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December 02 2009 » Media Releases

BC should keep Shell’s gas drills out of the Sacred Headwaters for good: Skeena Swimmer


Skeena Swimmer, Ali Howard, as she addresses a supportive crowd of 100's in Hazelton

Smithers, BC) – One year after the BC government put a
moratorium on Shell’s coalbed methane drilling project in northern BC’s Sacred
Headwaters, support for permanently protecting the area remains strong.

That’s what southern British Columbians are hearing this week from Ali Howard,
the 33-year-old who in August became the first person to swim the length of the
610-kilometre Skeena River. Howard is in Vancouver and Victoria presenting a
multimedia show of her trip.

“Our communities applauded the government’s move to put a drilling moratorium
in place last year,” said Howard. “Now, with our province in the global spotlight,
the BC government has the perfect opportunity to implement permanent safeguards
for this remarkable area.”

The Sacred Headwaters is the shared birthplace of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine
Rivers – three of British Columbia’s most important wild salmon rivers. Shell
wants to drill over 1,000 coalbed methane gas wells in the Headwaters’ sensitive
subalpine ecosystem, which residents fear will harm wildlife and salmon spawning
habitat.

“Northwest residents have clearly demonstrated that they will not allow a project
such as Shell’s to proceed under any circumstances,” said Shannon McPhail,
executive director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. “Permanent
safeguards for the Headwaters would be welcomed by a broad cross section of
our communities.”

This is a message Howard heard many times over the course of her historic swim.

“When we stopped in communities along the Skeena, protecting the Sacred
Headwaters was the first thing people wanted to talk about,” said Howard.
“People share a deep understanding that the health of the river’s birthplace is
critical to the health of everything downstream.”

Prior to last December’s moratorium announcement, Shell’s coalbed methane
project drew strong opposition from First Nations, municipalities, NGOs, guide
outfitters, and tourism operators. There were protests at Shell’s AGM in The
Hague, ads in the Financial Times of London, and street rallies in northern BC.

The Skeena Swim multimedia show will be presented in Vancouver on Thursday,
December 3 at UBC Robson Square beginning at 7:00pm.

Contact:
Ali Howard: 250-877-9188
Shannon McPhail: 250-842-8738
Learn more about the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition at
skeenawatershed.com

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