A friend of mine was in Fort McMurray yesterday and sent me this picture. It was taken at the Fellowship Baptist Church on Franklin Avenue – the main street in Fort McMurray.
The death of the ducks in the Syncrude tailings pond reverberated around the world so it is not surprising that the good folk in Ft Mac are feeling a bit fragile these days.
At least the are not ducking the issue...or are they ;~)
Ken, With a set up like this you know I just have to sound off!
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty in the good books that the Baptist's revere to cast doubt on this ducks/ human heirarchy issue. But I won't go there,I'll leave that to those that specialize in theology.
The fragility IN FtMc is a valid concern and one that should be shared by all Albertans and most all Canadians... it is a most of our eggs in one basket kind of concern.
That said, my reaction is to get behind the needs for environmental responsibility/ stewardship/ innovation and reclaimation in the oilsands operations and boreal area to ensure that Ft. McMurray/ Alberta/ and the Boreal Forest are not left like the Sierra Nevada's were left after their mining boom.
For those of you not old enough to remember the 1850's ;-) the scars from the mining operations in the foothills and in the Sierra Mtns still can be seen today on the landscape... AND IT IS NOT PRETTY.
Much of the mining landscape has been naturally reclaimed, but it really does not take an expert to see the scars on the land or the persistent poverty in the area that were left after the 1850's boom.
There are notable exceptions, like Yosemite National Park, that was set aside after a concerted lobby effort made by knowledgeable and concerned citizens.... much like the efforts to set aside land area in the Boreal forest near Ft. Mc.
But setting aside this magnificant area, while essential, did not provide sufficient natural resilency to remove the maajority of mining scars from the landscape through natural processes.
Nor did the tourism or ski industry, that thrive on an international scale in the area, provide sufficient replacement economic base to support the local communities.
The social and economic decay that resulted from lack of care for the natural environment in the Sierra's was not positively addressed by the market; nor the government of california (we all know what free market radicals they are!!!).
It just was not realistically possible ,for over 150 years,for anyone to undo the damage resulting from incomplete mining reclaimation that was done to the underpinnings of the regional economy.
A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT IS NECESSARY FOR A HEALTHY ECONOMY.
The story of what was left of the local economy after that style of mining technology became obsolete/ non-economic...is enough to make more than the Baptists worry about what will happen after 'big oilsands'.
So (not saying this is so...just saying...) IF 'HE loves you more' than ducks, perhaps HE sacrificed the ducks to warn us to clean and care for our environment as we go.
The ducks and the outrage they caused might be a warning that we all (gov't, industry, ngo's, market players, and citizens) need to take better care of the foundations to all economies,= the Natural ENVIRONMENT.
greengirl
Excuse them for believing that a few ducks isn't that big a deal.
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