Get the Shell Out!!

There are many ways to approach this topic. One can write from the perspective of the first nation people fighting for the survival of their land and way of life. Another can write about it from behind a solid oak desk on the 72nd floor of Shell Canada's headquarters in Calgary. Another can write it strictly from an environmental and conservation perspective. The list goes on...

I'm writing about this the only way I can, from the perspective of a global citizen concerned about sustainable livelihoods. First, let's look at what it is I'm so vaguely talking about.

First,



Second, here's a bit more background.

In 2004, the B.C. Government awarded mineral rights to Shell Canada Ltd. for the Klappan methane reserve, estimated at eight trillion cubic feet. Shell's proposed development occurs among the small tributaries that give rise to the great salmon systems of the Nass, Stikine, and Skeena rivers, a place in the Klappan Valley the Tahltan people call the "Sacred Headwaters"

Shell's plans threaten to transform wilderness into an industrial landscape. Shannon MacPhail, a fourth-generation Kispiox Valley resident and spokeswoman for the coalition of citizens concerned about coal-bed methane, says "They're planning to drill a thousand-plus wells; it would totally industrialize the landscape and there would be 30 or 40 technical jobs for non-locals. It doesn't make any sense no matter how you look at it from an environmental, social, or community perspective. Nobody benefits but the company" (Source: Andrew Findlay, 2007).

Friday I attended a rally to support the blockaders in Iskut that you saw in the video. There was a court decision that day that basically declared they wouldn't be going to prison for "disrupting the peace". It was so inspiring to hear these Tahltan elders speak about their fight against Shell and I have to admit that some parts gave me real chills.

The purpose of this entry isn't to talk about how this rally made me feel, it's about how this cause makes you feel. I urge everyone who reads this to take just 5 minutes to visit the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition and if you're a "facebooker", to join the group.

Whatever lens you're employing, it shouldn't matter because this is a global issue and whether you want to believe it or not, you'll be as affected by this as will any bear, salmon or Tahltan.