Media Contact: Don van Hout

After more than 1,000 kilometres of paddling, the Athabasca River Expedition arrived in Fort McMurray.  The arrival prompted a rally of environmental organizations, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and community members, calling on the Alberta government to protect the Athabasca watershed from the oil sands development rush.

"It's important and critical at this juncture that the Athabasca River is protected," said Chief Roxanne Marcel of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. "The pace of this development is of grave concern to the Mikisew Cree who are situated downstream from all this oil sands activity."

"Our journey is raising Albertans' awareness about the threats facing the Athabasca River from oil sands development," said expedition leader Don van Hout of the Pembina Institute. "The oil sands industry is responsible for 65 per cent of water withdrawals from the Athabasca River. This proportion will only increase if oil sands production grows from the current one million barrels per day to five million as projected." 

To support the expedition, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and six environmental organizations ranging from the local to international groups rallied behind the expedition with statements of support for the expedition and concern for oil sands development. 

"NRDC's 1.2 million members and activists don't want to see tar sands oil as our future," said Melanie Nakagawa, attorney Natural Resources Defense Council. "The risks of global warming and the damage to critical rivers such as the Athabasca mean that North America should be investing in clean fuels and energy efficiency, not in dirty tar sands oil."

"The threats to the Athabasca River are a prime example of the many environmental, economic and social consequences that the uncontrolled pace of oil sands development is having on Fort McMurray," said Ann Dort-McLean, president of the Fort McMurray Environmental Association.

"The boreal forest, wetlands and the Athabasca River are all interconnected," said Helene Walsh of CPAWS. "The Government of Alberta needs to take immediate action to protect areas in the Athabasca River watershed from industrial use to preserve wildlife, wilderness, water and areas for the traditional use of aboriginal people."  "Already, 3,000 square kilometres of boreal forest has been leased for oil sands strip-mining within the Athabasca watershed," noted Dan Woynillowicz, a Senior Policy Analyst with the Pembina Institute.  "In-situ drilling operations which extract deep bitumen reserves could expand impacts over 149,000 square kilometres of boreal forest, representing 23 per cent of Alberta - an area the size of Florida."

"The McClelland Lake fen fiasco is symptomatic of the government's betrayal of public trust," says Joyce Hildebrand, conservation specialist with Alberta Wilderness Association. "This spectacular wetland was protected from oil sands mining until the government quickly changed the rules when oil was discovered under it."

"The current government management framework falls short in protecting the Athabasca River and its surrounding watershed," says Lindsay Telfer Director of the Sierra Club of Canada's Prairie Chapter, "Water is vital to all life and needs to be given priority to ensure health for both humans and aquatic species."

"The two-and-a-half to four barrels of fresh water used for extracting one barrel of bitumen at oil sands mines ends up in toxic tailings ponds which already cover more than 50 square kilometres," noted Woynillowicz.  "The sludge in these tailings ponds is acutely toxic, containing napthenic acids, mercury and other toxins that have a significant potential to impact the aquatic ecosystem. This waste is a major environmental liability that poses significant risk to the Athabasca River and the health of citizens living in communities downstream."

"The unfettered exploitation of the oil sands has caused a lot of concern especially to residents of Fort Chipewyan and Albertans," said George Poitras, former Chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. "People are literally dying from unknown cancers, the fish have deformities, there is potential arsenic-infested wildlife, and the water is undrinkable but this government continues to hand over approved applications worth billions.  It appears that Fort Chipewyan has become a sacrifice zone for oil sands development and they have not even blinked at Fort Chipewyan's concerns."  The Mikisew Cree First Nation has intervened in several oil sands licence hearings and has consistently recommended a moratorium until thresholds are scientifically known.

According to Rob Powell, Director, Mackenzie River Basin, "The pace of oil sands project approvals has outstripped our basic understanding of what the full impacts might be on the Athabasca River. It is not logical, even from a business perspective, to put pressure on a resource that is a critical factor in the extraction process without knowing if that resource can handle it."

On August 4, the expedition, members of the media and a flotilla of more than 30 people concerned about the Athabasca River will take a floating tour through the heart of oil sands country.

-30- 

CONTACTS
Danielle Droitsch, The Pembina Institute, 403-678-7964
George Poitras, Mikisew Cree First Nation, 780-838-8226
Don van Hout, Expedition Leader, The Pembina Institute, 403-390-1220
Joyce Hildebrand, Alberta Wilderness Association, 403-283-2025
Helene Walsh, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, 780-504-8929
Lindsay Telfer, Sierra Club of Canada, 780-439-1160
Melanie Nakagawa, Natural Resources Defense Council, 646-520-9722

PHOTOS
Note to Editors/News Directors:  High resolution photos of the media conference will be available for download on www.connectingthedrops.ca by 2:00 P.M. MST on August 3.  To obtain photos of the Saturday, August 4 canoe flotilla, contact media coordinator Danielle Droitsch before the event.

BACKGROUND
The purpose of the Athabasca River Expedition, a two-month canoeing, hiking and mountaineering expedition traversing the entire 1,538 kilometre length of the Athabasca River, is to raise awareness about threats to the river and its watershed.  It is now in its seventh week. The expedition website, www.connectingthedrops.ca chronicles the journey and contains background information on the trip, participants and the Athabasca River.

DETAILED TRIP ITINERARY AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
August 4-5
Joined by a flotilla of canoes, the Athabasca River Expedition will launch from McDonald Island on the morning of August 4 and then begin a two day trip through the heart of the oil sands development.  They will arrive to Fort MacKay in the afternoon of August 5 welcomed by the Fort MacKay First Nation to celebrate the river.  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.

August 14
The Pembina Institute will celebrate the end of their Connecting the Drops Athabasca river expedition in coordination with a rally organized by the First Nations communities of Fort Chipewyan. The event will highlight the health and environmental concerns they currently hold in their region.  Speakers at this event will include Dr. John O'Connor (Fort Chipewyan's only doctor and medical examiner), Dr. David Schindler (Killam Memorial Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta), Melanie Nakagawa (Natural Resources Defence Council), Don van Hout (Expedition Leader) and Dan Woynillowicz (Pembina Institute), as well as Chiefs and Elders from the community.