Please join us in speaking up for the creeks of the East Kootenays

Once again we are being called upon to stand up for BC's wild rivers and public power.

This time it's our friends at the Golden, BC branch of the Kootenay environmental group Wildsight who are sounding the alarm. They are calling for our urgent attention to the proposed Beaver River private hydro power project put forward by Nelson, BC based Selkirk Power.

This project would involve the damming and diverting of three wild rivers - Ventego Creek, with its rare sub alpine wetlands and five species at risk; Alder Creek, also a wild watershed with road less headwaters and at risk species; and Cupola Creek, far removed from transmission lines and any community.

Because Selkirk Power estimates this project will have a maximum generating capacity of 44 megawatts, just under the 50 megawatt threshold for an environmental assessment, this project might not have received much public scrutiny had it not been for the hard work of our friends at Wildsight. This is a reminder of just how weak the regulatory system for private power projects in British Columbia is, and how important it is for us to stay engaged and be ready to defend the creeks and rivers in and around our communities.

Wildsight is asking us all to write a letter, using the letter writing tool on their website, calling for Selkirk Power's proposed Beaver River hydro power project to be scrapped. Several hundred letters in support of saving these wild rivers have already been written. Please add your letter to the growing list.

Your letter will be sent to decision makers with the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations, to MLA Norm Macdonald (who has stated his opposition to development on Ventego, Alder and Cupola), and to the incoming Premier of B.C., Christy Clark. Your letter can help refocus the debate on wilderness, watersheds and our democracy.

Thanks for being a member of the 10,000 Voices email alert list. Together we can keep our rivers wild and power public!

Joe Foy | National Campaign Director
Wilderness Committee