Ventego Wild- Trading our pristine watersheds and threatened species for power
Here, in the beautiful Kootenay and Selkirk Mountains, many of us thrive on having a sense of home - one that has many wild and open spaces nearby. Our sense of community in this region grows deep, and seems to coincide with a profound connection to the backcountry wilderness that surrounds us. Some of us take full advantage of all of the recreational pursuits that are possible in these mountains, but many of us simply find pleasure in knowing that this wilderness exists so close to home.
Wild areas are becoming an increasingly rare thing on this planet. In British Columbia, we are fortunate to live in a province that has more wild areas than most countries. I truly believe that these untamed places should be left for the creatures that need these areas in order to survive, and for evolution to proceed. Sadly, this is often not the case. Many backcountry areas around our tight-knit communities are under threat.
Currently, there are 24 creeks and rivers located in the backcountry found north of Golden with proposals to have micro-hydro, independent power projects (IPPs) built on them. Selkirk Power Company Limited (based out of Nelson), is proposing to develop 8 of these 24 waterpower projects. Two of Selkirk Power’s proposals have made it further along than any other IPP slated to happen in the Kootenay Region. These two projects are set to occur on Ventego and Cupola Creeks, located just outside Glacier National Park.
Selkirk Power’s proposed projects on Ventego and Cupola Creeks are threatening native stocks of “at risk” fish species. Fish inventory work conducted by biologists hired by Selkirk Power has concluded that there are Brook and Bull Trout in lower Ventego, and Bull Trout in Cupola Creek. More importantly, there is also a population of rare, blue-listed west-slope cutthroat trout (WCT) in a section of creek that Selkirk Power hopes to divert within Cupola Creek.
In order to compensate for anticipated impacts from a proposed 6km water diversion in Cupola, 50 individuals from the rare trout population were removed and then transferred (or translocated) into the previously fishless reaches of a unique wetland area located in the sub alpine of Ventego Creek. This was performed in the fall of 2009. Selkirk Power has yet to say whether this translocation was successful or not, but they plan to apply for another translocation permit to move a further 200 trout into the Ventego wetlands.
The introduction of a predatory trout species into the Ventego wetlands is bound to have a profoundly negative impact on the amphibian population. Previous to this trout introduction, there were no predatory fish in the Ventego wetlands. There are 7 species of amphibian that breed in the Columbia Forest District. According to a 1-day inventory conducted for Selkirk Power by team of Kootenay biologists; four of these species have the potential to occur in the wetlands of Ventego. A large portion of these amphibians could become fish food if these translocations are successful, upsetting the natural balance.
The trout translocation also presents great potential to introduce an amphibian killing fungus into the Ventego wetland ecosystem. During a pre-translocation inventory, this fungus (known as chytrid), was detected in Cupola frogs but was not present in the upper Ventego frog population. In order to compensate for the negative impacts associated with introducing this fungus into the wetlands, a fish disinfection process took place to lower risks. However, this disinfection process does not take away all of the risk of transmitting the fungus, but risks were deemed to be “acceptably low.” This chytrid fungus is linked to the decline in over a third of the world’s amphibian population.
The translocation project is viewed by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as a potential option for compensation for fish habitat impacts that may result from the hydro development project on Cupola Creek, if it is approved. The Provincial Ministry of Environment (MOE) is also looking at this as a potentially viable option for future use in west slope cutthroat trout recovery planning and management. Why is it that humans have such a hard time leaving wild places as they are? Why are we trading threatened species and rare spaces for things such as power? Are these risks necessary and are they acceptable to us?
On April 28, 2010, Premier Gordon Campbell stated that, “We want British Columbia to become a leading North American supplier of clean, reliable, low-carbon electricity and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while strengthening our economy in every region.” Imagine what the cumulative environmental impacts would look like if all the construction activities, blasting, road building, transmission line development, water diversion on the aquatic habitats were approved. If each project had as many or more environmental issues as Selkirk Power’s, the cumulative impacts would be incalculable for the 24 IPP’s in the region north of Golden, or the hundreds in the province.
Although it is true that hydropower is a form of low-carbon energy, I would not be quick to call this energy clean and green. We need to look at all of the alternatives. Perhaps building a small and local hydro-power project in a drainage that has already faced many environmental impacts, and keeping the power for local needs, could be a good alternative. Further exploring the idea for geothermal energy would be wise. Currently, we appear to be trading our pristine watersheds and threatened species for power. Is this in the public good?
Often people forget, many of the creeks proposed for IPP development near Golden lie in a region that was once a massive park. Originally, Hamber Provincial Park, created in 1941, was over 1 million hectares in size and served to protect the land and its animals. At the time, it was reported by Parks that, “The mountain caribou is probably the most abundant game animal of the higher elevations...” In 1961 however, this park was radically modified and reduced in size and is now approximately 25,000 hectares. Park reports state that reducing the park boundary happened so that pending Columbia River hydroelectric developments, such as the Mica Dam, and large sections of commercial forestland, could be utilized by humans. The mountain caribou are now a critically endangered species.
Perhaps we should think about reclaiming some of this Provincial Park back so that pristine backcountry areas still exist for wildlife and future generations. Perhaps we should focus our efforts on protecting drainages that are still pristine and that hold high biodiversity values, such as the Wood River and Ventego Creek. Perhaps this would be more in the public good.
