Local film exposes threat to Wood River

Online film explains why river shouldn't be for sale for private profits

Residents of British Columbia are facing the potential devastation of a pristine wilderness area as a result of a contentious run-of-river power project in the north of Golden.

Atla Energy Corporation, an IPP proponent from Vancouver, wants to build a 48 megawatt power project on the pristine Wood River, in the Rocky Mountains north of Golden, B.C. The company applied to the province for the license in early 2009.

Wildsight and the Council of Canadians Golden chapter say the project would harm a unique ecosystem and provide very little economic return. In the fall of 2009, Golden filmmakers Ryan Johannesen and Bill Noble worked with these two local groups to explore the subject.

A crew of fourteen people hiked into the remote Upper Wood River to capture footage of its rare, untouched beauty. The valley is a remnant of the old growth interior rainforest ecosystem, an ecosystem known to contain at least 305 species-at-risk. The filmmakers captured aerial footage of the valley’s immense cliffs thanks to donated helicopter time by a Golden resident, Paul Leeson.

The finished film, entitled Wood River Wild, premiered at the Golden Film Festival and World Water Day events in March 2010, and is now online at www.wildsight.ca/news/wood-river-wild-video.

“Basically, Atla Energy Corporation wants to turn a natural wild river into a man-made canal designed for power production,” said Rachel Darvill, who wrote the script for Wood River Wild and who is Wildsight’s Upper Columbia program manager. “We knew that, without more public awareness, this application would not slow down—it’s not even required to go through a provincial or federal Environmental Assessment process. We wanted to say, ‘Wait a minute—let’s be clear that this is a very special place—this river should never be for sale for private profits.’”

About the film, Darvill said, “It tells the story about a fascinating place—but it also exposes the current threat to the Wood River, and it outlines steps the public needs to take if they want to have a say.”

The long term plans for the project would put in about 20 kilometres of new roads, 76 kilometres of transmission lines, and 10 kilometres of river diversion in old growth temperate rainforest that is basically unchanged since David Thompson made his trip down the Athabasca Trail in 1811—following an original First Nations route.

“This region hasn’t been logged and is an intact wilderness—in fact, stakeholders have agreed never to log it, based on its biological and historical values. There are no roads. The explorers’ trail blazes are still visible on the trees,” Darvill said.

In addition, she said, the Wood River Valley is refuge for endangered mountain caribou and provides wildlife connectivity over the Athabasca Pass. “The valley links Hamber Provincial Park, Jasper National Park and Cummins Provincial Park,” she said. “Endangered mountain caribou depend upon this wilderness on the west slopes of the Rockies.”

Wildsight encourages people to view the film and take the actions it outlines: write to Premier Campbell and MLA Norm Macdonald, request a moratorium on IPPs in the province until there is an impact assessment mechanism in place, and reinstate local government’s right to accept or refuse run-of-river hydroelectric projects.

“We need to put more effort towards energy conservation,” Darvill said, “instead of in projects that impact remote wilderness areas in a never-ending bid to increase power generation.”