Don,
The Alberta tar sands have been called the "Saudi Arabia" of oil
deposits in North America. With some saying we are approaching peak oil,
development of those tar sands will only increase with the resulting
massive destruction of the environment there. If we can get Iraqi
production up from 2 million barrels/day to 6 million barrels/day, we
can delay peak oil for another decade or two. But the real game is in
central Asia in the fight for "Pipelineistan" -
http://original.antiwar.com/hallinan/2009/07/16/blood-and-oil-in-central
-asia/
Of course if we had a real energy policy that would reduce our
dependence on foreign oil, that would be a big help.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of DON BERTOLETTE
Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 3:38 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Scattered ENTS
I just wanted to add another item to the narrative
below. One of the themes of the movie on water last night was, as we are
wont to say about food (we are what we eat), was "you are your
water"...the First Nation inhabitants have for generations taken in
water where they were, without a thought of pollution...thinking nothing
of dipping a cup in their rivers and lakes and drinking freely.
As I think about drinking out natural water sources in
my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains, or the Rockies, it is with pain
(considerations of urgency with thoughts of range and trajectory come to
mind) that 'we are our water'. I drank freely out of a Sierra Cup
(designed to be snugged in under ones' belt, so that one could easily
dip into trailside stream crossings, through all of the 60's and most of
the 70's before encountering Giardiasis.
These are I know, small considerations in the big scheme
of things (Ohioans having to suppress fire on the Cuyahoga River (sp?)
just a few decades ago, other such industrial calamities). How long
before we get back to dipping our cups into natural water sources,
without concern for our health, before 'we are our water' again?
-Don
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Scattered ENTS
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:58:39 +0000
Gary-
Having travelled for about 24 hours, then slept for 12,
I'm just now becoming aware of my surroundings in any meaningful way
(did find an excellent pub with nice array of taps nearby!).
Northwest Territory (NWT), once larger is still sizable
with 1,171,918 square kilometers (these numbers are large enough to not
be meaningful to most of us, but for US standards, this would be 452,480
square miles). Its capital is Yellowknife, an area once inhabited by the
Dine (Athabascan) although without permanence until gold was discovered
some 75 years ago. Since then it has grown to I believe around 16,000
with a surprising vigor, numerous skyscrapers visible on approach (from
7 to 12 story relatively new structures). This year there are 600 plus
more folks, with the arrival of the International Congress of
Circumpolar Health, for which we are here (Rhonda is one of several
keynote speakers).
Back to limnology...the largest lake in NWT is the Great
Bear Lake (and fourth largest in the Americas, at 31,328 square
kilometers, or 12,095 square miles) followed by Great Slave Lake which
graces Yellowknife with its wonderful views, with 28,568 square
kilometers (11,030 square miles). The deepest lake in Canad, Great Slave
Lake is 614 meters deep (or 2,020 feet).
Not content with holding water, the Mackenzie River
passes through NWT on its way from Alberta to the Arctic Ocean and at
1,800 kilometers (or 1060 miles) is the longest river in Canada, the
second longest river in North America, and the third largest in the
world. And one more superlative for Bob's memory bank. Virginia Falls,
at 90 meters (or 300 feet), is more than twice the height of Niagra
Falls.
Okay, enough quantitative data you must be saying by
now...having gone to a showing last night, of a movie documentary of
water and its importance to the First Nation (analogous to Native
Alaskans, Native Americans). The purity of water to those that live a
subsistence lifestyle (we would say, 'live off the land') is critical.
Their water is their life, as it brings the abundance that allows them
to live generation to generation.
That abundance is being threatened, upstream on the
MacKenzie River as it passes through Alberta's burgeoning tar sands/oil
production industry. The First Nation has excellent leaders in their
midst, a unity of the people and growing power in the larger scheme of
things, but as everywhere, the industrial objectives have little concern
for the people, unless it affects their prodigious bottom line. So the
battle is set and goes on as we speak.
About the only other limnological item I can attest to
is from the approach to the airport and the drive to town. Numerous
small lakes abound in the area, it would seem as the result of glacial
scouring of the Canadian shield, which makes itself apparent wherever
not covered by what I'm currently identifying as Black Spruce (65 mph
assesment to be verified later today). I can suggest that the balance of
bugs and fish in this area seem to be in balance...certainly there's an
abundance of black flies and mosquitos, although not bad here in the
city. Photos of 35 pound lake trout in the local paper didn't seem out
of the ordinary, perhaps as a result of a catch and release regulation
over a certain size. I did meet two Texans at the brewpub that had been
fishing and said the largest catch of the day was a 50 plus pounder.
Just as well that they're released as 10 pounders are preferred for
eating...arctic char, usually smoked, appear on many menus.
I'm attaching a few photos taken from near our hotel, of
the general countryside. I expect to gather more information and will
relay what I find in the disciplines of limnology and "limBology".
-Don
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Scattered ENTS
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:37:11 -0400
Don,
As a limnologist and limBnologist
I have an interest in the lake and the surrounding
forest. Can you give us a synopsis of both? I have often wondered
about Great Slave Lake. Very cool that you are there. Any Aurora?
Gary
Prof. Gary A. Beluzo
Systems Ecologist
Holyoke Comm College
303 Homestead Ave
Holyoke, MA. 01040
On Jul 12, 2009, at 12:41 AM, DON BERTOLETTE
<[email protected]> wrote:
Ed-
And this ENT/WNT is posting from Yellowknife, Northwest
Territory, Canada (about 62.5 Degrees Latitude), looking out over Great
Slave Lake!
-Don
From: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
To: <mailto:[email protected]>
[email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Scattered ENTS
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:21:02 -0400
ENTS,
Your fellows are scattered in the wind in various
places. I wanted to give a brief update.
James Parton is alive and well, I heard from him the
other day. He sent me a post about poke salad/ aka pokeberry the other
day. he says he is not gone and has some chestnut posts forthcoming.
Roman Dial had been travelling on an extended world tour
through Australia and Africa among others. I had been following his
journey on Facebook. But he closed his account and dropped off the
radar for awhile. He has been doing more pack rafting than canopy
research lately he says. I sent him Don Bertolette's email up there in
Alaska. maybe we will have another Alaskan WNTS person. He has a new
video on YouTube on Hiking in to Alaska's Honolulu Creek and pack
rafting down. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu-j_DD-3hg>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu-j_DD-3hg There is a series of his
videos on YouTube. He has a new book out: (
<http://www.amazon.com/PACKRAFTING-Introduction-How-Guide-Roman/dp/09748
18836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247259372&sr=1-1>
http://www.amazon.com/PACKRAFTING-Introduction-How-Guide-Roman/dp/097481
8836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247259372&sr=1-1 ) entitled:
PACKRAFTING! An Introduction and How-To Guide (Paperback).
Neil Pederson is in Mongolia. You can read about his
trip on a short Blog (read the ones that say Neil wrote it).The latest
is dated July 10 2009: You've come a long way (baby)/Whiffs of the
ADKs/Where is my Mongolia
<http://isgolia.blogspot.com/2009/07/youve-come-long-way-babywhiffs-of.h
tml> For those of you on Facebook, there are some updates periodically
on his wall. On Picasaweb he has a gallery of photos from his flight
across the north pole to China on the way to Mongolia here:
<http://picasaweb.google.com/mockernut/FlightToBeijingViaGreenlandTheNor
thPole?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_xzYvOvtilxQE&feat=directlink>
http://picasaweb.google.com/mockernut/FlightToBeijingViaGreenlandTheNort
hPole?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_xzYvOvtilxQE&feat=directlink#
Ed Frank
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the
mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and all science." -
Albert Einstein
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