it a few more times in my living room! and definitely excited to see the Narnian adventures...how fun would it be to make movies like that?
Monday, November 14, 2005
Massey Lectures
ever since a very very cold winter of labwork and radio listening when i heard john ralston saul "the unconscious civilization", i've loved the massey lectures - always great food for thought...
"Each time history repeats itself, so it's said, the price goes up."
"Lewis recounts how, in 2000, the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York introduced eight Millennium Development Goals, which focused on fundamental issues such as education, health, and cutting poverty in half by 2015. In audacious prose, alive with anecdotes ranging from maddening to hilarious to heartbreaking, Lewis shows why and how the international community is falling desperately short of these goals."
"Each time history repeats itself, so it's said, the price goes up."
"Lewis recounts how, in 2000, the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York introduced eight Millennium Development Goals, which focused on fundamental issues such as education, health, and cutting poverty in half by 2015. In audacious prose, alive with anecdotes ranging from maddening to hilarious to heartbreaking, Lewis shows why and how the international community is falling desperately short of these goals."
Sunday, November 13, 2005
bubaloo IS number 1!
the story of the baby foot travels continues...
(had to post this because it makes me laugh every time i see it - and because i think the world would be a better place if everyone wore orange socks).
Friday, November 11, 2005
fallen heroes
November 11th - significance through time and space (wikipedian perspective)...
1215 - The Fourth Lateran Council meets, adopting the doctrine of transubstantiation, meaning that bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ.1620 - In what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod, the Mayflower Compact is signed on the Mayflower, establishing the basic laws for the Plymouth Colony.
1634 - Following pressure from Anglican bishop John Atherton, the Irish House of Commons passes "An Act for the Punishment for the Vice of Buggery" (anal sex).
1675 - Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of y = f(x) function.
1831 - In Jerusalem, Virginia, Nat Turner is hanged after inciting a violent slave uprising.
1864 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea - Union General William Tecumseh Sherman begins burning Atlanta, Georgia to the ground in preparation for his march south.
1889 - Washington is admitted as the 42nd U.S. state.
1911 - Many cities in the midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolls through. (see The 11/11/11 cold wave).
1918 - World War I ends: Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside of Compiègne in France. The war officially stops at 11:00.
1918 - Józef Piłsudski comes to Warsaw and assumes supreme military power in Poland. Poland regains its independence.
1930 - Patent number US1781541 was awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator.
1933 - Dust Bowl: In South Dakota, a very strong dust storm strips topsoil from desiccated farmlands.
1940 - Armistice Day Blizzard: An unexpected blizzard kills 144 in U.S. Midwest.
1962 - Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait.
1966 - NASA launches spaceship Gemini 12.
1968 - Vietnam War: Operation Commando Hunt initiated. The goal was to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through Laos into South Vietnam.
1968 - A second republic is declared in the Maldives.
1969 - Jim Morrison (The Doors) is arrested by the FBI after repeatedly prodding a stewardess.
1975 - Angola becomes independent from Portugal.
1975 - Australian constitutional crisis of 1975: Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismisses the government of Gough Whitlam and commissions Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister, and announces a general election to be held in early December.
1986 - Sperry Rand and Burroughs merge to form Unisys, becoming the second largest computer company.
1989 - Fall of the Berlin Wall.
1992 - The Church of England votes to allow women to become priests.
1993 - Australian Prime minister P. J. Keating makes a famous speech at the dedication of the tomb and the burial of the unknown Australian soldier
1997 - Mary McAleese inaugurated the eighth President of Ireland.
2004 -Mahmoud Abbas is elected chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization minutes after the death of Yasser Arafat.
for more see:
Friday, October 28, 2005
wind and the mountain
the trees have settled into winter thoughts and so have I...
"Wind And The Mountain" (liz phair)
You lose your way
You've gotta land
You've gotta make another plan
But sometimes I am too tired
You've gotta smile
You've gotta play
You've gotta work another day
But sometimes I am too tired
You've gotta raise your hand and say
I don't understand
But there are days when I'm to tired
There are days when I'm just too tired
And the wind that I'm in
Screams on me
Howls around me
And I feel like I am a naked man
I've got nothing and no one in a stranger's land
And the wind will do me in
Everyday
You've gotta run
You've got a job
You get it done
But sometimes I am too tired
You wanna roll in the grass
Kick your shoes off
Have a laugh
But sometimes I am too tired
I wanna raise my hand and say
I don't understand
But there are days when I'm to tired
There are days when I'm just too tired
And the wind kicks in again and says
Lean on me
Rise above me
And it says
Sailor don't leave the channel now
Deep blue rollers are breaking across your bow
And the wind will guide you in
So I went up the mountain
But all I saw was another mountain
So I came down the mountain
And I said, "leave me here lord"
So I went up the mountain
And all I saw was another mountain
So I came down the mountain
And I said, leave me here lord
Leave me in the valley
Let me rest my weary head
Give peace to your survivor
Put all my fears to bed
You lose your way
You've gotta land
You've gotta make another plan
But sometimes I am inspired
You're gonna sing another song
You're gonna right another wrong
And sometimes I am inspired
You're gonna raise your hand and say
I don't understand
There are days when you get an answer
There are days when you find your answer
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
kayden joseph
a very good week for the majewskis -little kayden joseph funkajewski (an excellent blend of andy and kathryn's last names in my opinion) was born at 6:40 am by the light of the full moon in their newly renovated bathroom.
andy and kathryn are very happy parents, mom and dad and dorthy ecstatic grandparents, mishka and i are proud aunties, and so on. jimmy's cell phone mailbox is full so we're not sure that he even knows yet...
kayden decided to be born 3 weeks before the due date, 1.5 days after the bathroom plumbing was completed, 13 hours after i took kathryn shopping for rocking chairs, 3 hours after kathryn finally admitted she was in labour, 10 minutes after her mother arrived from steinbach manitoba and 15 minutes before andy's boss was to show up on their doorstep to drive andy and kathryn out to ela for a two day stint in the field...
needless to say, that little 7lb.8oz miracle is already incredibly efficient and accomodating, has amazing timing and is chock full of charm! he gets extra points for being born when i was home for a last minute training course, double extra points for not bringing another scorpio into the family (a close call!), and doubly double extra points for being a boy (earlier that day great grandpa majewski made it very clear that in his world, the first child should be a boy).
so all is right in the world...
good night!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
black bears and golden hills
it's that time of year again - big bears wandering the mountains...the colors get better every day and the air is getting fresher and crisper...
Friday, August 19, 2005
article on cheviot mine
Edmonton Journal
2005.08.19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coal mine wins over wildlife in court ruling: Bird habitat, grizzly bears likely be to affected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON - A court ruling on the controversial Cheviot Mine project could spell disaster for wildlife in and around Jasper, local conservationist groups said Thursday.
The Federal Court ruled Wednesday in favour of Cardinal River Coals, which has had plans to build the open pit coal mine a kilometre east of Jasper National Park since the mid-1990s.
The court found that the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act does not oblige the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to conduct an environmental assessment of the area, despite significant changes to the mine's design since it received approval in 1999.
Five environmental groups took the case to court.
They alleged the government failed to properly follow its own environmental legislation in evaluating the mining project.
They claimed the changes are detrimental to the surrounding wildlife.
CHEVIOT FOOTPRINT GROWS
The footprint of the Cheviot was expanded to include the adjacent MacLeod River valley, a sensitive bird habitat, and now covers 7,455 hectares. It also includes construction of a haul road between Cheviot and the Luscar Mine, which was scheduled for closure.
The original Cheviot was to be entirely self-sufficient, with coal being mined and processed on-site.
The new design uses the haul road to move coal mined from Cheviot to Luscar for processing.
The road will act as a barrier to the foothills for grizzly bears and could result in some getting run over, Jasper Environmental Association chairwoman Jill Seaton said Thursday.
"The grizzlies like to wander out of the park and into the foothills for many reasons and this road will block them," Seaton said.
"There will be coal trucks flying by there every six to eight minutes."
The original design called for a rail line in the place of the haul road, something that would have cause much less disruption, says Seaton.
GRIZZLIES AND JOBS
The Alberta Wilderness Association called the court ruling a disappointment.
"We felt quite confident that the law would protect this area and support our concerns," said executive director Christyann Olson.
"These habitats will become fragmented and diminished. Animals like the grizzly need that wide open space."
Mine debris that is chipped away to get at the coal deposits will be dumped on bird habitats, completely covering them, said Dianne Pahal, Alberta wilderness director of the Sierra Club of Canada.
"There could be upwards of 5,000 birds affected by this," Pahal said.
When the federal environmental approval was first given, Pahal said the Sierra Club was told the economic benefit of 400 new jobs outweighed the destruction of surrounding habitats.
According to the Sierra Club, Cheviot is employing only 120 workers.
"Now we're really wondering if the job-creation factor still outweighs the loss of the habitats," Pahal said.
Sierra Defence Fund lawyer Justin Duncan, who represents the five groups, said he is not yet sure if the environmentalists coalition will launch a court action in Canada's Federal Court of Appeal.
2005.08.19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coal mine wins over wildlife in court ruling: Bird habitat, grizzly bears likely be to affected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON - A court ruling on the controversial Cheviot Mine project could spell disaster for wildlife in and around Jasper, local conservationist groups said Thursday.
The Federal Court ruled Wednesday in favour of Cardinal River Coals, which has had plans to build the open pit coal mine a kilometre east of Jasper National Park since the mid-1990s.
The court found that the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act does not oblige the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to conduct an environmental assessment of the area, despite significant changes to the mine's design since it received approval in 1999.
Five environmental groups took the case to court.
They alleged the government failed to properly follow its own environmental legislation in evaluating the mining project.
They claimed the changes are detrimental to the surrounding wildlife.
CHEVIOT FOOTPRINT GROWS
The footprint of the Cheviot was expanded to include the adjacent MacLeod River valley, a sensitive bird habitat, and now covers 7,455 hectares. It also includes construction of a haul road between Cheviot and the Luscar Mine, which was scheduled for closure.
The original Cheviot was to be entirely self-sufficient, with coal being mined and processed on-site.
The new design uses the haul road to move coal mined from Cheviot to Luscar for processing.
The road will act as a barrier to the foothills for grizzly bears and could result in some getting run over, Jasper Environmental Association chairwoman Jill Seaton said Thursday.
"The grizzlies like to wander out of the park and into the foothills for many reasons and this road will block them," Seaton said.
"There will be coal trucks flying by there every six to eight minutes."
The original design called for a rail line in the place of the haul road, something that would have cause much less disruption, says Seaton.
GRIZZLIES AND JOBS
The Alberta Wilderness Association called the court ruling a disappointment.
"We felt quite confident that the law would protect this area and support our concerns," said executive director Christyann Olson.
"These habitats will become fragmented and diminished. Animals like the grizzly need that wide open space."
Mine debris that is chipped away to get at the coal deposits will be dumped on bird habitats, completely covering them, said Dianne Pahal, Alberta wilderness director of the Sierra Club of Canada.
"There could be upwards of 5,000 birds affected by this," Pahal said.
When the federal environmental approval was first given, Pahal said the Sierra Club was told the economic benefit of 400 new jobs outweighed the destruction of surrounding habitats.
According to the Sierra Club, Cheviot is employing only 120 workers.
"Now we're really wondering if the job-creation factor still outweighs the loss of the habitats," Pahal said.
Sierra Defence Fund lawyer Justin Duncan, who represents the five groups, said he is not yet sure if the environmentalists coalition will launch a court action in Canada's Federal Court of Appeal.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Sate
my favorote quick summer BBQ meal...perfect with skewers of veggies (red and yellow and orange peppers and zucchini and red onion and mushrooms all tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper)
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/4 c. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp. tabasco
3 tbsp. grated onion
3 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c Indonesian soy
salt & pepper to taste
- cut into 3/4" cubes, place in a shallow dish
- melt butter and add remaining ingredients
- bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes
- pour over meat cover and leave overnight in fridge (turn meat periodically)
- BBQ for 15 mins.
6-8 servings
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/4 c. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp. tabasco
3 tbsp. grated onion
3 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c Indonesian soy
salt & pepper to taste
- cut into 3/4" cubes, place in a shallow dish
- melt butter and add remaining ingredients
- bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes
- pour over meat cover and leave overnight in fridge (turn meat periodically)
- BBQ for 15 mins.
6-8 servings
where i'll be on saturday with our great watershed display
Red Deer Advocate
2005.08.16
Miller, Andrea
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lakeshore health examined
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As developers prepare to build 238 homes along Sylvan Lake, conservationists are holding the first Healthy Lake Day to protect the waters.
Kent Williamson, president of the Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society, said people are prospering in Alberta's hot economy and looking to buy lakeshore property.
"There is a lot of money available for people to buy property. The population around the lake could boom," said Williamson.
Lacombe County has approved five housing subdivisions with 238 homes. Ground work could begin this fall.
Williamson said it's a good time to raise awareness about protecting the lake. All lakeside landowners, including longtime residents, need to think about environmentally friendly practices, he said.
"People may not believe their old septic systems are causing problems, but the effects are cumulative," said Williamson.
"If people know the right thing to do, they will do it. But some just don't want to know."
He hopes people will gain knowledge by attending Healthy Lake Day on Saturday in the Town of Sylvan Lake.
At 10 a.m., consultants Dave Brescia and Elaine Irving will make a presentation about their study into health of the lake and potential effects of development.
The cumulative effects study, completed by AXYS Environmental Consulting for eight municipalities around Sylvan Lake, gives the lake a good rating for water quality and overall health.
But the $150,000 study points to increasing development pressures. It recommends safeguards to keep nutrients out of the lake, such as discouraging people from fertilizing lawns.
The consultants will speak at Lions Hall, 5119 50th Ave. The audience can ask questions, and admission is free.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be free interactive displays, games and brochures at Centennial Park, across the street from the lakeshore.
Conservation and environmental experts from such organizations as Alberta Environment and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada will discuss healthy watersheds.
The events are sponsored by the Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society and the Alberta Conservation Association.
2005.08.16
Miller, Andrea
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lakeshore health examined
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As developers prepare to build 238 homes along Sylvan Lake, conservationists are holding the first Healthy Lake Day to protect the waters.
Kent Williamson, president of the Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society, said people are prospering in Alberta's hot economy and looking to buy lakeshore property.
"There is a lot of money available for people to buy property. The population around the lake could boom," said Williamson.
Lacombe County has approved five housing subdivisions with 238 homes. Ground work could begin this fall.
Williamson said it's a good time to raise awareness about protecting the lake. All lakeside landowners, including longtime residents, need to think about environmentally friendly practices, he said.
"People may not believe their old septic systems are causing problems, but the effects are cumulative," said Williamson.
"If people know the right thing to do, they will do it. But some just don't want to know."
He hopes people will gain knowledge by attending Healthy Lake Day on Saturday in the Town of Sylvan Lake.
At 10 a.m., consultants Dave Brescia and Elaine Irving will make a presentation about their study into health of the lake and potential effects of development.
The cumulative effects study, completed by AXYS Environmental Consulting for eight municipalities around Sylvan Lake, gives the lake a good rating for water quality and overall health.
But the $150,000 study points to increasing development pressures. It recommends safeguards to keep nutrients out of the lake, such as discouraging people from fertilizing lawns.
The consultants will speak at Lions Hall, 5119 50th Ave. The audience can ask questions, and admission is free.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be free interactive displays, games and brochures at Centennial Park, across the street from the lakeshore.
Conservation and environmental experts from such organizations as Alberta Environment and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada will discuss healthy watersheds.
The events are sponsored by the Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society and the Alberta Conservation Association.
Monday, August 15, 2005
opinion piece on watershed management...
Edmonton Journal
2005.08.15
by Jay White
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the face of a waning water supply, we must rethink how we use it: Watershed management with full public involvement will help Albertans make tough decisions in the future
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alberta's water usually plays second fiddle to its cousin, black gold, but we are now recognizing that there can be no black gold without water.
Water is the fuel not only of the oil and gas industry, but also of irrigation, agriculture, manufacturing and most other industries, not to mention Alberta's aquatic environments and human survival. The fact that a litre of gas is almost $1 may offend most Albertans, but at that same gas station a litre of water is around $2; perhaps this is truly reflective of the relative value of the two resources.
So how can we justify using eight to 12 barrels of water to produce one barrel of gasoline? Because we give water rights away for free to almost anyone who applies for it.
Perhaps we need to begin thinking differently about water.
In a review of water management practices in 2003, Alberta Environment proposed a whole new way of managing water, with shared responsibility across all departments and with water users and the general public. This vision was adopted by the province in 2004, and called Water for Life: Alberta's Strategy for Sustainability (http://www.waterforlife.gov.ab.ca/).
The provincial government released the Water for Life Strategy in 2004 after much consultation with the public, water users and experts. In short, it is the most comprehensive undertaking in Canada to manage water.
It will identify short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to effectively manage the quantity and quality of the province's water systems and supply.
The Water for Life approach uses the watershed scale for planning and is new, but practical, thinking.
A watershed, or river basin, is the area of land that catches precipitation and drains it into a water body. Alberta has seven major watersheds.
A watershed-scale plan encompasses not just the river, but the activities in the surrounding land.
How is this working so far? Well, Albertans have quickly accepted and adopted the watershed approach to managing water. Working at the watershed scale ensures that we are managing all activities on the landscape -- agriculture, forestry, oil and gas -- and considering their cumulative impact, instead of managing each in isolation.
For example, forestry and oil and gas companies now share roads where previously both would have constructed their own.
Of the seven major river basins in Alberta, three had Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs) recognized in 2004: the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Bow River Basin Council and Oldman River Basin
Water Quality Initiative. The seven major basins can be viewed online at http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/basinform.cfm.
The WPACs are to lead water management planning, develop and promote best management practices, report on the state of the watershed, and promote stewardship and educational activities. Other groups will soon be established for the Milk, Battle, Red Deer, Cold
Lake-Beaver River, Lesser Slave Lake, Athabasca and Peace watersheds.
Even more encouraging is that over 60 different smaller watershed groups have sprung up virtually overnight in an effort to deal with their local issues, on a lake or stream scale. Some of these groups are led by municipalities, while others are led by summer villages, towns or local citizens.
How will this affect water and environmental management in 20 or 30 years?
Scientists tell us the last 100 years in Alberta were the wettest in the past 1,000 years, so Alberta's Centennial celebrations may mark a very wet blip in the province's natural history.
The explosive growth in many parts of the province will continue to strain our water resources. Added to that is our largest challenge: most of the province's water is in the north, while most of the population resides in the south.
We need to think differently about water. There are four actions that every Albertan can do to ensure our future success.
1. Ask questions. Most of us don't think twice about the tap water we drink, or wonder where the water goes when we flush the toilet. Isn't it interesting that many Edmonton and Calgary citizens receive the highest-quality tap water in the world, yet still spend astronomically more on bottled water or in-home water treatment systems?
Remember, the water is free to citizens and business only because they pay only for the treatment and delivery of that water from the utility, not for the water itself.
Do we need treated drinking water to water our lawns and wash our cars? Is that really necessary? Is what we flush down the toilet having an impact on our source water?
Ask questions. Be curious about this resource that so often gets taken for granted. Get educated -- get started at http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/index.html.
2. Get involved. Everyone, everywhere in Alberta is in a watershed. There are hundreds of organizations in Alberta involved with water and the environment that could use your help (see: http://www.albertawatersheds.org). Everyone has something to contribute, and your opinions and attitudes are extremely important. Be part of the planning of your local watershed.
3. Look around. Quite often others have faced similar challenges to our own. There are several good examples of water management solutions in other countries, towns or even the watershed next door. In water-stressed Las Vegas, a Cash for Grass program pays $1 per square foot for removing lawns and creating less water-intensive yards and gardens, saving 2.8 billion gallons of water annually.
4. Think differently about water.
It is hard to convince people that there is a shortage of something that they can get from a tap free in their own home, 24 hours a day.
But the reality in Alberta is that several river basins are at their full allocation and that future land development and expansion of industry will be restricted by the availability of water. These limitations are imminent, and each Albertan must think about water, not as incidental to industrial, commercial and personal uses, but rather as the foundation underpinning them all.
Taking to heart the above four suggestions will arm Albertans to make practical and wise decisions about water.
These decisions will be crucial to move forward in the face of waning water supply and quality. Thinking about water differently now will prevent Albertans from having to deal with some of the very difficult water shortage and water quality problems faced by others elsewhere.
Jay White is a biologist who owns Aquality Environmental Consulting and is a member of the Alberta Water Council
2005.08.15
by Jay White
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the face of a waning water supply, we must rethink how we use it: Watershed management with full public involvement will help Albertans make tough decisions in the future
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alberta's water usually plays second fiddle to its cousin, black gold, but we are now recognizing that there can be no black gold without water.
Water is the fuel not only of the oil and gas industry, but also of irrigation, agriculture, manufacturing and most other industries, not to mention Alberta's aquatic environments and human survival. The fact that a litre of gas is almost $1 may offend most Albertans, but at that same gas station a litre of water is around $2; perhaps this is truly reflective of the relative value of the two resources.
So how can we justify using eight to 12 barrels of water to produce one barrel of gasoline? Because we give water rights away for free to almost anyone who applies for it.
Perhaps we need to begin thinking differently about water.
In a review of water management practices in 2003, Alberta Environment proposed a whole new way of managing water, with shared responsibility across all departments and with water users and the general public. This vision was adopted by the province in 2004, and called Water for Life: Alberta's Strategy for Sustainability (http://www.waterforlife.gov.ab.ca/).
The provincial government released the Water for Life Strategy in 2004 after much consultation with the public, water users and experts. In short, it is the most comprehensive undertaking in Canada to manage water.
It will identify short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to effectively manage the quantity and quality of the province's water systems and supply.
The Water for Life approach uses the watershed scale for planning and is new, but practical, thinking.
A watershed, or river basin, is the area of land that catches precipitation and drains it into a water body. Alberta has seven major watersheds.
A watershed-scale plan encompasses not just the river, but the activities in the surrounding land.
How is this working so far? Well, Albertans have quickly accepted and adopted the watershed approach to managing water. Working at the watershed scale ensures that we are managing all activities on the landscape -- agriculture, forestry, oil and gas -- and considering their cumulative impact, instead of managing each in isolation.
For example, forestry and oil and gas companies now share roads where previously both would have constructed their own.
Of the seven major river basins in Alberta, three had Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs) recognized in 2004: the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Bow River Basin Council and Oldman River Basin
Water Quality Initiative. The seven major basins can be viewed online at http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/basinform.cfm.
The WPACs are to lead water management planning, develop and promote best management practices, report on the state of the watershed, and promote stewardship and educational activities. Other groups will soon be established for the Milk, Battle, Red Deer, Cold
Lake-Beaver River, Lesser Slave Lake, Athabasca and Peace watersheds.
Even more encouraging is that over 60 different smaller watershed groups have sprung up virtually overnight in an effort to deal with their local issues, on a lake or stream scale. Some of these groups are led by municipalities, while others are led by summer villages, towns or local citizens.
How will this affect water and environmental management in 20 or 30 years?
Scientists tell us the last 100 years in Alberta were the wettest in the past 1,000 years, so Alberta's Centennial celebrations may mark a very wet blip in the province's natural history.
The explosive growth in many parts of the province will continue to strain our water resources. Added to that is our largest challenge: most of the province's water is in the north, while most of the population resides in the south.
We need to think differently about water. There are four actions that every Albertan can do to ensure our future success.
1. Ask questions. Most of us don't think twice about the tap water we drink, or wonder where the water goes when we flush the toilet. Isn't it interesting that many Edmonton and Calgary citizens receive the highest-quality tap water in the world, yet still spend astronomically more on bottled water or in-home water treatment systems?
Remember, the water is free to citizens and business only because they pay only for the treatment and delivery of that water from the utility, not for the water itself.
Do we need treated drinking water to water our lawns and wash our cars? Is that really necessary? Is what we flush down the toilet having an impact on our source water?
Ask questions. Be curious about this resource that so often gets taken for granted. Get educated -- get started at http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/index.html.
2. Get involved. Everyone, everywhere in Alberta is in a watershed. There are hundreds of organizations in Alberta involved with water and the environment that could use your help (see: http://www.albertawatersheds.org). Everyone has something to contribute, and your opinions and attitudes are extremely important. Be part of the planning of your local watershed.
3. Look around. Quite often others have faced similar challenges to our own. There are several good examples of water management solutions in other countries, towns or even the watershed next door. In water-stressed Las Vegas, a Cash for Grass program pays $1 per square foot for removing lawns and creating less water-intensive yards and gardens, saving 2.8 billion gallons of water annually.
4. Think differently about water.
It is hard to convince people that there is a shortage of something that they can get from a tap free in their own home, 24 hours a day.
But the reality in Alberta is that several river basins are at their full allocation and that future land development and expansion of industry will be restricted by the availability of water. These limitations are imminent, and each Albertan must think about water, not as incidental to industrial, commercial and personal uses, but rather as the foundation underpinning them all.
Taking to heart the above four suggestions will arm Albertans to make practical and wise decisions about water.
These decisions will be crucial to move forward in the face of waning water supply and quality. Thinking about water differently now will prevent Albertans from having to deal with some of the very difficult water shortage and water quality problems faced by others elsewhere.
Jay White is a biologist who owns Aquality Environmental Consulting and is a member of the Alberta Water Council
Friday, August 12, 2005
direction...
Downsizing environmental protection
Stephen Magusiak. Pass Herald Reporter (ran May 31st)
The department of fisheries and oceans will be downsized considerably under the new federal budget, to the outrage of the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Friends of the Oldman River.
Due to the department's budget cutbacks, 80 fishery officer positions and 42 habitat management positions will be cut in Canada. This is a worst case scenario, according to officials in the department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories could face up to 56 layoffs.
"The department is still trying to quietly undertake this initiative, reducing both levels of service to Canadians and the level of protection to the aquatic environment." said Martha Kostuch, Vice president of the Friends of the Old man River.
The result of this is the 'modernizing compliance initiative'. Fisheries and Oceans now has to limit its level of service due to budget restrictions, and so, will be changing the way they enforce wildlife protection compliance.
"We want to start taking our resources and using them more towards high risk activities that affect fish habitat" said Phil Jenkins, spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans, "this means not applying as much beaurocracy towards lower risk activities that affect fish habitat. The idea is to try to approach the way we enforce habitat in a more practical risk management framework"
For example, Phil says that if somebody were to build a cottage dock that could affect fish habitat, the department would not apply the same amount of pressure that it would apply to a big highway interchange that could have a serious consequence to fish habitats.
"It doesn't mean total abandonment, it means that we're taking a different approach."
The DFO plans to offset the round of layoffs by hiring 40 new habitat stewardship and monitoring position officers, but these positions will not have the authority to conduct inspections, respond to complaints or enforce the fisheries act, limiting their ability to conserve the aquatic environment.
The Alberta Wilderness Association accuses the federal department of being secretive in implementing the initiative.
"It's no wonder that this is being done in secrecy-it is an affront to the decades of hard work by Canadians who care about their waterways and good public process," says Cliff Wallis, AWA Past President and President of Friends of the Oldman River. "we need to strengthen, not weaken, our enforcement capacity and funding for conserving fish habitat."
The federal budget requires all government departments to find resources that could be re-allocated. Fisheries and Oceans has to reduce expenditures by $7 million by the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Exactly how this will affect Alberta is still unknown by the DFO, but considerable layoffs are likely. the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Friends of the Old Man River are concerned that the door will be open for the destruction of fish habitat, but the DFO officials say that they will not be turning a blind eye towards those who knowingly destroy fish habitat. Enforcement of such offenses, however, remains a concern.
Stephen Magusiak. Pass Herald Reporter (ran May 31st)
The department of fisheries and oceans will be downsized considerably under the new federal budget, to the outrage of the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Friends of the Oldman River.
Due to the department's budget cutbacks, 80 fishery officer positions and 42 habitat management positions will be cut in Canada. This is a worst case scenario, according to officials in the department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories could face up to 56 layoffs.
"The department is still trying to quietly undertake this initiative, reducing both levels of service to Canadians and the level of protection to the aquatic environment." said Martha Kostuch, Vice president of the Friends of the Old man River.
The result of this is the 'modernizing compliance initiative'. Fisheries and Oceans now has to limit its level of service due to budget restrictions, and so, will be changing the way they enforce wildlife protection compliance.
"We want to start taking our resources and using them more towards high risk activities that affect fish habitat" said Phil Jenkins, spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans, "this means not applying as much beaurocracy towards lower risk activities that affect fish habitat. The idea is to try to approach the way we enforce habitat in a more practical risk management framework"
For example, Phil says that if somebody were to build a cottage dock that could affect fish habitat, the department would not apply the same amount of pressure that it would apply to a big highway interchange that could have a serious consequence to fish habitats.
"It doesn't mean total abandonment, it means that we're taking a different approach."
The DFO plans to offset the round of layoffs by hiring 40 new habitat stewardship and monitoring position officers, but these positions will not have the authority to conduct inspections, respond to complaints or enforce the fisheries act, limiting their ability to conserve the aquatic environment.
The Alberta Wilderness Association accuses the federal department of being secretive in implementing the initiative.
"It's no wonder that this is being done in secrecy-it is an affront to the decades of hard work by Canadians who care about their waterways and good public process," says Cliff Wallis, AWA Past President and President of Friends of the Oldman River. "we need to strengthen, not weaken, our enforcement capacity and funding for conserving fish habitat."
The federal budget requires all government departments to find resources that could be re-allocated. Fisheries and Oceans has to reduce expenditures by $7 million by the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Exactly how this will affect Alberta is still unknown by the DFO, but considerable layoffs are likely. the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Friends of the Old Man River are concerned that the door will be open for the destruction of fish habitat, but the DFO officials say that they will not be turning a blind eye towards those who knowingly destroy fish habitat. Enforcement of such offenses, however, remains a concern.
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