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magazine / so04
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September/October 2004 issue |
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Reverberations
The power of powwows
 I’d like
Drew Hayden Taylor ("Rhythm of nations," CG Jul/Aug 2004)
to know it’s not just First Nations people who feel the drums. After attending my First small
powwow on Vancouver Island last August, I am hooked. I have several CDs of powwow music and
listen to them more than other music right now. The primal rhythm of the drum and the voices
of the singers send shivers up my spine, as it must do to a lot of attendees. I am looking
forward to being another one of those "sunburned white people" at a powwow in the
near future.
Denise Lauzon
Duncan, B.C.
Soul company
"My year alone in the wilderness" (CG May/June 2004)
was a delightful article. With a touch of humour and without the barriers generally thrown
up when defending a personal choice, Bob Kull provided a glimpse into this amazing period in
his life. Only a few have been brave enough to be alone with the wondrous Earth and all it
has to put before us, with only their mind and soul as company.
Maja Laird
Edmonton
Reality check
Re "Cougar attack!" (CG May/June 2004). Every day,
people are killed and injured due to motor-vehicle accidents. We don’t put a bounty on vehicles,
limit the number of vehicles or refuse to go where vehicles might be encountered. Instead,
we learn how to drive defensively and teach our children the rules for behaviour when in areas
where vehicles abound. Still, car accidents happen on a daily basis. Deaths and injuries due
to encounters with wild animals are few. We have lost our perspective.
Sheila Couture
Jasper, Alta.
The comments made in the letter "Children before cougars" ("Reverberations," CG Jul/Aug
2004) are indicative of what is wrong with much of society today. The author wrote, "I
take great exception to the idea that the puma can and should be allowed to regain its
place in our society, thereby incorporating my family into the food chain." Does this
reader not understand that most creatures predate man’s presence by perhaps thousands of
years? It seems many people want to be able to experience the beauty of nature, such as
building in remote areas or constructing biking and hiking paths through forested areas.
But they also want to choose which parts of nature should live around their rural homes
and alongside those paths.
Mark A. Weaver
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
Your reader should sell his cottage and escape the dangers of the wild. He can buy something
close to a city, where the only danger to his children will be an attack by a pit bull or
Rottweiler (probably a better chance than from a bear or panther) or a pedophile no one knows
about yet.
Stu Logan
Ajax, Ont.
What’s next?
I can’t wait to buy your next issue to continue reading these Little Red Riding Hood instalments.
Let’s see, Bear Attack would be the next obvious story. What about a feature on a steak-knife-brandishing
human attacking a cow peacefully grazing in the pasture? Seriously, I think it is such a shame
that in the past two issues, your magazine has portrayed predators in snarling poses: "Cougar attack!" (CG May/June 2004) and "Witness to a wolf
attack" (CG Jul/Aug 2004). Your story says David Parker "turned
to run," and the cougar pounced. Most of us in cougar country on Vancouver Island know
that one never turns away and never runs from a cougar. In fact, only last year, one of our
biology field crew was lying on the ground at dawn doing bird surveys when a cougar approached
within several metres. She did all the correct things to prevent an attack: stood up quickly,
waved her arms, appeared big and shouted, and when the cougar still did not retreat, she picked
up a big stick and smashed it loudly on the ground, whereupon the cougar left. This was not
a snarling, vicious animal; this was a cougar attempting to determine if she was an easy meal.
She wasn’t, so the animal left.
Andrea Lawrence
Victoria
Looking to the future
"The road from Bathurst Inlet" (CG Mar/Apr 2004) seems to make light of the problems
facing Inuit in today’s world. Unemployment, youth suicide, dependency on social assistance
and the future of a fast-growing population are major issues facing the Inuit leadership.
These issues need to be addressed by providing long-term socio-economic development for our
people. Improvements in the socio-economic future for the Kitikmeot region and Nunavut can
come only through a combination of infrastructure improvements and developments in the mining
industry, such as will result from the Bathurst Inlet port and road project. Tourism and arts
and crafts, while a necessary part of the picture, will not provide the economic drive needed
to get things moving in our territory. You have only to look at the reports on the financial
status and future of Nunavut, prepared by groups such as The Conference Board of Canada, to
see where the future lies if we are to make some lasting improvements for our children. Both
infrastructure and mining developments can take place with minimum impact on the environment,
with proper planning and public involvement. There are several good examples in Northern Canada,
including the Polaris mine, the Lupin mine and the two new diamond projects, Ekati and Diavik.
Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, a solid environmental review is required for all
projects through the Nun-avut Impact Review Board (NIRB). This process is public, transparent
and equivalent to any Canadian Environmental Assessment Act review in the South. In your article,
I am accused of making a stop at Bathurst Inlet without making an effort to meet the people.
On that occasion, our pilots were running out of their legal duty time, so it was necessary
to leave as soon as the aircraft was refuelled. There also seems to be a feeling that there
has been a lack of communication and involvement of the people of Bathurst Inlet. This is
not correct. Residents of the community have been employed for our fieldwork, and a number
of meetings were held with members of the community in Cambridge Bay (December 2001), Bathurst
Inlet (July 2002) and Yellowknife (November 2002). Public meetings have been held in all Kitikmeot
communities. Since November 2002, Bathurst Inlet has also had a seat on our technical committee,
which manages the project. While Bathurst Inlet is the closest community to the project (40
kilometres) and its opinions will be considered, it is the Inuit of the Kitikmeot as a whole
who will benefit from this project, and they will make a decision on whether the project proceeds.
Charlie Lyall
President and CEO
Kitikmeot Corporation
Children before cougars
 I
read with growing uneasiness, the article "Cougar attack!" (CG May/June
2004) and was more than greatly annoyed when Stuart Kenn, president of the Ontario Puma
Foundation, used the phrase "rehabilitation of the puma." This sounds frighteningly
like the phrase "rehabilitation of the pedophile." At the risk of sounding like a
right-wing, lock-’em-up-and-throw-away-the-key kind of guy, which I am not, I take great exception
to the idea that the puma can and should be allowed to regain its place in our society, thereby
incorporating my family into the food chain. We own a cottage near Minden, Ont., and after
bear hunting was disallowed a few years back, it became a real issue to stroll down the beach,
let alone take a walk in the forest, because of the increased number of bears in our area.
Now, a bear is one thing — a cougar is another story completely. The latter stalk and,
apparently, are attracted to children. Nice. There was a rumour that one was sighted in the
Haliburton area last summer. I have a knife just like the one David Parker used to kill his
cougar. Is that enough? Do I need to buy one for my Five- and eight-year-old children? I am
fully aware that wildlife needs to be conserved and respected. I am also aware that most people
are unwilling to put their own lives at risk in the process.
Daniel Warren
Moffat, Ont.
I was dismayed by your cover. We live in a time of increasing urban sprawl and technology
use, when humans are becoming more disconnected from nature. A photograph of an angry cougar
with the title "Cougar attack!" serves only to create the feeling that nature is
something man needs to fear and conquer. Rather, nature should be something we respect, cherish
and understand our place in. Not surprisingly, your article goes on to say that the rise
in Cougar attacks is due to human activities like logging, recreation and hunting. Perhaps
a more appropriate title for your story would be "Humans attack, cougars defend!"
Stacy Hangemanole
Vancouver
We live on an island off the west coast of Vancouver Island, which is about a kilometre
and a half long and half a kilometre wide and is home to deer, eagles, ravens, otters, raccoons,
mink and much more. The occasional cougar swims over once every two years or so, and we feel
so gifted to be able to live in a part of the world where we can share this opportunity.
We have raised four children and a granddaughter on this island and throughout the wilderness
of Vancouver Island. They were taught to be always watchful and to take nothing for granted — that
a deer, cougar or raven could harm them as easily as a human could.
We never let the children out of our sight or proximity whenever we were camping or even
on the island when they were young. They were taught to walk with a stick, knife or spear
if there was any sign of a possible cougar or other predator around.
Although your article states that we shouldn’t feed raccoons or deer, as they attract cougars,
I feel safer with deer and raccoons around me because I know the cougars will be well fed
and not interested in me or my children, as is the case when they travel through here in
their search for food.
Fewer deer and the myriad logging roads throughout northern Vancouver Island are direct
causes of encounters between cougars and humans. The main reason for the loss of deer is
the massive clear-cutting of forests large enough to protect and house mammals. The small
trees left provide no protection or food for deer in winter.
Susanne Hare
Wickaninnish Island, B.C.
The range of the cougar appears to be changing. There have been sightings in my community
of Fort Smith, N.W.T., and reports of dogs disappearing from their leashes. As well, I recently
heard a radio report about cougar sightings in the Yellowknife area and as far north as Rae.
The explanations given for their presence this far north were encroachment on their southern
habitat and global warming, which has made it easier for them to range this far in the pursuit
of white-tailed deer, another species moving north of 60.
T. Wayne Fry
Fort Smith, N.W.T.
In June 2001, I was walking along a forest path to the shore at Lac des Arcs, just a few
kilometres from Canmore, Alta. The morning mist became heavier, so I decided to forget about
doing Tai Chi at the shore. As I turned around to return to the cabin, I saw a light brown
animal dash into the bush. I thought it might be a fox; it appeared about that size but very
fast. I stopped on the trail and said merrily, "Oh, what are you? I would love to see
you. You can show me." Through a leafy bush about two and a half metres away, I saw
a muscular tan leg. Then a head peeked between two branches, and I made careful eye contact.
Then, less cheerily, I said, "Oh, you’re a cougar. OK, I’m going to leave now." And
I backed up and turned slowly to retrace my steps, looking around every few seconds to see
if it was following me. Fortunately, it did not appear. Now that I know more about cougars,
I realize it was stalking me, so I consider myself extremely lucky. Perhaps I was saved because
it was not full-grown. I also appreciate having seen this gorgeous creature in the wild.
I wish human activity didn’t affect cougars so much.
Sharon Montgomery
Calgary
I do a lot of camping and hiking, often in bear country, sometimes in cougar country, and
I believe in being knowledgeable and prepared for most eventualities, so your sidebar about
safety in cougar country was important for me. I was surprised, however, that in the when-all-else-fails
scenario, there was no mention of bear spray. Instead, we were advised to Fight back "with
anything at hand." It seems to me that if pepper spray can deter a charging grizzly,
there might be some chance of its turning away an attacking cougar. Did the author not consider
pepper spray, or has it been tried and found wanting?
Stephen Ross
Ottawa
Pepper spray is meant to immobilize a charging animal. Since cougars often attack from
behind without warning, a knife is more likely to save your life. — Ed.
I’d like to relate something I saw last summer on the south shore of the Gaspé Peninsula
at New Carlisle, Que. Every morning, I got up early and walked along the beach in front of
my summer home, something I have been doing for as long as I can remember. Last summer, I
was surprised to see a number of deer tracks and then to hear from neighbours that one or
two deer had fallen from the cliffs and died.
At First, I assumed that the deer population must be increasing and, as a result, they were
coming out in search of food in gardens. However, when I went back to my woodlot by bicycle,
I saw deer tracks in the mud on the trail I was following. As well, I noticed what seemed
to be a large cat track. Unfortunately, I don’t have the tracking skills my dad did, but
it sure looked like the trail of a big cat stalking a deer.
I will be returning in July and will keep my eyes posted for more signs. Also, I think I
will take a small hunting knife with me. Dad never went into the woods without a twenty-two
or an axe. I appreciated the reminder of caution in your article.
Vivian Beebe-Moulins
Montréal
Man-made causes
Your article on low water levels in Lake Michigan-Huron and Georgian Bay ("High and
dry," CG May/June 2004) ignored important scientiFic research
which backs the position of the Georgian Bay Association (GBA) that changes to the outflow
of Lake Huron at the mouth of the St. Clair River are a contributing factor to the problem.
A recent study by W. F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers, a Firm used extensively by
the International Joint Commission (IJC), estimates that river and shoreline alterations
have resulted in a permanent loss of 50 centimetres from the Lake Michigan-Huron basin. Expert
hydrological staff with Environment Canada agree with the report’s conclusions.
The article also gives the erroneous impression that the GBA believes St. Clair River dredging
is the major reason for low water in Lake Michigan-Huron. In fact, we believe it is one of
several factors, which also include channel alterations, shoreline alterations in Lake Huron,
isostatic rebound, normal rain cycles and possibly climate change. We have focused on the
St. Clair River channel changes because we believe they are the one anthropogenic cause that
the IJC recognized a long time ago and issued an order for mitigation, which has not been
respected. The GBA will continue to pressure governments on both sides of the border to respect
the IJC order and to do something about one of the man-made causes of water loss in the middle
Great Lakes Basin.
John Pepperell
President, Georgian Bay Association
Your great summary of many of the factors affecting the Great Lakes levels does not give climate
variations the credit they are due. I have experienced the variations in Georgian Bay levels
since 1928 and have been in the water-resource management business for more than 50 years,
mostly working on Great Lakes problems. (I was director of Inland Waters, Ontario Region, and
Canadian chairman of the Lake Superior Board of Control, reporting to the International Joint
Commission.)
Three times in the past 100 years, the climate has caused the same concerns as we are hearing
today. We tend to think what we have experienced in the past few decades is normal, but the
records show that the supply of water to the entire Great Lakes Basin has been very much
above the long-term average.
Mother Nature is calling the shots on this problem, and the culprit is the climate. It affects
the supply to Lake Superior as well as Lake Michigan-Huron and Georgian Bay. Because these
lakes are so large, it takes several years for a climate trend to show, but that is what
is happening. It might be worse in the future as a result of climate change. On the other
hand, the trend over the past 100 years is for the wet periods to get wetter.
In the drought of the 1930s, my family learned where the rocks were the hard way, by bumping
over them. Our boat’s top speed was six miles per hour, and there was a sturdy steel bar
to protect the propeller. If moving the passengers onto the bow did not lift the stern free,
then one climbed over the stern and lifted the boat off. In the process, we learned not only
where the rocks were but, more important, where they were not. This knowledge is still useful.
Derek Foulds, P. Eng.
Port Perry, Ont.
Your article on water levels in the Great Lakes was fascinating and very informative — the
kind of article I look to Canadian Geographic to provide. I was, consequently, a bit dismayed
when I noticed an error in a sidebar. It asserts that Montréal handles more container-ship
trafFic than any other North American port. Montréal is, in fact, the thirteenth-ranked container
port in North America, handling 1.05 million units of containerized cargo in 2002, and the
second-ranked Canadian port, behind Vancouver, at 1.45 million units.
The side-by-side ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the biggest in North America, together
handling 10.6 million units in 2002.
It is safe to say that Montréal is the biggest container port in the Seaway/Great Lakes
system, but that isn’t saying much.
Richard Nelson
Toronto
Vicious circle
As a chemist with a 38-year employment history in the Canadian oil-and-gas industry, I read
about the advantages of producing ethanol from "agricultural wastes" ("Energy
Entrepreneurs," CG May/June 2004) with great interest. The
discussion of the Iogen process refers to the use of leftover wheat stalks, which "farmers
used to plow under or compost."
While I accept that greenhouse-gas emissions from combustion of ethanol/ gasoline blends
will be lower than those produced by combustion of gasoline alone, removal of organic matter — that
is, wheat straw or cornstalks — from the soil will leave the crop Fields increasingly
deFicient in nutrients. Crop growth will be sustained only by the application of increasing
amounts of fertilizer, which is, in turn, produced by industries consuming large amounts
of energy (e.g., mining, manufacturing and transportation) with corresponding large emissions
of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Overall, I would expect that there might even be
a net increase in greenhouse-gas emissions.
Bill Lewis
Mississauga, Ont.
Big is better
I was offended by your tacit approval of the Meatrix website ("Factory Farm Foes," CG May/June
2004) and its lack of understanding of what happens in so-called factory farms. The assumption
that all our protein production can occur on small farms and remain environmentally friendly
is a pipe dream. In order to comply with the environmental regulations in most provinces, a
large capital expenditure is required. To achieve this, production must be of a scale that
creates the opportunity for a proFit. It is time to move away from the misbegotten notion that
the small, independent family farm is capable of providing food for all of us. Specialization
is required, and without it, our standard of living will surely decline.
Lang Ellison
Westbank, B.C.
No freeway
I have just Finished reading "The road from Bathurst Inlet" ( CG Mar/Apr
2004) and
the reaction to it ("Reverberations," CG May/June 2004).
I believe that the whole truth should be given in both. Your article omitted to mention that
the ice road and the barge will be inactive during the spring and fall migration of the caribou
due to the breakup and ice-up on Contwoyto Lake. During these two periods, all trafFic will
be at a standstill.
You also need to clarify the issue regarding the calving grounds of the Bathurst caribou
herd. This herd is nomadic and does not use the same region for calving every year. For a
couple of years, it calved to the east of the inlet. The past two, it has calved well north
of the region through which the road will go.
When people hear about this project, the picture that springs to mind for them is something
familiar. This road will not be a six-lane highway with 30,000 vehicles per hour. It will
be a three-to-four-metre-wide dirt road with only the trucks that are needed on it. Maybe
20 trucks will use the road on a frequent basis. That is not 20 trucks per hour, not 20 trucks
per day, maybe not even 20 trucks per week. Furthermore, there won’t be any private trafFic
on the road. Remember, it is a road from a point where there are no people to another point
where there are no people. It does not go through or even close to any village and it does
not connect to the outside world.
The road will not be cut into the tundra but built on top of it with material from borrow
pits close to the road. Every wolf, wolverine and bear den along the road is known, as well
as every raptor nest and cultural site. These will not be disturbed.
To state that the people were not informed or asked for their opinions is just not true.
I have photographs of the people of Bathurst Inlet studying maps during consultations with
them. Several rounds of consultations were held with all the communities in the Kitikmeot.
I also take issue with the attitude of the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee (CARC). How
can they travel thousands of kilometres to Bathurst Inlet to hear what they want to hear
and say what they want to say but can’t travel 300 kilometres more to visit the proponents
of the project in Cambridge Bay? Tony Iacobelli of the World Wildlife Fund Canada met with
the proponents, and after some initial tense and terse beginnings, the meetings went on to
become very fruitful for both sides. We would rather have groups working with us to make
the project happen in the best possible way than to Fight each other and achieve nothing
constructive.
The people in the North are sick of the environmentalists who interfere from their cozy
living rooms in their luxury homes in the cities. Why do they have the audacity to tell Inuit
what to do? The Inuit still remember what happened three decades ago, when the emotion-driven,
anti-fur groups killed the fur trade in the North. Did the anti-fur lobbyists ever come up
North to see what happened to the people who made a meagre living out of fur before the ban?
Did they ever send a single cent to the North to help the people they robbed of their livelihood?
No, they did not.
I would advise these "concerned" Southerners to come and live in the North, not
for three days or three weeks in a luxury lodge. Come for two or three years, get to know
the people and their circumstances. See how they suffer without a future. Experience the
hopelessness of their situation. Grieve with a whole hamlet when it loses yet another young
adult to suicide. Then you tell me that the project should not go ahead, that the people
should not Find jobs and a future.
Remember, this project is driven by Inuit, for Inuit. There is no money going to foreign
investors. Do you think for one moment that Inuit will destroy the land and the animals that
are not only dear to them but also vital for their future? I don’t think so.
Sam de Beer
Research Director, Déline Uranium Team
Déline, N.W.T.
REVERBERATIONS ONLINE!
Walking the line
I have great concerns with the story “Walking The Line” by photographer J. Kevin Dunn ( CG March/April ’04). It is my opinion that this story portrays our communities and rail line in a very negative
image with words and phrases such as old, dying and trapped in a time warp coming to mind.
In the “Features” section on page 38 you use the words “abandoned rails of southern Saskatchewan"”.
This is out right false.
I am the General Manager of Great Western Railway (GWR). I have been part of this new company
since it’s inception in September of 2000. We are a private short line company presently owned
by a company out of Abbotsford, B.C. (Westcan Rail Ltd.). I have attached a map of our railway
for your reference. I was on maternity leave in the summer of 2002 so I never had a chance
to meet Mr. Dunn, but I think it is clear from his story that he never spoke to GWR. Yet, he
was walking along our VERY ACTIVE rail line. I will comment on the safety issues later in my
letter.
I believe it is essential that you understand why I am taking this personally, so I will give
you a little background on myself. I grew up in Shaunavon, one the communities the writer did
not include in his photographs. It is a thriving community and one of the major centers along
our railway. I left, like many other 18 year olds do, to the land of concrete and urban opportunity.
I Finished by B.A. and moved over seas to worlds that look, smell or sound nothing like Southwest
Saskatchewan. After 7 years of living in major cities in the world, I returned to my roots.
Mr. Dunn did get one comment right, “(this) is the kind of place where every kid should grow
up.” I am now 30 years old and managing a railway and enjoying every minute of rural Saskatchewan
life and it is a great place to raise our daughter. I thank the writer for noting this.
Canadian PaciFic Railway (CPR) did sell the 308 miles of track to the present owner to run
a railway and CPR is our partner. I take great issue with the comments and the slant of the
story that the writer took. He states on page 83, “…during a 400-kilometre walk along a largely
unused rail line.” Where did he get such a comment? Did he come and speak to our company? Did
you talk to the many people who use our line weekly? Just because CPR is not here does not
mean we are “unused”. We have shipped over 7000 cars in over 3 years of operating. The writer
also states on page 81, “I followed an outdated strip of railway”. I Find this comment out
right offensive. We are not outdated in any way or form. Will your readers think of all of
us who live here as “outdated”? This is my point on perception. This is very negative when
you are a railway offering a service to an entire area. A service that takes a huge amount
of stress off already over stressed taxpayer funded rural highways and roads. Our track is
safe, in good condition and most all we are very much needed as an essential service for Southwest
Saskatchewan.
The large grain companies that moved out of this area never took into consideration the cost
to the local people to move all the grain north, including roads, businesses, and basic economic
growth. GWR and our many supporters are showing that there is another way to move the grain
and it is not outdated — it is progressive and economical.
In fact, we run more trains a year now than CPR did in its Final years before selling the line.
We run weekly and CPR would run maybe half that much. We can service this area better than
the large Class one railway because we do not require a large amount of cars to make a train
run and we offer that personal service that these communities need. We are also open to new
ideas and easily adapt to changes. Large corporations do not have such advantages. Yes, some
grain companies have walked away from this area, but the grain is still here. The farmers have
a choice here unlike other areas where the rail line has been removed. We are one of the good
stories where the rail was saved.
There has been some elevators lost in the last 4 years, but I am very proud to say, that because
of our company there was 16 elevators saved, along with a large number of new loading facilities
developed. Some of these elevators are now locally owned businesses that are offering services
that would have been lost. This provides a competitive environment for the farmers - they have
a choice and do not have to be forced to move to the north and the large concrete terminals
that sit next the CPR’s main line.
We are the largest producer car shipping short line in Canada. We have 32 active loading locations
along a 308 mile track. This is an area that is progressive and working very hard to grow high
quality grain and cattle that many in the urban centers enjoy.
My friends in the cities, like Calgary and Vancouver often wonder how I can live here. What
a ridiculous statement. What they picture is a world with nothing left. I often wonder why.
Why do they think this way? It is my belief that stories like this one depict an old, dilapidated,
dying world. As he states, "In some towns, doors and windows are boarded up." This is very
negative and perception can be a very powerful tool. You may not see the connections to modern
day urban life, but they are here. Our company alone works with individuals and organizations
from all around Canada every day, planning train runs, working on provincial and federal issues
facing railways and grain transportation across our great country.
I agree that some of the communities along our railway are "ghost towns" but what about all
the ones that are not. Why is it that writers and photographers love the old barns, dilapidated
fences and towns that are no more?
On page 90 of his story he does mention Great Western Railway but he did not get the comments
quite right. The producers do not pay Great Western Railway directly but they do save money
in many ways, not just the trucking cost. My other comment here is the picture itself. It is
a great photo of a wonderful teenager and his classic old truck, but do you wonder how this
looks to those in the urban centers. You make it look like we are all “trapped in a time warp”.
Do you know that most of our area drives trucks, SUVs and cars that are brand new and some
trucks are worth as much as a foreign sports car?
One other concern I had was the safety issue. It is not safe to walk along railway tracks.
There is not only trains to be concerned with but also our maintenance staff in trucks that
run the track, hunters in hunting season that shoot across our tracks, and there is the horrible
scenario that an individual will be injured along a very remote area of the track and with
no one knowing they are out there. I do invite hikers, tourists, campers and Mr. Dunn back
to our rail line, but ask that they call our ofFice at 306-297-2777 to get clearance to walk
along our track. We will provide them with reflective vests and current train run and maintenance
staff plans. By contacting us we know who is on our property and we can make sure that they
and our staff are safe.
Trains are very important to modern day transportation. I am proud to say that this railway
will be sold by the end of this year to new owners who are part of the many communities that
we service. Our potential is only limited by the imaginations of the great people of the Southwest.
I invite all your readers to come and visit our very active railway. I truly hope that Mr.
Dunn will return and we can show him an even better adventure.
I do thank the writer for bringing just a small taste of our wonderful world to the readers
of your great magazine. This is a unique place in modern day where the history of bandings
and elevators are kept alive and the romance of the train whistle can be heard every week.
I stress that we are opting out of the decline of rural Saskatchewan. We are Finding a balance
between our traditions and modern conveniences and it is a wonderful way to live. We invite
anyone to come and enjoy the hospitality of our railway company and our communities.
Stacey Wallis, B.A.
General Manager
Great Western Railway
Shaunavon, S.K.
My best memories of my childhood were spent in Mankota with my Auntie Helen and Uncle Charlie.
Shopping at Kouri’s Market was a part of it. The last time I was in the store brought you
back, as if you were suspended in time. I believe Allan their son is still there managing
the family store.
For anyone who lived this life, this was a wonderful walk down memory lane. Well done!! I
shall save this edition.
Carla Weddell
Kamloops, B.C.
Ethanol hype
In “Gas from Grain-Energy Entrepreneurs” ( CG May/June 2004)
John DeMont does Canadians a disservice by vastly elevating the prospects for ethanol. Let
me make three points.
First, he correctly says that Canadian production is far behind Brazil and the United States.
But these countries are hardly exemplary. Owing to government subsidy cuts, Brazil has backtracked
on its output from sugar cane. According to americanrenewables.org,
over the 2002-03 crop year consumption was 190,000 billion barrels. That is barely 10 percent
of the amount of crude oil (almost all reFined for liquid fuel) consumed in that country (BP
Statistical Review 2003). Further, from a variety of sources, it is clear that, despite congressional
handouts that primarily help agribusinesses such as Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, not
farmers, ethanol contributes wwll under one percent of U.S. liquid fuels. Hardly sterling.
Second, he refuses to accept David Pimentel’s analysis over many years that ethanol is an energy
sink with negative net energy. DeMont prefers Natural Resources Canada consultant Don O’Connor’s
assertion: “He [Pimentel] just doesn’t do a very good job examining these numbers.” Now, I
would be more inclined to listen to a seasoned and respected researcher than a consultant who,
one suspects, like many consultants, tells his sponsor what the sponsor wants to hear. Even
if one wishes for a positive return on energy invested, scant comfort will come those who argue
for a positive return. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture can come up with a
very low amount — far below the dense fuel created ancient photosynthesis through plants
covering vast areas of shallow Silurian seas: one gallon from a hundred years. A society cannot
build its liquid-fuel needs on one year’s photosynthesis — unless we don’t want to eat.
Finally, in short, ethanol can hardly be more than a niche fuel. When oil, apparently about
to reach its peak of production, begins to run down, the result will likely be a much diminished
pace of human activity, which given our predilection for growth, will not be pleasant.
Dr. Jim Lemon
Professor Emeritus, Geography
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ont.
Agricultural residues destined for ethanol production are hardly "stuff that no one used
to care about" ( CG May/June 2004). Farmers have long
known that crop residues are crucial for maintenance of soil organic matter and fertility
and for erosion control. Frequent removal of biomaterials from any ecosystem, including agricultural
land, has signiFicant consequences. A balanced analysis of ethanol production from agricultural “waste” should
consider long-term sustainability and productivity of the soils that produce our food. Then
we may be ready to “see the light.”
Wayne Liebau
Fenwick, Ont.
I took great interest in your article on ethanol in Canada. The piece on David Pimentel
saying “Take the government subsidies out of it, and the whole thing would collapse” are
the truest words every spoken, in southern Ontario with the commercial alcohol plant in Chatham
us Canadian subsidy this plant 10 cent on every litre of ethanol that it produces, but also
while it is importing American corn,which is subsidized by the US government it is offering
Ontario corn producers 30 cents less for their corn than the corn that is imported from Michigan.
So actually the Canadian farmer is subsidizing the ethanol industry twice in Canada. Through
our taxes and the price we receive for our corn.
Chuck Guyitt
Ridgetown, Ont.
Polar Bears at the North Pole
Further to the letter from Chuck Harris (“Reverberations,” CG May/June ’04), Commanding
OfFicer of USS “Honolulu” reporting three polar bears on the ice where the submarine surfaced
some 800 kilometres from the North Pole (which works out to about latitude 83 degrees North).
On the three voyages I have made to the North Pole (90 degrees North latitude) aboard the Russian
nuclear-powered icebreaker “Yamal” in 1999, 2000 and 2003 respectively, we have regularly sighted
recent polar bear tracks on the pack ice up to 88 degrees North latitude (120 nautical miles
or 220 kilometres from the Pole). In the MillenniumYear 2000 a large pool of open water happened
to be at the Pole position and we found several seals swimming there. Though not close enough
to positively identify their species, they were thought to be ringed seals. Wherever there
is a combination of ice and seals, one can expect to Find polar bears, so we always take anti-bear
precautions at the Pole in the same way as anywhere else in the Arctic, even though we are
over 600 nautical miles (1,100 kilometres) from the nearest land.
There is a letter published in the Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America “Arctic”,
Volume 56, No. 3, September 2003, reporting a polar bear sighted on August 5, 2001, from the “Yamal” only
13 nautical miles (24 kilometres) from the North Pole, so I think it can be safely assumed
that polar bears can be found roaming all over the Arctic Ocean, the North Geographical Pole
included. The same letter to “Arctic” cites the presence of ringed seals at or near to the
North Pole in 1992, also sighted from “Yamal”.
Captain Patrick R.M.Toomey,
Canadian Coast Guard (Retired)
Kingston, Ont.
Great lakes
“Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior, but Lake Michigan-Huron.” (“High
and dry”, CG May/June ’04)
I understand that Lake Superior received its name from a French explorer who named it because
it was the “farthest” westernmost lake, and because it was the lake of the highest elevation — hence
its French name “Superior”. Upper Canada is upper because of its geographical elevation, Lower
Canada is of a lower elevation than Upper Canada.
Also, the Great Lakes are actually draining. The water flowing over the Niagara Falls is actually
the Great Lakes basin draining. Eventually all the water within the Great Lakes will drain
away into the St. Lawrance and into the sea. Perhaps the process is now visually veriFiable.
Maurice Rose
Ottawa, Ont.
For years we have been saying we’re losing water in Lakes Huron and Erie. No one has ever
mentioned the canal from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River!
The United Sates has been draining for years, at least three times the water than was agreed
upon by treaty many years ago. This has also allowed southern Fish life to come up into Michigan
and Huron.
I saw Gar Pike from Huron back in the late 1950’s! It could also be where the Lamprey Eels
came from.
Do you not think this needs investigation?
Gene Graham
Saltspring Island, B.C.
Marsh poetry
Never before have I read an article (“Spring between the tides”, CG May/June ’04)
of prose that so accurately conjures up my memories as a boy growing up in the country. Harry
Thurston poetically describes the absolute wonder of spring. And, as I now live in the hustle
and bustle of the city, never has an article calmed me more. Wonderful.
Mike Duncan
Toronto, Ont.
Eco-nuts
Evidently it is not enough that I must protect my eight-year-old daughter from the influence
of TV, the internet, and newspapers. Now I must protect her from the likes of Canadian
Geographic as well.
Your sad rag appears to provide a voice for every enviro and eco-nut on the planet. Every problem
faced by every creature, desert, wetland, forest…is linked to “uncaring” human behavior.
What a crock. The latest episode {on the cougar} (“Cougar attack,” CG May/June ’04)
is just one of an endless series of diatribes against our every action. As usual, there is
no supporting evidence to prove the case.
Allow me to point out that the areas that involve most Cougar attacks are places we have inhabited
for 100 or more years. So how can “encroachment” be blamed for a rise in attacks? On the one
hand we are encouraged to get off our couches and hike and walk for our health, and to explore
the wild beauty around us. On the other hand, these econuts don’t want the public to wander
into their private reserves on public land. Who are these people that only they should have
access to the wild country?
My family lives in an area inhabited by cougar. It doesn’t bother us as long as the cougar
keeps to his own. When he doesn’t, the sound of gunFire after dark resolves the problem without
the expenditure of millions of tax dollars and without the arrogant lecturing of the “privileged
class.”
Dale Stavroff
Robert’s Creek, B.C.
Shark poison
Wayne Grady’s article on Greenland sharks ( CG March/April ’04) was very interesting,
but there was some confusion in his discussion of the poisonous flesh of this species. Grady
uses the terms ammonia and urea interchangeably. In fact, the two are distinct (albeit related)
chemical compounds that are produced as byproducts of protein metabolism. Ammonia is far more
toxic than urea; only aquatic animals such as Fishes excrete it to any signiFicant extent because
large amounts of water are required to rapidly flush it away from the gills. Urea, on the other
hand, can be accumulated in greater amounts in the body before being excreted due to its relatively
low toxicity, thus reducing water demand and making it the "favoured" waste in mammals
(birds and reptiles excrete uric acid, which is even less toxic and needs less water for excretion).
Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are unusual among aquatic animals in that
they primarily excrete urea, but this is because they retain high levels of urea in their body
to help regulate water balance. Thus, the large amount of urea in the Greenland shark has less
to do with its polar habitat than with the fact that it is a shark.
That said, Elasmobranchs do contain high levels of methylamines such as trimethylamine
oxide (TMAO) to counteract the perturbing effect of urea on proteins, and a breakdown product
of TMAO has been implicated in poisoning following consumption of Greenland shark flesh. As
Grady states, however, this is only a theory and questions remain. Other commonly eaten sharks,
for example, have amounts of TMAO in their flesh similar to that found in Greenland sharks
yet apparently do not cause poisoning. It may be that only excessive consumption of Greenland
shark flesh is the cause of the poisoning, in which case I reckon we have little to worry about
given the gastronomical potential of h´karl. (Incidentally, although Greenland sharks are closely
related to the dogFishes of the family Squalidae, they actually belong to the family Dalatiidae,
a group of mostly deep-water sharks that are commonly and confusingly called dogFishes.)
Ben Speers-Roesch
Department of Zoology
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ont.
Bathurst Inlet Port & Road
I grew up and was raised in Bathurst Inlet (“Bathhurst Inlet,” CG March/April ’04)
area until I went to school and continued to live there until I moved to another community.
Why are people like Senator Adams and Charlie Lyall telling people what to do; or do they realize
that they are still treating Inuit the way it has been for the past century? Can they imagine
how they would feel if someone just up and told them that this project is good for them even
though it is going to disrupt their whole way of living and survival? It is a good idea for
people who do not actually live there and do not see the consequences it is going to have on
the people of the area and their way of life now and in the future. Having to live in a community
that has all the services that connects you to the south is great; but there are consequences
that the people of Bathurst Inlet/Bay Chimo do not have to live with daily: ie: liquor/drugs/suicides/mental
health problems that come with growing communities and will be irreversible once the project
is complete. The job/money is great for a short time, but our land is precious and cannot be
put back the way it was after it has been uprooted and used, as we are one of the lucky people
in the world who actually have our fresh air and water. It will have a devasting affect on
the migration route of the caribou herd which the people of the area depend on, rivers and
ocean may not as be clean after the road is done (pollution of air/gas/fuel/fumes from trucks
and ships) is going to affect the wildlife (ie: Fish/fowl/small game/caribou) and may disrupt
burial sites and heritage sites that have been there for years.
Martina Maniyogina
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Reading the river
This interesting story reminded me of a technical paper “THE EDMONTON WATERWORKS DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM” dated 1939.
After flowing some 315 miles from the Saskatchewan Glacier, some of the water of the North
Saskatchewan River enters the intakes of the City of Edmonton Waterworks System and progresses
through a modern treatment plant to serve a city whose population was approaching 90,000. The
river with its headwaters in the mountains is fed largely by glaciers, the biggest of which
is the Saskatchewan. During the peak months of the years 1916-21, on arriving in Edmonton,
was composed of almost 60% glacial water. Percentage glacial flow was assumed that all water
passing the hydrometric station at Saunders, which is at the gap leaving the last mountain
range, was of glacial origin.
I had been on the survey for the location survey of the Banff-Jasper Highway in 1935 below
the glacier and visited again in 1945 in 1970 and 1990 and the retreat of the glacier was very
noticeable. The population of Edmonton has now reached one million.
Charles K. Hurst P. Eng
Chief Engineer, Canada Public Works, Retired
Ottawa, Ont.
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* Letters may be edited for length, accuracy and liability.
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