Media Contact: Don van Hout

This weekend, the Pembina Institute will unveil a two-month canoeing, hiking and mountaineering expedition traversing the entire 1,538 kilometre length of the Athabasca River to raise awareness about threats to the river and its watershed.

The Athabasca River Expedition: Connecting the Drops celebrates a world-class river that's facing world-scale threats from oil sands development and climate change. The official announcement of the expedition will be made this Saturday, June 2 in Athabasca, Alberta at a conference that for the first time brings together scientists, local communities, government and citizens concerned about the river.

"A number of recent polls have shown that Albertans are worried about how the pace and the scale of oil sands development are undermining the environment and communities in Alberta's North," says Don Van Hout, Expedition Leader. "Through our trip down the Athabasca, we really want to give voice to the people who live along the river and to share their stories and concerns - with Albertans, the online community, and our politicians."   

Stories, photographs and regular "water logs" will be broadcast on a new website, www.connectingthedrops.ca. The stories will be delivered to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach at the conclusion of the trip in August.  

"The Athabasca River is severely threatened by the fast pace of industrial development and climate change," says Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute. "It's time the Alberta Government implemented a plan to protect this watershed - an essential water source for Albertans and an iconic symbol of Canadian wilderness."

The expedition members will start their journey on June 19, 2007 with a mountaineering trip to the glacial source of the Athabasca River at the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park. Their descent from the icefield will be followed by a hike to the Athabasca headwaters and then a four- to five-week canoeing expedition that will reach the braided splendor of the Peace-Athabasca Delta in August.

Along the way, the expedition will raise awareness about one of Canada's most historic and significant watersheds - from glaciers and boreal forest threatened by global climate change, to rapidly expanding oil sands developments, to one of the largest inland freshwater deltas in the world.

"The expedition is a unique opportunity to show the beauty of the Athabasca, to share the stories and concerns of its communities, and to raise awareness about the very serious threats it faces," adds Don van Hout. "We hope that Premier Stelmach's government will take advantage of the opportunity to listen to Albertans' concerns about this tremendous river - and take action."

For more information:  

Don Van Hout, Expedition Leader
403-390-1220

Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director
403-607-9427

Journalists are invited to join us for sections of the trip or meet with us at planned stops along the river for interviews and photo opportunities. The itinerary and opportunities are outlined below. If you would like to join us or coordinate interviews with members of the expedition team along the route or with Pembina experts, please contact:

Danielle Droitsch, Expedition Media Coordinator
403-678-7964

TRIP ITINERARY AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Mountaineering Section
June 18
Press Conference June 18, 2007 in Edmonton. The expedition team will hold a press conference one day in advance of its departure to Snow Dome.
At the conference, the team will go over the itinerary and media opportunities and introduce the expedition team. There will be a photo opportunity of the expedition team with its boat on the river (North Saskatchewan).
Watch for the advisory on June 13.

June 19-20         
Challenging climb to summit of Snow Dome in Jasper National Park and the source of glacial headwaters.

June 21-28
Hike from the Athabasca glacier headwaters to Sunwapta River.

Media Release June 27.  On June 27, we will distribute a media release reporting on the impacts of climate change on the Columbia Glacier. The dramatic recession of the glacier can be seen in this location.  Images of the Columbia Glacier will be available to media via www.connectingthedrops.ca.  

Canoeing Section
June 29-30         
Launch! Sunwapta River confluence to Old Fort Point

July 1        
Join us to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of Jasper National Park
Canada Day in Old Fort Point. The expedition team, joined by VIPs, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jasper National Park. The team will make a short presentation on how glacier recession  exacerbated   by global climate change negatively impacts water supply and river flows to the Athabasca River(thereby "connecting the drops" between climate change, glacier recession and river flow).
Watch for the advisory June 28 with details on the media event.

July 3        
Arrive in Hinton. Photo and interview opportunity for local and regional media. The expedition team will be visiting a stream restoration project being conducted by one of the expedition partner groups. The expedition team will be in touch with local and regional media to set up interviews and photo opportunities.

July 5-18        
Hinton to Athabasca. The expedition team will travel through the communities of Whitecourt and Smith-Hondo to the town of Athabasca. 

July 19-21
Interview and photo opportunities.  Team arrives in the town of Athabasca and celebrates reaching the halfway point with the release of a "blueprint" that documents the threats to the river and presents key recommendations for protecting the Athabasca watershed. Watch for the media release on July 11. Expedition team members will be available for photos and interviews.

July 22- August 4        
Athabasca to Fort McMurray. Arrival in Fort McMurray and flotilla gathering August 4.  In Fort McMurray, the team will be joined by a flotilla of people from communities along the river who want to express their concerns for the Athabasca watershed and encourage better government protection. The team will make a short presentation explaining how industry is affecting the river directly through water withdrawals and effluents and indirectly by contributing to climate change. Watch for the advisory on July 31.

August 7-8
Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan going though the community of Fort MacKay.

September 4        
The expedition team heads for home August 15. A press conference will be held in Edmonton during the first week of September to celebrate the trip, feature a story or two and present a package of stories and recommendations for improvement on river protection to Premier Stelmach. Watch for an advisory with the details on August 29.

More information about the conference itinerary June 1-3 can be found at http://www.aenweb.ca/node/1368#program.