The Similkameen News Leader
Editorial
July 15, 2008
LET'S ALL GET EDUCATED
I have been stuck on the fence regarding the coalbed gas issue.
I admit it, I'm one of those who really hasn't got an opinion but I will also admit it appears to be such a complicated issue that it can't be fully explained nor fully understood in an hour-long presentation.
So I took it upon myself to get educated.
I thought that the best way to fully understand the roar about our water and environment was to examine what is already being done to it to see where we are versus where we could be.
I started with open-pit copper mining.
Did you know environmental issues of this sort of exploration include erosion, the formation of sinkholes, a loss of biodiversity and the contamination of groundwaters and surface water from chemicals used in the mining process? It was news to me. I knew the obvious eyesore of an open-pit mine was clear, but I didn't realize these other things.
Then I wondered about the copper, gold, zinc and whatever else comes out of the ground around Princeton and it occurred to me all of that gets shipped far, far away. None of it stays in Princeton.
You can't walk into a local store and buy a few pounds of copper mined in Princeton.
That bothers me.
Of course, if Princeton or the Regional District collected a commission from each and every ounce of gold, copper, zinc and whatever else is down there, then maybe I can accept it a little better.
Then I investigated the environmental effects of logging.
Did you know that removal of trees alters species composition, the structure of the forest and can cause nutrient depletion? I had no idea!
Then I found out that the actual logging operations causes habitat fragmentation when forestry roads are constructed, and heavy machinery in the forest causes soil compaction. Not to mention the addition of soil erosion, landslides and water turbidity.
Then I asked myself where the local trees are sold. I don't think there's a store downtown where you can by a half dozen logs from Manning Park, which makes me think they get shipped somewhere far, far away.
Again, if the Town of Princeton and Regional District were able to collect a commission from each tree, I could probably accept it a little better.
Yep, I agree, it's a good idea to get educated about what's going on around you so you better understand what the roar about our water and environment is really about!
