Bearing
Witness to the Oil Sands Project:
A
Tar Sands canoe trip on the Athabasca River from Ft McMurray (at the confluence
of the Clearwater and Athabasca Rivers) to Ft Chipewyan (on Lake Athabasca) August 5 –16, 2014
Purpose:
To bear witness to the impact on people, democracy, wildlife,
water, land and air of the Oil Sands development in northern Alberta by
traveling through the area by canoe, experiencing what is taking place and by
interviewing local residents.
To bring more awareness to the Albertan and Canadian
populations of what is happening through a variety of media: radio, film, photography, writing and public
presentations. While the organizer, Eli Pivnick, is doing much of the above,
the hope is that many of the participants will do so as well. This will be the
second year I am leading this trip. In 2013, there were 10 participants (artists, students, teachers, a
scientist, activists, and a musician) from all over Canada and the US including 4
Aboriginal and 3 Jewish paddlers; and a dog.
Who:
Organized by Eli Pivnick, PhD, former
research entomologist, wilderness guide, and high school teacher currently
living in Kamloops, BC.
Itinerary:
Where: Edmonton to Ft McMurray by car;
Ft McMurray to Ft Chipewyan by canoe; Ft Chipewyan to Ft McMurray by barge; Ft
McMurray to Edmonton by car.
When:
Tuesday August 5 – Saturday August 16
(12 days of which 7 days are paddling)
Note: The itinerary is always subject to change
depending on factors beyond our control.
Day 1. Drive
to Gregoire Lake campground south of Ft McMurray from Edmonton (5-6 h). Visit Ft McMurray and/or Ft McKay. Flight over tar sands in evening.
Day 2.
Drivers drop off paddlers, canoes and gear at the Snye in Ft McMurray;
then shuttle vehicles to Ft McKay. Return
to Ft McMurray to begin paddling.
Days 3-9 Continue
paddling to Ft Chipewyan: down Athabasca River,
Embarras Channel, side channel to Lake Mamawi and another channel to Ft
Chipewyan. (The channels are all through the Athabasca delta that forms the
lower part of the Athabasca River.) Approximately six hours per day of paddling allowing
enough time to visit people and photograph or film along the way.
Day 10 Visit Ft Chip
Day 11-12 Boat
back to Ft McMurray, Drive to Edmonton
Paddling
Information:
Paddling Distance: approx. 265 km
Issues: 1) Water: we will bring water and take more from
tributary streams in the latter half of trip.
2)
Fish: we will not eat fish from the river. Fishing in side streams is a
possibility.
3) Low water a possibility in delta: might slow travel.
4) Big lake travel: very little. Travel through sheltered bay of Lake
Athabasca; 5 km crossing of Lake Mamawi but this very shallow lake is not known
for big winds or waves.
5) Rapids: no rapids on trip
6) Swampy terrain. Camp in forest clearings or
sandbars. Camping less than ideal if water is high.
7) Mosquitoes:
there are lots especially once the sun goes down. Camping on sandbars minimizes
but does not eliminate the problem.
Skills
required for participation:
Good
physical condition, familiarity with camping and canoeing.
If
interested in participating in 2014 or if you just want more information: you are invited to contact Eli Pivnick, elipivnick@ymail.com
Costs:
No fee for coming on the trip, but you are
responsible for expenses including canoe rental (if necessary: estimate of $100
per person) and car pooling costs from Edmonton and back (estimate of $50
each), food (estimate of $200 each), and ferry south from Ft Chip (about $150).
You are also invited to contribute funds
for my film-making effort on and after this trip (let me know if you are
interested).
More
info:
2014 will be the second year of the project. This
year I plan to focus on, and interview people about the health of the fish in
the Athabasca River and west end of Lake Athabasca; and the bigger water
issues, which extend from the Rocky Mts in northern BC to the Mackenzie delta
in the NWT.
Also:
1. My diary
of the 2013 trip:
oilsandswitness.blogspot.com (THIS BLOG)
The diary is the entries from Sept 2013 entitled: “
Days 1-12 Tar Sands Canoe Trip”
2. See also
an article about the trip in the Ft McMurray newspaper in August 2013:
http://www.fortmacconnect.ca/2013/08/bearing-witness-of-the-oil-sands-project/
3. An article I wrote in the Vancouver Observer in
October 2013 (Photo is of Howard Satov,
one of the 2013 participants):
4. A letter
to the Editor of the Kamloops This Week newspaper on January 28, 2014:
http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/fletcher-needs-to-balance-his-oil-sands-pr-info/
For
more info:
Contact Eli
at elipivnick@ymail.com or 250-299-3007
