Sacred Headwaters

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Sacred Headwaters (Brian Huntington photo)
Sacred Headwaters (Brian Huntington photo)
Map showing British Columbia's Sacred Headwaters, the source of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers
Map showing British Columbia's Sacred Headwaters, the source of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers

The Sacred Headwaters is the name given to a subalpine basin in northern British Columbia that is the shared birthplace of three of Canada's greatest wild salmon rivers: the Skeena River, Nass River and Stikine River. It is also referred to as the Klappan Valley, although the Klappan -- a tributary of the Stikine River -- is only one of the area's watersheds. Local Tahltan people call the area "Klabona", which is loosely translated as "headwaters."

Robust populations of grizzly bears, stone sheep and caribou call the Sacred Headwaters home, interacting in predator-prey relationships that are millennia old. Skeena wild salmon swim over 400 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the upper reaches of the river.

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[edit] Industrial Development

The Sacred Headwaters is also rich in mineral and energy resources, particularly coal and coalbed methane. Several industrial development projects are planned for the area, including Fortune Minerals' open-pit Klappan Coal mine [1] and Royal Dutch Shell's Klappan Coalbed Methane project [2].

[edit] Shell's Klappan Coalbed Methane Project

The most controversial development proposal for the Sacred Headwaters is Shell's proposal for coalbed methane development. In 2004, the BC government granted Shell Canada (since 2007 a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) a 400,000-hectare tenure for coalbed methane development. This tenure includes the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers. It is accessed by road via the abondoned BC Rail grade, which intersects Highway 37 just south of Iskut, BC.

As of Summer 2008, Shell's project is in the exploration phase. Shell drilled three exploratory wells in 2004 and is preparing to drill an additional 14 wells in 2008, 8 of which are proposed for the headwaters of the Skeena River.

If developed, shell's project will entail a network of gas wells connected by roads and pipelines, as well as a pipeline to deliver the gas to market. Shell has disclosed neither how many wells will be necessary to make the project economically viable nor route options for the delivery pipeline.

[edit] Scientific Research

  • The Fort St. James Land and Resource Management Plan describes high habitat values for woodland caribou, as well as significant populations of grizzly bears, wolves, goats in the Groundhog Resource Management Zone (which overlaps with the Sacred Headwaters basin).[3]
The estimated potential CBM of 8 Tcf is calculated using a conservative gas content value of 5cc/g. The resource assessment is restricted to the area of Currier Formation outcrop within the coalfields. Coal outcrops outside this area but usually in thin and widely scattered seams.[4]
  • The Pembina Institute has released a study and fact sheet on the potential impacts of Shell's coalbed methane project on wild salmon, calling it a "risky experiment." The Institute points to increased sedimentation as a result of land disturbance and changes in river volume as a result of water being removed from the groundwater aquifer:
Commercial coalbed methane production has never before been attempted in salmon-bearing watersheds. According to the new report, Coalbed Methane and Salmon: Assessing the Risks, a CBM project in the Headwaters would be a risky experiment.[5]
Plans for development of coal-bed methane (CBM) resources pose a substantial concern for salmon spawning and rearing habitats due to potential effects on water quality and flow. A region of 412,000 hectares in the headwaters of the Skeena, Stikine, Klappan, Spatzizi, Nass and Bell-Irving watersheds has been licensed to Shell Canada Ltd for coal-bed methane production. These headwaters are underlain by the Klappan and Groundhog coalfields (Figure 21). Coho, sockeye, Chinook, steelhead, rainbow trout, bull trout, Dolly Varden char, and mountain whitefish are present in most of the Shell tenure area. (p.64)[6]

[edit] Significant Events

[edit] 2004-2005

  • In June 2004, Shell signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Tahltan Central Council, the Chief of the Tahltan Band and the Chief of the Iskut First Nation, for coalbed methane development in the Sacred Headwaters (Klappan).
  • The Government of British Columbia grants Shell tenure, or specific rights to the minerals in an area, for coalbed methane in the Sacred Headwaters (Klappan).
  • In the winter of 2004, Shell drills three exploration wells, which detect the presence of coalbed methane gas. The company also conducts a seismic survey over an 84-kilometre stretch of existing railway bed.
  • In the spring of 2005, Shell is evicted from the area by elders of the Tahltan Nation based in Iskut.
  • First Nations from across Northwest BC gather at Kitsumkalum Hall in Terrace, British Columbia for the first Sacred Headwaters Gathering. They release a declaration of solidarity in the face of development that threatens their lands and waters of their territories.

[edit] 2006

  • Shell cancels its 2006 drilling program in response to opposition.
  • First Nations from across Northwest BC come together in Iskut for the second Sacred Headwaters Gathering. The event features a mixing-of-the-waters ceremony in an alpine meadow in the Sacred Headwaters, in which First Nations elders mix water from the the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers.

[edit] 2007

  • In April 2007, Royal Dutch Shell announces that Shell Canada's shareholders have accepted the parent company's takeover offer. Shell Canada becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell.
  • Tahltan elders from Iskut and Telegraph Creek blockade Shell's road access to the area. Shell seeks a court injunction that would allow them to have the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest the blockaders, but is ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining such an injunction. Shell's crews manage to access the area and begin road repairs.
  • On August 31, 2007, Rallies are held across British Columbia, including one outside the Vancouver courthouse where Tahltan blockaders and Shell are scheduled to appear at an injunction hearing. Renowned Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki speaks at the rally.
  • Shell crews spend the winter repairing numerous washouts along the length of the access road into the Sacred Headwaters.

[edit] 2008

  • The Chiefs of the Gitxsan Nation, located downstream in the Skeena watershed, call for the immediate suspension of coalbed methane exploration in the Sacred Headwaters [67=x-66-11688 May 19, 2008 news release].
  • In May 2008, over 400 concerned citizens from the three affected watersheds gather in Hazelton for the Sacred Headwaters Summit. The event features ecologist Jack Stanford, the Pembina Institute and various other presentations. Attendees pledge to stand together to stop Shell's project.[7]
  • Also in may, concerned citizens from British Columbia travel to Shell's Annual General Meeting in the Hague to protest the company's activities in the Sacred Headwaters.[8]
  • Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, Nathan Cullen formally opposes Shell's project, as do North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA Robin Austin. A poll conducted by Cullen shows twice as many opponents to Shell's coalbed methane as supporters.
  • Shell announces it is postponing its spring drilling plans until fall 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Klappan Coal mine.
  2. ^ Klappan Coalbed Methane project.
  3. ^ Fort St. James Land and Resource Management Plan, BC Integrated Land Management Bureau, 1999.
  4. ^ A Summary of Coalbed Methane Potential in British Columbia, Barry Ryan, BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, British Columbia (no date).
  5. ^ Fact Sheet, Coalbed Methane and Salmon, Pembina Institute, 2008.
  6. ^ Report of the Skeena Independent Science Review Panel, Submitted to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the BC Ministry of Environment, May 15, 2008.
  7. ^ "Coalbed methane foes pack heated meeting", Prince Rupert Daily News, May 28, 2008
  8. ^ "Shell shareholders warned about coalbed plant risks", The Vancouver Province, May 22, 2008.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Related Links