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Vol.10 Number 2		April/May 2000
Environmental News from Georgia Strait in British Columbia, Canada and from the World

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Vol.10 Number 2 - April/May 2000

EDITORIAL - Chocolate

NEWS
Vietnam Vets Study: Dioxin and Diabetes
Energy: Hot and Dirty or Clean and Cool?
When the Market Sees the Trees Fall, The CEOs Start to Hear
BC Greens Overthrow Leader
Aerial Spraying for Gypsy Moth at Burnaby Lake Despite New Health Evidence
Recent Sources on Bt

SALMON
Who You Gonna Call?
Excerpts of letter concerning logging practices near fish-bearing streams

FOREST NEWS
More Harris-ment
Central Coast: The Road Forks
Old Growth Falls

ABOUT CERTIFICATION
First FSC Certifications in BC
What is the Forest Stewardship Council?

RIGHT TO KNOW
When Lawns Turn Toxic

FUN AND GAMES
It's a Jungle Out There

ADVERTISEMENT
Biodiversity Publications

NEWS SHORTS
"Dirty" Hydrogen Could Foul Fuel Cell Potential
Arctic Not Cold Enough To Keep Ice
Red River Chemicals Drown Lake Winnipeg
US Organic Standards Brought Up to Mark

REPORT
The Hidden Costs of Offshore Oil

FEATURE
Big Pulp's Dirty Little Secret
Dioxin: a Top POP
Dioxin's Ill Effects

ANALYSIS
IJC Leaves Door Open to Water Sales

FROM HAIDA GWAII
Interview with Guujaaw - Haida Nation presents an overwhelming case for aboriginal title.

LETTERS - Our Readers Respond ...
Hot Compost for Sustainable Sewage
Planet Infected by the Greedy
WS OK in Y2K
Trail Highlights Hague Lake Greenery
FOCI Office Extends Hours

SUSTAINABLE LIVING
Plugging In to Clean Power
Greenpeace Buys Shell Shares to Promote Solar Power Plans

About Us

In the 1960s and 70s the oxymoron fad highlighted contradictions in North American culture. The words 'sustainable growth' when used to define a condition of the market system may become the oxymoron of this opening decade of the twenty-first century. When used together, each word cancels the validity of the other. They are words that are on the lips of many today. Governments continue to promise, and corporations insist we have sustainable growth.

We can have sustainability; we can have growth. But we can't maintain either within the confines of the prodigal market system. Any slow growth period sends the market into a tailspin. In fact, the system demands exponential growth. Exponential growth fed by a finite environment can only lead to a dead end. The market system can only succeed in dying from its own success. Reason, then, would declare the system unworkable.

Up to now we have not displayed reason in our attitude toward the adversarial market system. We are cast adrift on its cornucopian sea in a magic chocolate lifeboat that each day replaces the nibbles we take for sustenance. When a ship appears on the horizon we rejoice, not in the possibility of rescue but in the prospect of selling chocolate.

* Don Malcolm, March 2000

In late March the Washington Post reported that a US Air Force study confirmed a statistical connection between diabetes and Vietnam veterans' wartime exposure to Agent Orange, a herbicide contaminated with dioxin. The Vets may get more compensation.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government continues its charade of "Virtual Elimination," all the while it licenses polluters to create dioxin or lets the provinces do so. A lot of home-made dioxin would be eliminated if the BC forest industry stopped soaking coastal logs in salt water.

See "Big Pulp's Dirty Little Secret"

From Haida Gwaii, Spruceroots reports that the slick drive to lift the federal and provincial moratorium on offshore drilling and exploration for oil and gas in Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound is moving right along.

The BC Commissioner of Northern Development, John Backhouse, has begun a second round of "consultation" and once again he's only talking to the people he chooses. However Living Oceans' Jen Lash reports that the oil companies aren't particularly interested, and the federal government says the project would have to jump through a lot of legal hoops, including a decision on which government owns the sea bed.

The Hidden Costs of Offshore Oil explores what Backhouse doesn't want to.
Plugging into Clean Power explores what the future really holds for sustainable living.

If BC lumber barons haven't got it yet, more proof that it's about the market came this March. Following last year's commitments from Home Depot and IKEA, the Markets Campaign racked up another coup when two of the largest US home builders announced that they planned to stop buying lumber made from BC old growth. The US building market accounts for 40% of the sales of BC lumber.

Meanwhile, the central Interior Alliance, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the Assembly of First Nations and the American-based National Congress of American Indians demanded that eco-certification include proof of indigenous consent or face discrediting through their International Forests Market Campaign. Chief Arthur Manuel said, "Basically that timber is stolen ... Aboriginal title is an unwarranted subsidy to Canadian lumber plants ... Indigenous people have to be joint managers, joint owners of our whole traditional territory."

On the flip side, Silva Forest Foundation has won the well-deserved right to award Forest Stewardship Council certification in BC.

For more details in this issue go to Silva and the Forest Stewardship Council. There's also a news story about the Central Coast negotiation

The recent shake-up in the leader ship of BC's Green Party indicates the party is not content with its current position in the political scene, and is ready to define a new direction for the future.

Former party leader Stuart Parker, after losing a non-confidence motion at the annual meeting in March, said his removal shows the Greens have decided to become a one-issue party, devoted to environmentalism and little else.

But the party leaders say that isn't so, and a variety of concerns, including health care, employment, and other social issues, will be part of their platform.

This crossroads will be approached in the volatile context of BC politics, in which alliances between political parties range from shaky to treacherous, and correct strategic positioning is everything.

Green stands at about 6% in the polls and wants to improve its standing, while avoiding the traditional ritual of environmentalists being courted by the NDP before an election, only to be dumped after the party's over.

In late March, social worker Tom Hetherington was chosen interim leader. Colleen McCrory, of the Valhalla Wilderness Society, will be deputy leader. These will both be interim positions until the leadership convention scheduled for Sept. 23.

At press time, two candidates for leader had declared their intention to run: Adriane Carr and Andy Shadrack. Parker says he will not run for re-election.

Hetherington emphasized his commitment to social justice and equality, but stated that we need to change the tax system to one which taxes things "we want to discourage, like excessive consumption, pollution, and resource depletion."

A new Green Party Working Group on the Economy has been set up under Dr. Robert Gale, an expert in environmental economics and tax shifting, with a membership that includes Dr. Michael McGonigle and Donna Morton of NEW BC.

The Green Party claims as many as 1,500 members; in 1996 it fielded 71 candidates and attracted about 30,000 votes. In the next election it plans to target key ridings. McCrory will challenge high-profile Agriculture Minister Corky Evans in Nelson-Creston. A strong campaign is also planned for Employment Minister Gordon Wilson's riding of Powell River-Sunshine Coast.

A 1994 BC Ministry of Forests (MoF) Risk Assessment of Gypsy Moth in British Columbia states"... the direct impact of an established gypsy moth population on BC's natural resources would likely be small." Despite this, MoF officials have applied for a Pesticide Use Permit to aerial and ground spray the Burnaby Lake area up to 4 times for gypsy moths. The biocide of choice is a combination of 2.1% live bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and 97.9% unknown chemicals which are kept hidden by the Trades Secret Act.

The Society Targeting Overuse of Pesticides (S.T.O.P.) is an international, privately-funded research group. President Christopher Lewis points to government statistics which show that over the past 20 years in BC, 80 per cent of detected introductions of gypsy moth have died out without any control measures. He advocates trapping the insect, or simply doing nothing at all.

In 1996, the BC Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) stopped the Bt ground spraying of four blocks in New Westminster because it had caused health reactions in other areas. These included "... skin rash and other immune, allergic and sensitization responses such as dry, itchy skin; red, burning eyes; dry, sore throat; cough and tightness in the chest." The Board concluded that children were at greater risk from the effects of Bt than the general population. They also noted that no studies had been done on Bt to determine long-term effects.

No spraying took place in New Westminster, and despite predictions of a major infestation, the gypsy moth disappeared from the area, and has not returned.

Two years later, the EAB stopped the aerial spraying of Victoria due to similar concerns. "The Panel finds that aerial spraying will create an unacceptable risk of health problems among the residents of these densely populated areas. In particular, the Panel agrees with the Appellants that there is a risk to the health of children, people of all ages who have allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments, people with immuno deficiencies, chemical hypersensitivities, and the elderly. It also poses an unreasonable adverse effect to the environment (non-target species)." [The area was sprayed by Order-in-Council in 1999 after US threats of economic embargo.]

When Bt was sprayed in New Zealand in 1997, public health nurses noticed an increase in premature births and miscarriages in the spray area. The Ministry of Forestry in New Zealand has confirmed that the spray harmed one in six households.

New Scientific Evidence

According to a recent Medical Post article, French scientists have called for a ban on Bt, after finding that inhaled spores cause lung inflammation, internal bleeding and death in laboratory mice. It also destroyed tissue in the wounds of a French soldier in Bosnia, and infected wounds in immunosuppressed mice.

A 1999 American study found that Bt may induce allergies: "With long-term exposure, affected individuals might develop asthma or other serious allergic reactions," notes the study leader.

In the Netherlands, scientists have found that Bt is capable of long-term survival in the environment. They found that Bt spores reproduced in both dead and living insects. Because Bt is so similar to B. cereus (a bacteria that can cause food poisoning) and B. Anthra cis (which can cause anthrax), Dutch authorities are calling for mandatory DNA testing before the release of this pesticide.

Sweden has banned aerial spraying altogether.

Bt can be fatal to people using anti-ulcer drugs. A few years ago, it was the cause of an outbreak of gastroenteritis in a chronic care facility in Ontario due to contaminated honey, It caused a similar outbreak in the United States. It has been isolated from infections in burn wounds; from a corneal ulcer; and from an infected finger. Commercial Bt-pesticides have been found to contain Diarrhoeal enterotoxin.

Following Bt aerial spraying in Oregon in 1991 and Vancouver in 1992, Bt. was found to have cultured in the bodies of some exposed individuals who had presented to Emergency Departments.

Under a 1995 directive from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers cannot enter an area sprayed with Bt for at least 4 hours. One of the new EPA registration requirements for Bt pesticides is that workers coming in contact with the spores must wear a special respirator.

In light of the new evidence against Bt, Robert Haward of the Soil Association which represents Britain's organic growers, says that they may have to use masks and take more care when spraying the spores on crops.

Not surprisingly, Bt has a devastating effect on other lepidoptera, which are in the caterpillar stage when spraying takes place. The Butterfly Garden in Burnaby Lake Park is likely to be severely impacted if spraying goes ahead as planned. Locally rare species in the park include the Pale Swallowtail, Western Painted Lady, Green Comma, Anise Swallowtail, Clodius Parnassian, Mustard White, and Purplish Copper.

Birds which feed on the caterpillars--warblers, chickadees and bushtits--will also be adversely affected.

Local butterfly expert Roger Ash ton calls aerial spraying "a crazy dynamite tactic which endangers every single, local, threatened butterfly habitat."

In March the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released a discussion paper on wild salmon policy and said officials will hold consultation meetings in at least 12 communities on the coast and the BC Interior. Jim Fulton of the David Suzuki Foundation immediately issued a call to "the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who care about our prized wild salmon" to fill the sessions and oppose the policy.

"There is a lot of technical language in this paper about conservation and priority for wild salmon," Fulton said. "But a careful reading reveals that DFO fisheries managers can continue to displace wild salmon with hatchery fish and aquaculture."

BC's new standards for forest practices on private land came into effect April 1, 2000. But the Sierra Club of BC says the province is not protecting stream side habitat on either private or public lands. A letter from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and an internal Ministry of Forests briefing note reveal that small fish-bearing streams receive inadequate buffers and that habitat protection falls far short of Washington state's 50 foot (15 metre) no-logging 'reserve zones' on all fish streams on private land. By contrast, BC's imminent private land standards have no requirement for a no-logging buffer, instead relying on only one tree every 5 or 10 metres to protect sensitive fish habitat.

The Sierra Club of BC and several other conservation groups recently filed a complaint with the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation stating that BC's Forest Practices Code is not in compliance with the federal Fisheries Act, as logging companies are allowed to routinely destroy and degrade small fish-bearing streams.

* DFO's Wild Salmon Discussion Paper can be found at: www-com.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/wsp-sep-consult. For more information on the Forest Practices Code, or copies of the documents, contact the Sierra Club, (250)286-5255

In March the Sierra Club of BC, the Coastal Rainforest Coalition and Greenpeace confirmed that they are near agreement with six logging companies with timber rights on the central coast for an 18-month moratorium on logging the "largest remaining tracts of temperate rainforest left in the world." In exchange, the groups would lift their effective European market campaign, hoping that the breathing space would allow time for changes in forest practices.

The news was greeted with trepidation by some other environmentalists. Some joined loggers in wondering why BC forest policy was being made without public input. Local activists feared that a moratorium on the central coast would displace a more intensive cut into other areas, both on the coast and the interior, since there is no accompanying reduction in the amount of timber to be cut. The BC cut was 77 million cubic metres in 1999 with almost a million cubic metres from the central coast. Some pointed out cynically that 18 months was just about long enough to make sure another government was elected.

The Valhalla Wilderness Society characterized the deal as a "short stay of execution for ancient forests, spirit bears, grizzlies and salmon." Warning that trouble over the "Great Bear Rainforest" would not go away, The Raincoast Conservation Society noted that the entire forest is scheduled for clearcutting at some point, so "a short term moratorium of this nature only serves to extend these valleys' time on death row." Raincoast, which has been working on the coast for almost a decade, warned darkly, "All parties involved in these negotiations are mistaken if they think that temporarily shifting the cut will somehow stem the tide of conflict and controversy in the Great Bear Rainforest."

* Coastal Rainforest Coalition, Valhalla Wilderness Society, Raincoast Conservation Society, Vancouver Sun, March 2000

In March Weyerhaeuser explained to the public that it had plans to log its private old growth near the boundaries of Cathedral Grove. The 136 hectare park contains the few old growth trees on Vancouver Island easily accessible to tourists, who stop by the thousands on their way to Long Beach. Annette Tanner inspects the cut, which the company said would be selective. Environmentalists fear more blow down in wind storms, which three years ago knocked out 200 trees, 10% of the legacy.

The Sierra Club of Eastern Canada is urging Ontarians to get involved to stop the latest Harrisment. From the provincial government which invented temporary moveable parks, here's another winning proposal -- hunting in wilderness parks.

* Sierra Club Eastern Canada; 517 College St., Suite 237, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 4A2; ph: (416)960-9606,

What was once dismissed as impossible by the BC timber industry has now been accomplished. Two BC forests have received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification from the Silva Forest Foundation, the first and so far only FSC-accredited certifier based in Canada.

The announcement was made by Silva Director Herb Hammond at a Vancouver showroom featuring the designs of Ornamentum Furniture. Ornamentum has used Silva's FSC-certified wood to make BC's first FSC-certified indoor furniture, which carries the much coveted FSC logo now demanded by manufacturers in BC, across Canada, and around the world.

The Cariboo wood lot of Rod Blake and the Vancouver Island wood lot of Allen Hopwood are the first FSC-certified logging operations in BC. Silva also announced their FSC certification of four manufacturers: Zirnhelt Brothers Sawmilling, Spokin Mountain Timbers, Fiesta Barbeques, and Ornamentum Furniture.

"Our FSC-certified logs are milled, kiln dried and made into high-value products," said Hammond. "By logging in an ecologically responsible manner, by maintaining benefits locally, and by truly valuing the wood in BC, our certified operations not only protect the forests, they are also building the foundation for long-term, high-value employment - a future we can all look forward to."

Silva used its ecosystem-based standards for timber management to evaluate Blake's 670-hectare wood lot east of Williams Lake, and Hopwood's 130-hectare wood lot near Courtenay. Blake and Hopwood use selective logging methods, careful road design and an ecosystem-based plan to extract timber while maintaining fully-functioning forests. Both operations anticipate profitably taking out logs for years to come, while protecting biodiversity, allowing for recreational and cultural uses of the forest, and respecting First Nations rights and title.

"Greenpeace believes that Silva has defined credible certifications in BC, and we fully endorse their model," said Tamara Stark of Greenpeace Canada. "High ecological standards that have the support of local residents and First Nations will provide consumers with a real guarantee that the health of forests and communities in BC are being protected - which is exactly what the marketplace is demanding."

* Feature thanks to Silva Forest Foundation; Box 9, Slocan Park, B.C. Canada V0G 2E0; ph: (250)226-7222; fax: (250)226-7446; http://www.silvafor.org/ecocert

The overstory of a dry, overstocked douglas fir/lodgepole pine stand in Rod Blake's woodlot. It has already been thinned, with approximately 15% volume removed. This type of prescription will move the stand to a lower density that is more in keeping with the natural character of the dry forest.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a broadly-supported international body that accredits and monitors certifiers. The FSC does not conduct certifications, but rather grants certification bodies, like Silva Forest Foundation (SFF), the right to certify under the FSC logo.

SFF has been accredited by the FSC as the first FSC-accredited certifier based in Canada, and only the seventh in the world. Consequently, all SFF-certified operations are also FSC certified.

The FSC has developed a general set of Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship. These general Principles and Criteria are globally applicable, but are fleshed out in more detail at the regional level. In BC, regional standards are being developed, and once adopted these will outline the minimum level of performance for all FSC certifications in BC.

FSC is the certification scheme supported globally by environmental groups such as Greenpeace, demanded by buyers in Europe and the USA, and sought after by many timber companies in BC. However, in spite of the global importance of the FSC logo, until now not one hectare of forest land in BC has been FSC-certified.

What about the CSA and ISO?

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) programs are fundamentally different from SFF or FSC certification. The major differences are that SFF and FSC certification programs:

• Provide independent, third-party evaluation (instead of self-certification)
• Are performance-based and can therefore say something meaningful about what happens "on the ground" (instead of systems-based which can only comment on control systems)
• Allow certified operations to apply a certified label to final products

What is "Chain-of-Custody" Certification?

Through "chain-of-custody" certification, SFF tracks certified wood through various stages of transportation and processing, to the final product. This allows wood product manufacturers to place the certified mark on finished products, which in turn provides consumers with a choice in the marketplace.

The Silva Forest Foundation Certification

The Silva Forest Foundation (SFF) is a BC-based non-profit society whose directors have been involved, for over 25 years, in practising and promoting ecologically responsible forest use - or ecoforestry. As part of this work, SFF has developed an ecosystem-based certification program. SFF is a founding member and has been approved for accreditation with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

SFF has a high set of standards for timber management, and ensures that certified timber management operations are different from non-certified operations. Some of the essential differences are:

• First Nations consent Meaningful consultation between First Nations and the timber management operation is essential. Evidence of free and informed consent by local First Nations is necessary before certification can be granted.
• Full-cycle trees Trees that are permanently reserved from cutting or disturbance, in order that they can complete a full life cycle, from seed to snag to soil. Full-cycle trees are always present in a certified logged area.
• Large snags and large fallen trees These structure are critically important for wildlife shelter and maintaining on-site nutrient capital.
• Protection of ecologically sensitive sites Respecting the ecological limits of the landscape and the forest is important to ensuring ecological sustainability. A focus on what to leave, rather than on what to take, helps to determine the areas to be off-limits from logging.
• Ecologically-responsible cutting rates Determining an ecologically-responsible cutting rate (allowable annual cut - AAC) is critical to ensuring the implementation of the principles of ecoforestry. An appropriate AAC ensures that the forest remains healthy, intact, and available to contribute to the social and economic needs of future generations.
• Low-impact roads Right-of-way width for all roads in SFF certified forests is minimized and roads are fit to the terrain. As few roads as possible are constructed. Roads are engineered as permanent structures with minimal disturbance of slopes and drainage patterns.

The 1998 Washington State Fertilizer Act was supposed to limit metals content in fertilizer. In reality, it falls far short of that goal.

The Act's weak standards and loopholes allow fertilizers with very high levels of metals to stay on the shelves, and do not require manufacturers to provide adequate information about toxic ingredients.

A case in point is Ironite, a product with such high levels of arsenic and lead that both the Departments of Health and Ecology have issued warnings about its use. Yet it remains on the market.

Worst of all, Washington's Fertilizer Act is one of the only laws in the country that regulates metals content, so standards elsewhere are far lower or non-existent.

Ironite is a retail fertilizer used by home gardeners and others who want to neutralize alkaline soils and "turn yellow to green," as its label chimes.

When Dr. Carl Rosen, a professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, applied Ironite to his home garden, he didn't think much about it.

He applied the product to reduce the alkalinity of his soil for cranberry and lingonberry bushes, using the maximum amount directed on the label for more than two years.

What Rosen didn't know was that Ironite is made from a waste pile of mine tailing in Arizona and contains high levels of arsenic and lead: 4,380 parts per million (ppm) and 2,910 ppm, respectively.

That's enough arsenic to be an acute health hazard if ingested. Less than one-half teaspoon of Ironite, in ••gested directly or from soil, could be toxic for a child.

Health effects that may result from ingesting smaller amounts include flu-like symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Long-term exposure to arsenic can increase the risk of cancer.

The lead in Ironite also presents a potential health hazard, particularly for children. There is no acceptable, "safe" level of lead for young children.

The arsenic and lead in Ironite accumulate in soil with each application, so repeated use can quickly lead to levels of toxic metals equivalent to those of hazardous waste sites, right there in consumers' yards.

The Department of Ecology estimates that use of Ironite as directed on the label it still bears outside of Washington, could result in arsenic levels in soil above the cleanup standard for hazardous wastes (20 ppm) after just two years.

Tests that Rosen's own lab performed on his soil after the application of Ironite found arsenic levels 100 times the background level.

The Ironite label that encouraged Rosen to apply as much of the product as he did is no longer legal in Washington State.

Ironite Products Company had to drastically reduce the recommended application rate of its product in order to register Ironite under Washington's 1998 fertilizer registration laws. They also removed the statements "Environmentally safe," "Does not pollute," and "Will not burn -- even if you apply two to three times the prescribed amount" from the new label. Ironite is still sold with the old label elsewhere in the US.

The new Washington label still does not mention that Ironite contains high levels of arsenic and lead, however, or that it is a waste-derived product made from mine tailing. Washington's 1998 Fertilizer Act does not require such basic disclosure.

A more fundamental problem that Ironite Products managed to keep their product on the shelves in Washington not by making it safer, but by reducing its recommended application rate.

Ferrous sulfate's potential as a fertilizer in general terms, which the department examined, does not establish the efficacy of Ironite as a fertilizer at its specific, new application rate. However, the Department of Agriculture decided to register Ironite for commercial sale at this new, extremely low application rate.

It has remained on the shelves ever since and continues to be sold throughout the USA. Ironite is not sold in Canada because it does not meet Canadian standards.

Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore is a great game to depict the workings of the "triangle of life," which is how the species of the world relate to each other.

This game is about how herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores need each other, and how man and disease can affect the way animal and plant life sustain each other. Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore is a good game to play in a biology class or just for fun. It's intense, and can get very wild.

Definitions
Herbivore: eats vegetation
Omnivore: eats all types of food
Carnivore: flesh-eating mammal

Directions
To begin, the instructor needs to set up separate water and food stations in the area where the game will be played. Outside is best. The food stations are for the herbivores, who eat only vegetation, and the water stations are for herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.

Each station should have different-coloured stickers or different objects, so the participants can prove they have been there. There should be three or four separate water and food stations, though it depends on the size of the play area. Each participant will be given a sheet of paper on which to stick the food and water stickers they retrieve.

At the beginning of the game, each participant will receive "life tags." The life tags are the amount of times that a participant can be caught by a higher-ranking participant. Herbivores will get six life tags, omnivores four, and carnivores two. Man and disease get no life tags. The tags can be made of paper, or anything you like, but should be colour-coded like the rest of the group.

For example: A group of 20 people might comprise 10 herbivores, six omnivores, two carnivores, one human, and one disease.

Each group of participants and their life tags should be colour-coded with bandannas, ribbons, or different coloured shirts (e.g., herbivores/green, omnivores/yellow, carnivores/red, human/blue, and disease/black).

The herbivores are sent out first and given time to hide. They need to collect water and food stickers from each station without being caught by omnivores, carnivores, a human, or disease. The herbivores cannot hunt any other animals because they are strictly vegetarians. When you are caught, you have to give up a life tag.

The omnivores are sent out five minutes later, and they have to hunt the herbivores and collect their life tags. Omnivores do not have to collect food stickers, because they hunt the herbivores and omnivores for food, but they do have to collect water stickers.

Carnivores are sent out 10 minutes after the omnivores, and they have to hunt the herbivores and omnivores for food, and collect their life tags.

A human is introduced halfway through the game, and can hunt anything except disease. A human does not have to collect any food or water stickers.

Disease is sent out 15 minutes before the game is over, and can kill anything it catches. Disease doesn't have to collect water or food stickers.

This game should have a time limit on it, because it can go on for hours. With our group, we played for an hour and a half, and it was perfect. Once a participant loses all their life tags, they're out of the game. The game is over when the time limit is reached or everyone is out of the game.

Materials
Bandannas or ribbons: green, yellow, red, blue, and black, for colour-coding the different groups.
Construction paper, or stiff paper and a marker.
Stickers, for food and water stations.
Life tags.

* Game compiled by Mare Davies; from SpruceRoots, January 2000. Contact Spruceroots at: www.spruceroots.org

Want to know more about ecoforestry and how to maintain biodiversity in your community forest or how to recognize endangered "Identified Wildlife"? Need to know what rare lichens are found only in old growth forests or the latest information on grizzly bear habitat requirements? If you are involved in land use planning, public education or want to manage your back yard more sustainably - read on.

The Biodiversity Publications Catalogue is a "must have" report that describes over 500 brochures, short summaries, books, and in-depth reports that provide essential information on how to conserve biodiversity in British Columbia. It provides a one stop spot that brings together a wealth of written material.

Publications listed include the colourful series on Ecosystems of B.C., Plants of Southern Interior B.C. and Backyard Biodiversity designed for public interest groups, school teachers and students interested in learning more about their local environment. Some publications, such as Rare Vascular Plants of B.C. provide in-depth information for interested lay people and professionals who want to identify species at risk. Other publications are technical documents essential for professionals to inventory BC biodiversity and assess the impacts of forest, wildlife, and range management practices. These include Lichens of British Columbia and Conservation Biology Principles for Forested Landscapes.

The 1997 Biodiversity Publications Catalogue can be viewed at: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/mr/mr086.htm. The 1999 supplement lists publications produced after 1997 and is at: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/mr/mr086r1.htm. The catalogues will be searchable by April 2000. Some of the publications can be viewed, down-loaded, and printed at no cost. You can also find many biodiversity publications through the Queen's Printer's website www.publications.gov.bc.ca and Crown Publications www.crownpub.bc.ca. The websites can be accessed through any Government Agent's Office and at many public libraries.

For more information contact Evelyn Hamilton at Evelyn.Hamilton@gems8.gov.bc.ca or Phone (250)387-3650

The fuel cell itself is "remarkable technology" that produces no harmful emissions, but generating the hydrogen it uses as fuel could cause almost as much damage to the earth's climate as burning gasoline in today's cars, according to the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development.

To be truly pollution-free, the hydrogen must come from a renewable source, such as solar or wind power. Currently, hydrogen is created by passing a heavy electric current through water or by stripping it out of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, methanol or gasoline.

The cleanest option among those available today is to strip hydrogen from natural gas. That approach would cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the main culprit behind global warming, by about 70 per cent.

* The full report, Climate-Friendly Hydrogen Fuel, is available from orders@davidsuzuki.org or ph: (604)732-4228. The executive summary is available at www.davidsuzuki.org/climatereports.htm

Two studies published in the journal Science show that satellite surveys found the Arctic has lost 37,000 square kilometres of ice a year over the past 20 years, an area about twice as big as Lake Ontario. Scientists say if the trend continues, the entire Arctic ice cap could disappear in the next fifty years, dramatically changing life in Canada and stopping the flow of the Gulf Stream. The deep water circulation of the Gulf Stream is what warms northern Europe, which may face a deep freeze in the midst of global warming.

* Montreal Gazette, December 1999

Chemicals flushed into Lake Winnipeg during the Red River flood of 1997 are threatening the lake's health with the growth of algae and a neurotoxin, according to DFO scientists. Fertilizers and herbicides and pesticides were all deposited into the lake from the flooded fields.

* National Post, March 2000

Those organic carrots will stay organic, now that the US Department of Agriculture has announced its new rules for produce carrying an organic label: no genetically modified ingredients; no irradiation to decontaminate the products and no use of sewage sludge as fertilizer. For animals, there must be no use of antibiotics; feed must be 100 percent organic and the animals must have outdoor access.

Last year the Department received over 275,000 comments in opposition to its original proposal for weak standards. Sales of organic produce have been growing at 20 percent a year in the US.

* New York Times, March 2000

The exploration and development of offshore oil and gas have been prohibited on the west coast of Canada for almost 30 years because of the threat they pose to our environment and coastal economy. Now downturns in BC's resource export economy have some people promoting offshore oil and gas.

Those in favour of lifting the moratorium make promises of economic gains, but fail to provide information about the inevitable costs associated with the finding, extracting, transporting, and burning of oil and gas.

In order to find out more about the experiences of communities where offshore oil and gas are occurring, Living Oceans Society has conducted thorough research on the impacts, and is committed to sharing this information with coastal communities.

Research shows overwhelming evidence of economic, ecological and social risks associated with oil extraction, exploration, transportation and the burning of oil and gas. Oil spills are not the only source of concern when it comes to oil and gas extraction. Blowouts, chronic pipeline leaks, increased greenhouse gas emissions, the effect of seismic explosions on commercial fisheries and marine life are only some of the reasons why it is important to continue to prohibit offshore oil and gas on the west coast.

Offshore oil and gas development occurs at a large cost to society. Increases in domestic violence, drug use, and a decrease in property values have occurred alongside the offshore industry.

"We can no longer ignore the impacts of oil production on humans, their cultures and their lifestyles," claims sociologist Dr. Steven Picou, who studied the social impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

As a result of the spill, the community of Cordova, Alaska has suffered economic and social turmoil, including an increase in depression, domestic violence, and the crime rate. A 1998 study by Impact Assessment Inc. reported that in the year following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the number of reports of domestic violence increased 118% and the number of arrests increased 124% in the town of Valdez.

Elsewhere the offshore oil and gas industry has also disrupted the overall quality of life.

A 1998 report by CEF Consultants found that in Louisiana, where the offshore oil and gas industry has operated for the last 40 years: "The oil industry has led to many of the coastal communities having highly transient populations, with resulting social problems, unstable relationships, drug use and high crime rates."

In the Mississippi Delta and Texas coastal estuaries, toxic pollutants emitted by the oil industry have destroyed wet lands and contaminated the water. One controversial region in Louisiana has become known as Cancer Alley.

Seismic testing

Destructive impacts of offshore oil begin with seismic testing, the first stage of oil exploration.

Seismic testing involves air guns that emit explosive shock waves directed at the sea bed, giving the oil company information about the rock formation and the most likely location of oil. These noisy shock waves, reverberating through the sea, impact marine life including mammals, fish and larvae. As a result, fishers' livelihoods have also been affected.

The catch rates of cod and had dock are reduced by at least 50% during and after seismic testing, according to a study by Norwegian scientists. East coast cod and halibut fisherman Herb Nash says they've known all along that the seismic testing has been scaring the fish away, but nobody has been able to get the oil industry to listen.

"Not only does seismic testing decrease our catch rates, it cuts our fishing time way down, too.

"One day we had just finished setting up our halibut gear and they pulled up next to my boat and told us to be out of there in two hours so they could start seismic testing. It takes 12 hours to haul in our gear and they wanted us out of there in two hours."

Conflicts between fishermen and the offshore oil industry in California motivated another experiment where hook-and-line catch rates for various Redfish species were reduced by 50% during the use of a single air gun. Seismic surveys, however, involve the use of many air guns.

In 1985 Chevron proposed the use of up to 36 high-pressured air guns to perform seismic testing in the Hecate Strait area of the BC coast. Spread over an area 150 metres wide by 100 metres long, the guns would have fired every 15 seconds and covered a total area of 5,200 kilometres.

The explosive noise generated from seismic testing is of great concern to marine researchers because of the impact it will have on different species. Research has indicated that the explosive shock waves destroy fish air bladders and harm nearby larvae.

The marine environment is an acoustic world, where sound is the main form of communication. Whale specialist Dr. Paul Spong explains, "Whales are animals which depend on acoustics for feeding, communication, reproduction, and their complex social interactions. To impose even more noise on their environment could be disastrous to the orca populations."

While very few experiments have examined the impact of seismic testing on marine mammals, one study indicated grey whales would alter their migratory path when exposed to seismic noise.

Sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico were displaced more than 50 kilometres when seismic surveys began; a study of bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea indicated strong avoidance behaviour within eight kilometres of an active seismic vessel.

BC's 1986 West Coast Offshore Exploration Environmental Review Panel recognized the proposed area for oil exploration--Hecate Strait, Dixon Entrance, and Queen Charlotte Sound--as vital to the commercial fishery, accounting for over 50% of the landed value of all fishery products. This area is the migratory pathway for over a billion juvenile and adult salmon. About 12,000 grey whales pass through these waters every spring and fall, and it is the summer and fall territory of northern resident orcas.

Spills and more spills

The impacts of oil spills are unfortunately inevitable as long as oil is extracted and transported. Based on current levels of tanker traffic, Environment Canada predicts that "Canada can expect over 100 small oil spills, about 10 moderate spills, and at least one major spill offshore each year. A catastrophic spill (over 10,000 tonnes) may occur once every 15 years." An increase in oil development means an increase in the chances of spills.

Ten years later, the impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill are still being felt in Alaska's Prince William Sound. As a result of the oil spill, the value of commercial fishing permits in Cordova Alaska has plunged 90%. Fishermen whose livelihoods were devastated by the spill have never been compensated despite court rulings in their favour.

Sociologist Stephen Picou studied Prince William residents after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and found that "in 1997 40% of the commercial fishermen in Cordova still experienced symptoms of severe depression and post traumatic stress disorder."

The subsistence-based community of Chenaga Bay has been torn apart socially and economically by the effects of the oil spill. Harvesting the foods from the beaches and surrounding waters is no longer an option.

Offshore oil and gas development threatens sustainable industries such as commercial fishing and tourism. Such approaches to economic development often stand in the way of a diversified healthy economy.

By keeping the offshore oil and gas moratorium in place we are protecting fisheries, local economies and marine animals that depend on a healthy ocean.

If you're concerned about the government lifting the moratorium on offshore oil and gas, tell our new premier, Ujjal Dosanjh. Write him at: Office of the Premier, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4.

* For more information about the impacts of offshore oil and gas, or the sources cited in this article, please contact Living Oceans Society at (250)973-6580, or fax (250)973-6581, or email: oceans@livingoceans.org

They still make dioxin in paradise. On the coast of BC traditionally logs are boomed and transported in salt water, soaking in salt on the trip and during storage. Coastal pulp mills burn bark and sawmill waste ("hog fuel") in their power boilers to make energy to run the mill.

When the "salty hog fuel" is burned, it makes dioxin, because the chlorine in the salt combines with carbon from the wood when it is burned. In fact, despite the clean-up of most of the dioxin from bleaching--an unrelated issue--eight coastal pulp mills are still creating one-fifth or more of all the dioxin in Canada!

A small amount (about 8.5 grams annually) is released into the air from the boiler smokestack. The rest (over 100 grams a year) goes into the ash and then into the mill landfills. Only some landfills have liners or collect all the contaminated leachate.

Further, some mills' landfills are filling up, and the mills want to spread their sludge and ash on farm land and forests. Incomprehensibly, in just one of dozens of failures in a wildly-inaccurate inventory, Environment Canada classifies this dioxin-contaminated ash as a "product" because, in theory, it is not released to the environment.

How much dioxin is this?

It sounds like a small amount, but the Canadian federal government has been saying since 1995 that dioxin should be "virtually eliminated" because it is so dangerous to human health and the environment.

Dioxin is normally measured in nanograms or picograms; one nanogram is a trillionth of a gram and one picogram is one quadrillionth of a gram. Although these seem like very small concentrations, it adds perspective to realize that hormones enact major changes in the human body at concentrations of one part per trillion.

Japanese scientists say 17 grams of dioxin would be enough to kill 14 million rats!

Some of the other large sources of airborne dioxin in Canada are "teepee" garbage burners in Newfoundland. Municipal incinerators have been closed in most Canadian jurisdictions, leaving hospital incinerators as major sources. Residential wood and fuel combustion, diesel fuel, the steel industry, cement kilns, all release dioxins into the air.

Despite their process changes, pulp mills are estimated to put almost five grams a year into Canadian waters--although this is a significant improvement over the 1990 levels of 450 grams, which resulted in extensive fisheries closures. Pesticides and sewage sludge put an unknown amount of dioxin into the soil and thus into the food chain.

What is the government doing?

Domestically, there have been a lot of meetings. Enviros have raged, and industry has stonewalled. Incinerators have been closed.

At the end of the day, a "Canada Wide Standard" will be brought to a meeting of the provincial and federal ministers of environment for consensus on some emissions levels for how much dioxin various industries should be allowed to make. They will call this "Virtual Elimination" because it will be prefaced with a statement that, in the end, eventually, in about 25 years, or some time later, Canada wants to stop making dioxin.

On an international level, Canada has promoted an international UN treaty on POPs because they concentrate in the Arctic. However, the Canadian and American delegations are negotiating for a weak treaty which will:

• Ban some of the worst pesticides, as has already been done in developed countries;
• Allow the continued re-use of PCBs (and the resulting leakage); and
• Suggest end-of-pipe controls to try to capture dioxin as it goes up smoke stacks.

Environmentalists and some European countries argue for elimination by using alternative technologies to stop the industrial creation of these toxic by-products, rather than attempts to control emissions. Because dioxin is so persistent, the continual creation of new dioxin means a continual, global, problem with disposal of contaminated ash.

Tight emission standard proposed

Here in BC, the Council of Forest Industries has generously proposed a tight emission standard on any new power boilers built for aging coastal pulp mills. However, the catch is that there are not likely to be any more $100 million boilers built.

COFI further suggests that the two worst offenders, the Fletcher Challenge Canada mills at Elk Falls and Crofton, may halve their emissions by 2005 through some remedial work on the boilers, adding such "end-of-pipe" fixes as a wet electrostatic precipitator, which Elk Falls is in desperate need of due to other air quality problems. Under this scenario, the mills will still be major creators of dioxin.

Taking the logs out of the water, or making sure they don't soak up so much salt, would seem to be an obvious solution, but it doesn't appeal to the rest of the forest industry. It would require changes in the way they move logs and they don't want to incur the expense. In eastern Canada and the interior of BC, logs are no longer transported down the rivers due to the nasty impact on fish habitat.

Although the river drive has long been a heroic and romantic part of Canadian logging history, the industry changed and thrived. Even in Newfoundland and Labrador, logs are now moved by barge and off-loaded onto dry land sorts.

Coastal mills that continue to make dioxin from hog fuel include Fletcher Challenge Elk Falls, Fletcher Challenge Crofton, Harmac Pacific, Howe Sound P & P, Pacifica Port Alberni, Pacifica Powell River, Western Pulp Port Alice, and Western Pulp Squamish. The first two of these, the Fletcher Challenge mills, release the greatest amounts into the air.

It's time for BC log handlers to modernize and try some innovative changes, such as: more use of barges and cranes, less loss of logs from sloppy handling, speedy delivery, cut-on-demand, and computerized inventories.

It's time for BC's coastal pulp mills to stop poisoning paradise.

* For more information, contact: Peter Ronald, Campaign Coordinator, Georgia Strait Alliance, at (250)361-3621.

The Great Lakes Basin comprises the lakes, connecting channels, tributaries and ground water that drain throughout the international section of the St. Lawrence River. In February 1999, the United States and Canada asked the International Joint Commission (IJC) to undertake a study. The final report, Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes, was released in March 2000. The Council of Canadians immediately roundly criticized the IJC for failing to recommend that bulk exports of water be banned.¹

Even though the total area of the five great lakes is about 244,150 square km,² due to drought conditions in the watershed Lake Superior can fluctuate about 20-25 cm, while Lake Michigan and Lake Huron can vary up to half a metre in height.

On the average less than 1 percent of the water in the Great Lake system is renewed annually by precipitation, surface water runoff and inflow.³ Water is lost from the Great Lakes Basin principally from evaporation, diversion, irrigation and a small amount of bottled water. In 1967 an agreement was signed by the United States and Canada limiting the amount that can be diverted. Irrigation accounts for about 30 percent of water use from the Great Lakes and over 70 percent of that is lost from the Basin.

Proposals have been made to export fresh water by ocean tankers from the Great Lakes Basin. Entrepreneurs have also sought approval for bulk water exports from jurisdictions on both the east and west coasts. BC, Newfoundland and Quebec have moved to prohibit such bulk exports. The IJC feels that, while reports of water shortages will continue to keep the subject of bulk water transport alive, the cost of such shipments will make it unlikely that Great Lakes water will be taken to foreign markets.⁴

A Greek company has expressed interest in removing water from the Basin by towing large plastic or fabric bags filled with water. This technique has been used in Greece to supply water to their islands and to Cyprus at a very reasonable rate. While the IJC does not think it feasible in the Great Lakes Basin because of longer distances and higher transportation costs, it is one method of water transportation that bears watching.

Governments are acting to increase the cost of water to enhance its value and encourage water conservation. While this is commendable, one should not lose sight of the fact that, if water brings a higher price, then it probably brings a higher markup for the entrepreneur. That means that transportation costs will be a smaller proportion of the cost of water and many of the methods now deemed to be too expensive for transporting water may very well become viable.

How are we going to solve the riddle of shepherding our water resources in the presence of world demand for water? Are we to be involved in armed struggles about water supply, or are we going to find other solutions that will allow us to share at least part of our water with the rest of the world? No matter what the decision, we must bear in mind that we have less water than it appears on the surface.

Almost all our water stockpiled in lakes is "fossil water," deposited at the time of the last ice age and only a very small portion is renewable annually. We could accede to the entreaties of the world entrepreneurs and drain our lakes and aquifers or we can husband and manage our resources in such a manner that Canada will have sufficient water and still be able to share with other less fortunate countries.

¹ The Council of Canadians: Media Release, "International Joint Council Fails Canadians and Opens Door to Bulk Water Export ," March 15, 2000

² Canada Year Book: CD version, 1997. Statistics Canada

³ Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes: Final Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States. International Joint Commission, February 22,2000

⁴ Ibid.

In the few months since Guujaaw was elected president of the Council of the Haida Nation (CHN), the CHN has rallied unanimous support from the BC First Nations' Summit (the province's largest native organization), the First Nations' Congress, and the Assembly of First Nations (the national body for aboriginals in Canada) in its bid to prove aboriginal title on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

In January the CHN launched a court case against the province contesting the transfer of Tree Farm Licence 39, sold to Weyerhaeuser by MacMillan Bloedel in November. The CHN action prompted government to walk out of Interim Measures negotiations at the Treaty Talks. Guujaaw vows the CHN will not allow any resource issues to go unchecked during his term.

Of course, Guujaaw is not solely responsible for these developments, but many of his decisions could have a profound effect on the future of his people. It is, he acknowledges, a tremendous responsibility.

"Presidents and all elected people in the Haida Nation are not elevated into a position, they are lowered into position. The people direct the CHN, the CHN directs the president," he says. "I'd be happy doing other things, like getting out on the land more often, but we have to make sure we aren't the last generation to enjoy that birthright."

The CHN is continuing a litigious tradition dating back to 1979, when Guujaaw and Chief Gidkun (Nathan Young) went to court to challenge the renewal of TFL 24 in Gwaii Haanas. Although the court allowed the renewal to proceed, it also recognized the standing of native trappers and hunter-gatherers for the first time in Canada.

Guujaaw explains that the CHN is resorting to court in order to exhaust all peaceful and lawful means to resolve the land use and ownership dispute.

"I don't see court as the answer," he says, "just part of the process. TFL 39 makes up about half of the logging on these islands, it has the single greatest impact on the land, and the continual replacement of that licence could sound the death knell for the interior of Haida Gwaii," Guujaaw says. "We attempted to address this through negotiations, but the government still does not accept that we have a legitimate interest in what happens here."

The CHN contested the renewal of TFL 39 on the grounds that Haida title constitutes an encumbrance upon it. After proceedings in provincial court, the BC Court of Appeal and BC Supreme Court, the final word from the judiciary was that aboriginal title, if proven, does indeed amount to an encumbrance on the licence.

In order to deal with the decision's implications, government refuses to recognize Haida title. This tactic has led the Haida to the conclusion that negotiating within the current framework will not yield any meaningful settlement.

"If you can't talk about issues like the transfer of a licence," he argues, "opportunities are lost and there is little left to talk about."

Government negotiators had hinted throughout talks with the Haida that any court action on the part of the CHN might compromise discussions and force them to walk away from the table.

"They shouldn't behave like that; these discussions will have to take place sooner or later," Guujaaw says, "but if we're supposed to ignore the important issues in order to get agreement on the smaller matters--then we have to accept that they walked and live with that. It's not worth sitting there while these big issues pass us by."

The decision to go to court over TFL 39 a second time seems to set the stage for a third courtroom battle to come, one which promises to be the most significant yet--the case for Haida title on Haida Gwaii.

The title case has not been filed yet and the timing is important, but no more important than the case itself as its influence could extend well beyond the shores of Haida Gwaii. "A lot of people are depending upon us bringing this forward and winning it."

They are depending on the Haida because if the CHN can prove title, they believe government would become more accommodating in treaty negotiations. They look to the Haida because the strongest case for proof of aboriginal title in Canada can be made right here.

Late in 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada defined what aboriginal title is and how to prove it, in the Delgamuukw decision. The test for proof of title has two components: the land had to be occupied by the aboriginal people in question when the Crown declared sovereignty (1846 in BC), and the people had to have a substantial connection with the land.

The presence of numerous historical villages, huge numbers of culturally modified trees, merchant and naval ship logs documenting archeological sites, all contribute toward a compelling case proving Haida occupation of the land in 1846.

"We will win," predicts Guujaaw. "Cut and dried."

Aboriginal title as defined in Delgamuukw is not absolute. The court decided that neither Crown nor aboriginal title enjoy full or clear title to the land or resources. Each is subject to the other's interest. This means that even if the Haida prove title, it will not constitute complete ownership of the land. It's a compromise, but one Guujaaw feels is in the best interest of everyone concerned.

"The compromise is that we accept that we will make accommodation with Canada rather than the USA, Russia, or Japan--which are still options, and there are others--like decolonization," he says. "In doing this we negotiate the interface and co-existence within Canadian society."

Proving title will take time. And money. Cases of this magnitude often last 10 years or more, incurring some serious legal bills. Ten years may seem like a long time to wait, but compared to the status quo, Guujaaw thinks it holds more promise.

Taking the title case to court will not only silence interim measures talks, but it also effectively ends any possibility of negotiating a treaty in the mould of the Nisga'a deal.

"The province and the feds have been very deliberate in holding to a position that if there is litigation, they won't negotiate. So it's kind of a mantra with them now," Guujaaw explains. He believes government is maintaining this position because it wants to funnel First Nations into the treaty process without having to ever deal with aboriginal title. "Basically they don't want to see anybody holding title, they want to see us tied up in treaty negotiations."

It amounts to a simple dilemma: the only way to get title is to go to court and prove it, because government won't recognize it, but the only way to get a treaty is to stay out of court. It's one or the other, but not both. Guujaaw feels this is a mistaken approach to the question.

"If government wanted to do this honourably," he says, "title would be the basis for negotiations. If there was a forum outside of the courts to establish title there would be no need for this."

Treaty as it stands is no solution because it won't acknowledge title, and some of the assumptions associated with the treaty process aren't to the liking of the Haida Nation.

"The treaty process as it's set out now has preconditions laid out by the government," he says. "Things like selecting a small portion of your land and accepting a formula-driven cash component in exchange for title. With preconditions like that, there's no use even negotiating."

Can the CHN settle these issues in a fair and appropriate manner by proving title in court?

"It's not a matter of settling," Guujaaw says. "We're not asking the court to resolve any issues, only to clarify Canadian law and determine whether or not we fit their category of aboriginal title.

"With title in hand, real negotiations can begin. And the uncertainty, the bitterness, and the struggle over the land can finally come to an end.

"Governments are still getting their way, resources are still being depleted, lands are still being spoiled. It's not going to get easy all of a sudden, it's going to be hard to retrain them," he says.

In the face of the legal sway First Nations are beginning to enjoy, many other Islanders are understandably a little concerned by the ramifications that may be in store for them. Guujaaw appreciates this and the CHN has tried to maintain good relations.

"We want to see people comfortable and working together," he says. "All of the communities have exhibited the will to work together as one Island community, and the people who live here have got to be on the ground floor in designing a future as it relates to their lives. We cannot condemn our kids to conflict."

Guujaaw says recognition of Haida title should not be cause for concern among individuals living on the Islands. "The Supreme Court ruling says there is an inherent limit upon aboriginal use of the land. Even though the rights include economic use, it can only be to the extent that it doesn't affect aboriginal right, " he says. "In order to protect aboriginal rights you can't spoil the rivers or the lands or deplete the resources. Management of everything, including mining and logging, is possible, but only with those very careful considerations."

"We should be able to live here assured that there will be resources and a life. The problem today is a lot of uncertainty and discomfort from being in a place where we see life being depleted around us and the land getting poorer. It's discouraging to live like that," he says. "We have to turn it around."

* Excerpted from SpruceRoots January 2000. Contact: www.spruceroots.org

LETTERS - Our Readers Respond ...

Electricity. Energy. Power. The stuff without which our modern, convenient, western lifestyle would come crashing to a halt.

Canada's largest wind farm will be able to supply 16,000 households in Quebec.

Why was the spectre of Y2K so scary? Most of us did not fear the loss of data, so much as the loss of electricity to heat our homes, cook our food, and pump our water. In the western world, electricity has become a basic need, along with shelter, food, and clothing. Without it almost nothing in our electron-driven world would function, and unfortunately, the electricity most of us tap into is still generated at a high cost to the environment, whether through dammed rivers, nuclear energy, or the burning of coal, oil, and diesel.

It is strange and mysterious that with so many efficient and environmentally safe forms of energy available, we, as energy consumers, continue to accept the limited choices offered us by the power companies.

This summer I took a trip through the southwestern United States, and in the space of 24 hours saw two radical extremes in energy generation. In the sun-drenched desert of northern Arizona, a monstrous coal-burning energy plant loomed on the horizon. Less than a day later, in southern California, I saw rows of delicate windmills on the rolling landscape. Both serve the same function, but were worlds apart in terms of general aesthetics and environmental impact.
Energy use need not cause environmental degradation. For most geographic areas of the planet, there are safer energy generation alternatives available, and in recent years there has been a gradual shift toward using non-polluting energy to supply all our power needs. According to many experts, the wind, the sun, and the oceans could provide more than enough energy to power the world.

Harness the wind

In recent years worldwide use of wind energy has increased dramatically, and it's predicted that 10% of the earth's electricity could be derived from wind energy by 2020. Denmark, a leader in the wind energy industry, began its program in the early 1970s and now employs more people in the wind energy field than in the entire Danish fishing fleet.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association says Canada has far more wind energy potential than its current total use of electricity, and it's not unreasonable to expect this clean, non-polluting, renewable energy to supply up to 20% of our energy needs. Corresponding with the increase in the use of wind energy has been a drop in its cost over the past decade, from 30 cents per kilowatt hour to 5.8 cents, from some of the larger wind farms now in operation in Quebec and Alberta.

Across Canada, wind turbine systems are now in operation in Quebec, Ontario, the Yukon, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta. Leading this trend is the Axor Groupe, which created Canada's largest wind farm, Le Nordais, with 133 wind turbines, in the Gaspe region of Quebec. With the completion of this project, enough power will be generated to supply 16,000 households in Quebec. The last 77 turbines for the Le Nordais project came from a newly established assembly plant near Montreal. The ability for Canada to build its own equipment is an important step in building a Canadian wind energy industry, similar to that of Denmark.

In Toronto, the Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative (TREC) aims to install three turbines along the harbour. When the project is complete, investors will receive a return in the form of savings on their local utility bill when Ontario Hydro buys the wind energy from the cooperative.

Meanwhile, in Southwest Alberta, the Peigan Nation is moving ahead on the construction of a wind farm named Weather-Dancer Wind Power. The system will eventually supply all the power needs of the re- serve's 3000 residents, and could also sell power to the Alberta Power Pool and other interested First Nations across Canada and the United States.

Whether on a large or small scale, these projects are proving that there is both the will and the technology to harness the power of the wind.

Harness the ocean

Ocean-generated energy has huge potential as a renewable energy source.

Wave power is harnessed with a variety of technologies, including devices that produce power by bobbing up and down with the waves--harbour breakwaters, or prefabricated steel caissons.

Tidal power, on the other hand, is generated through the installation of a dam or tidal array (fence) system across an estuary or passage. The system uses a turbine to generate energy and can also be used on fast flowing rivers and streams.

Wave power was under serious development, with the support of the British government, until the program was cut in 1982. Now, however, efficient new designs and technological breakthroughs have reduced the average cost of wave power, making it 10 times cheaper than it was in 1982. With the British government committed to cutting carbon dioxide emissions by converting to at least 10% renewable energy by 2010, there is a good chance this technology will be a reality in the near future.

British interest in wave energy is not surprising, considering that the Atlantic waves that pound the British Isles give them one of the largest wave power resources in the world. Now at least 14 wave power generators are planned across the globe: nine in Europe, four in the Far East, one in the US, and one in India. Some experts believe that wave energy could eventually supply 10% of the world's energy needs.

Tidal power, though using different technology, has at least as much renewable energy potential.

According to Blue Energy Power Systems, in Vancouver BC, tidal power could become the most large-scale renewable energy technology in the world. Currently, two plants exist, one in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia and the other in France.

These systems use tidal dams to generate power. New technology, however, uses a fence-like structure that allows fish migration, silt transport, and marsh land flooding. The structure could also be used as a transportation corridor for automobiles and/or trains. Blue Energy will shortly begin a large demonstration project in the Philippines.

To give an example of the potential power of this energy, a five-to-eight-knot current has the energy generation potential of a 400 km wind. In some parts of the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, the current reaches up to 18 knots. You do the math.

Harness the sun

World-wide, solar power has grown by an average of 30% annually. Large solar plants, with a capacity ranging from 100 kw to 44 mw, exist on almost every continent, and include countries such as Australia, China, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the US, to name only a few.

At this time there are three types of solar energy available: photovoltaic, active and passive solar energy.

Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight into electricity and can be effectively used on roof tops even at northern latitudes. In the past, PV panels were not highly efficient, converting only 12% to 15% of sunlight into electricity. Now, however, laboratory prototypes are reaching 30% efficiency.

The potential for photovoltaic energy is exciting, because it is the only electricity source that can be generated in the urban environment, where most electricity is used.

Active solar systems use solar collectors and additional electricity to power pumps or fans to distribute the sun's energy, while passive solar heating and cooling make use of the steady supply of solar energy, using building designs that balance energy requirements with the building's location and window orientation.

While in the past solar energy systems tended to be used for individual residential or commercial uses, grid-connected photovoltaic systems are now being developed. EPCOR Utilities, with Howell-Mayhew Engineering of Edmonton, has created a research home which on sunny days produces too much electricity for the house, and so turns the meter backwards, feeding into the province's electricity system. At night this system supplies any additional electricity needed by the house. During an average year, 70% of the house's energy is solar. EPCOR has now installed another system on its downtown office building.

On Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the SunWater Project, sponsored by the Earth Festival Society and Taylor Munro Energy Systems, will install 100 solar water heaters in Comox Valley homes. SunWater will be one of the largest demonstrations of residential solar heaters in Canada, and the only one to use a batch solar heater, which is inexpensive and simply designed.

It is hoped that with the success of projects such as those mentioned above, the Canadian government and the public will find more ways to include solar energy as part of a national energy program.

It's noteworthy that the options for tapping into renewable energy sources, such as these listed above, and using the existing power supply system, are already in use.

Green power programs offer electricity from renewable energy sources, typically low- or zero-emission. The electricity is produced at commercial-scale facilities and put on the grid for customers who choose it, often at a small premium, as an alternative to the conventionally available power supply. Green power programs have been developed in many locations, including BC, Alberta, Ontario, the northeastern United States, California, and Colorado.

However, while this may be a start in the right direction, Canada still has a long way to go. According to the Worldwatch Institute's paper, Rising Sun, Gathering Winds, since the Kyoto Protocol, Canada still has one of the worst records of all the industrialized nations when it comes to promoting renewable energy sources.

Worldwatch argues that despite having huge renewable resources, monopoly power companies almost completely block renewables from the power grid. The only way to counteract this problem is through a strong national energy policy, with enforcement, penalties and incentive programs for alternative energy producers.

* Sources: Greenpeace Canada, Canadian Wind Energy Association, Solar Energy Society of Canada, Blue
Energy Canada, Inc., Canadian Renewable Energy Guide, New Scientist, Sunwind Solar Industries, Inc., Sandia National Laboratories, and Worldwatch International.

* Feature sponsored by Friends of Cortes Island Watershed Sentinel Development Fund

Greenpeace is telling fellow-shareholders of Royal Dutch Shell that investing in solar power is appealing, offering a long-term return of 15%. Greenpeace International purchased 500,000 Dutch Guilders of Royal Dutch Shell shares on the Amsterdam stock exchange (AEX) as part of a campaign to force the company to build a large-scale solar panel factory. Greenpeace will present the proposal for a mega-Solar Factory at the coming Shell Annual General meeting on May 9.

The proposal to fellow shareholders is possible due to a new directive on shareholder participation at the Amsterdam stock exchange, where any shareholder with an investment greater than 250.000 Euro has the right to send proposals, via AEX, to fellow shareholders.

A similar shareholder motion will be put to the BP-Amoco AGM in April, by a group of 100 British and American shareholders who want the company's Arctic exploration put on hold and the capital invested in solar manufacturing. BP has a solar subsidiary, Solarex.

Solar energy could become competitive in the short-term with conventional electricity, according to a report by business consultants and accountancy firm KPMG, commissioned by Greenpeace.

The KPMG report, Solar Energy: from Perennial Promise to Competitive Alternative, calculates that one large-scale solar PV factory, producing five million solar panels a year (equivalent to 250,000 homes, each with a two-kilowatt system) could reduce the cost of solar power by a factor of four, making it price competitive for domestic consumers.

The market for this production would equal 20% of new housing in the US, or, in the Netherlands, 2% of existing housing or all new housing.

KPMG calculated that the return on investment of a Mega Solar Factory would be 15%, more than Shell's average profit in oil and gas. To invest in solar power is to invest in a sound company in the long term.

Greenpeace will sell the shares immediately after the meeting.

* Greenpeace Int'l, Amsterdam, March 2000

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