Water We Doing?

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Did you know that the lands around Alberta's Rocky Mountains could become open pit coal mines? This has become quite the hot topic in the Province of Alberta as it was a decision that the government took without any consultation to the public or any stakeholder groups. This is precious land to not only Albertans but to many Canadians. It is also where Albertans and many people in Saskatchewan get their freshwater from and this is important because of the risk of pollution and contamination from new potential mines in our headwaters.
In this episode we learn about the potential, environmental, economic and social impacts that these mines could impose if they are approved. You will hear from Colton Vessey, an Environmental Geochemistry PhD student from the University of Alberta. Colton is an expert on how mines affect water quality and how future mines might impact everyone in Alberta.
Of course with any type of resource extraction we need to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks. Do you have an opinion on whether the coal mines should go forward or not?
The Alberta Governments has its initial consultation survey that closes next monday April 19th, 2021 and they want to hear from you! Click Here to Fill it Out!
Click Here to learn more about the Alberta Governments Coal consultation program going forward.
Want to learn More?
The Alberta Wilderness Association and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (North and South Alberta Chapters) have lots of great information about this issue!
Click here to read the opinion article Colton Vessey described about water licensing and the potential downstream effects from Benga Minings proposed Grassi Mountain Coal Mine at the headwaters of the Oldman River in Alberta, Canada.
If you want to reach out to Colton Vessey with any questions about coal mining and the effects on water you can email him at [email protected]
Click Here to learn more about the Aquatic Biosphere Project!

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In today's episode we speak with Dr. Ellen Bruno from UC Berkeley all about the economics of groundwater. Groundwater is water located in aquifers deep beneath the earths surface. We regulate the amount of water people can take from surface waters (lakes, rivers, etc) but underground it's a different story. Tune in to learn how economists like Ellen are working to add some ground rules to make sure we manage this resource sustainably.
Interested in learning more or getting involved? See below for Dr. Ellen's recommendations on how to get involved:

• Public Policy Institute of California - Water Policy Centre - for great blogs and reports concerning California water
• Maven's Notebook - Keeping an eye on all things California water
• The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California by Mark Arax - A book focusing on how groundwater influences the agricultural development of California's central valley

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It's estimated that we lose 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear every year in our oceans. This gear continues to kill fish and other marine organisms and pollutes our marine environment with plastic. What are we doing about it?
In this episode we speak with Joel Baziuk the Deputy Director of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) from the Ocean Conservancy and Bourton Scott and Ally Stocks from the Emerald Sea Protection Society. Joel helps to coordinate global efforts to improve fishing gear to decrease the risks of it being lost at sea and to help coordinate global cleanup efforts. Bourton and Ally are part of a team that has partnered with the GGGI to help cleanup the waters around Vancouver Island.
We talk about what's currently being done, what can be done in the future, how to get involved and what can be made from recycled nets pulled from the sea!
For more information about the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, what they are working on and how you can get involved with their ghost gear reporting app for your phone Click Here.
For more information about the Emerald Sea Protection Society and the nets they are removing off the coast of Vancouver Island Click Here.
Check out the Following Brands for cool products made from Ghost Gear!

• Bureo for skateboards, clothing, frisbees, sunglasses, etc.
• Fourth Element for swimwear.
• Axiom for cycling gear.
• ECONYL for nylon clothing.
• BraceNet for bracelets.
• BlueCycle for furniture.
• Sea2See for glasses.
• Healthy Seas Socks for Socks.
• Popsicase for phone cases.
• 2nd Chance Ropeworks for rugs.

For more information about the Aquatic Biosphere Project and what we are doing to tell the story of water Click Here.

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Locusts. For those born in the 1990s, one of the first images that come to memory is the evil Hopper, a scarred grasshopper, ruthless and violent, and arch-nemesis of the curious and inventing ant Flik in Bug’s life. In the Disney Pixar cartoon, Hopper and his gang devastate crops, destroying any food source available and terrorizing other creatures living in their same area. A plague that for countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea has become a living nightmare. 2020, the year of the pandemic, but also the year of one of the worst devastations caused by desert locust. Locust swarm clouds can quickly descend and cover a surface area three times the size of New York City. Feasting on anything green, within a few hours, any vegetation that crosses its path is gone. As reported by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations), this Biblical plague has created a food crisis for more than 20 million people, at risk of serious starvation.

In this episode, Dr. Keith Cressman, FAO locust forecasting expert discusses with us how this migratory pest has become a more frequent threat, the role that water plays in increasing or decreasing its likelihood, and how climate change is linked directly to this crisis.
Want to learn more about Desert Locusts and the state of the their spread in the world? Check out Locust Watch where you can find updates and predictions on desert locusts movements across the world and is managed by Dr. Keith Cressman!
For more information on Desert Locust and their biology, movement and how we can control them click here!

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What's for dinner? Are we having sustainably caught Arctic Char from right here in Canada? Or are we easting an endangered species illegally caught from halfway around the world?
Well unless you have a DNA testing kit there's no way to know. Seafood in Canada has been shown to be labelled incorrectly 47% of the time so you really have no idea what you are actually eating. How can we help support our honest fishermen and women and stop supporting criminal fishing organizations and save our oceans?
Well tuning into today's podcast is a great place to learn from the experts who are working hard to sort this issue out!
Everyone we spoke with directed us to talk to the team from Oceana Canada who discovered 47% of the seafood tested from across Canada was labelled incorrectly. We spoke with Sayara Thurston who is a Seafood Fraud Campaigner about this complicated issue and how Oceana Canada is taking it head on!