Ground Truth Trekking: Expeditions to explore environmental issues.
Environment and Conservation Issues
On this page, I'll discuss the environmental issues we'll be exploring on this
journey, from
salmon to
forests,
global warming, and
resource extraction.
Following is a brief, but non-exclusive list of the most critical issues this project will address.
Click on the picture or link to visit the page on each issue.
Wild Salmon: Salmon are a keystone of ecosystems and economies wherever they thrive, and the only species that ties together our entire route. Their unique lifestyle leaves them dependent on healthy ecosystems both at sea and on land, so preserving wild salmon requires preserving the life and landscape that supports them. Specific issues surrounding salmon vary widely along our route: dams and pavement in Washington; salmon farms in B.C.; logging in southeast Alaska; and the
potential for mining in Bristol Bay.
Forests: In the Tongass in Alaska, and the Great Bear in B.C., vast tracts of "forest" remain untouched. But the few remaining areas of productive lowland old-growth are dwindling fast. Too often, the public doesn't understand the key difference between the large numbers they see for "protected" or "unlogged" forest, and the much smaller number that represents the most important habitat. To bridge this gap we hope to communicate the profound differences between habitats that fall within the boundaries of "forests" during our travel through the Tongass and Chugach in Alaska and the Great Bear in B.C.
Global Warming: Climate change will affect the whole planet, but Alaska is a canary in the coal mine, warming much faster than the rest of the world. The shrinking glaciers of this coast are a very visible demonstration of warming, which will also affect the salmon, the forests, and everything else on this coast.
Resource Extraction (mining, oil, and gas) Mining is the worst polluter in the U.S. It's resources are non-renewable, but its pollutants stick around forever (longer even than the most slowly-decaying nuclear waste). Mining issues along our route include abandoned and polluting mines such as Britannia, outside of Vancouver, B.C. currently active and polluting mines, such as Greens Creek on Admiralty Island, and possible future mines such as
Pebble.
Mining is the most polluting industry in the country (
EPA Toxics Release Inventory). Major threats to water include acid mine drainage, cyanide spills, and heavy metal pollution. Fish are especially sensitive to heavy metals in the water (more than people). A recent study shows that
76% of the U.S. mines surveyed exceeded water quality standards, polluting rivers and groundwater.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
mine waste has contaminated more than 40 percent of the headwaters of western watersheds.