CBC: Feds plan on turning good lakes into dump sites

Long time no post!

Well, this one's not very original but it does seem important. Sounds like the federal government is trying to sneak one over on all of us; and some of it will happen in BC, turning perfectly good lakes into dump sites.

CBC News has learned that 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly "reclassified" as toxic dump sites for mines. The lakes include prime wilderness fishing lakes from B.C. to Newfoundland.

Environmentalists say the process amounts to a "hidden subsidy" to mining companies, allowing them to get around laws against the destruction of fish habitat.

Under the Fisheries Act, it's illegal to put harmful substances into fish-bearing waters. But, under a little-known subsection known as Schedule Two of the mining effluent regulations, federal bureaucrats can redefine lakes as "tailings impoundment areas."

For example:

In northern B.C., Imperial Metals plans to enclose a remote watershed valley to hold tailings from a gold and copper mine. The valley lies in what the native Tahltan people call the "Sacred Headwaters" of three major salmon rivers. It also serves as spawning grounds for the rainbow trout of Kluela Lake, which is downstream from the dump site.

Read on

Two new books on the Bowron Lakes

NEW (March 2007): These books now have their own web site, along with other information: www.canoebowronlakes.ca

BC photographer, Chris Harris, has published nine books. His two most recent bring to us his longtime experience on the Bowron Lakes.

The Bowron Lakes, British Columbia's Wilderness Canoe Circuit - A Lifetime Journey features 150 of his photographs in a generous 10.5" x 10.5" format. The images are augmented by information and archival material outlining the natural and cultural history of the Bowron Lakes.

Here is a photographic record of a man's discovery of his self in the deepest wilderness. Out of the physical and emotional challenges of more than 100 trips through the Bowron Lakes and the wilderness around them, alone, in the company of close friends, with large groups of clients, and even on skis in winter, Chris Harris has redefined his relationship to wilderness and photography. The Bowron Lakes: A Lifetime Journey will change yours. Its transformative combination of images and shared thoughts and stories is a gift brought from long exploration and deep reflection and contemplation. Land, water, light, animals, and the journey itself, are presented here as none have done before. - Harold Rhenisch

For those who plan to experience these lakes first-hand, Chris has recently published a guide book to the Bowron Lakes.

It will answer your questions about bears & wildlife, campsites & fires, trip preparations, portages, weather, reservations & registration, natural & cultural history of the area, and what canoe and wilderness experience you'll need to enjoy your trip. - from the web site.