tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31473356842446389702024-03-13T06:41:07.325-06:00Unfinished Bridgeunfinished bridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00407371563777651928noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-90773865558869602542009-05-17T11:27:00.007-06:002009-05-18T19:18:23.142-06:00science and SPACES INTHE NORTHERN ENVIRONMENT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/ShF4t3TEllI/AAAAAAAAAg0/fosyawdn7H8/s1600-h/smcaribou.img001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/ShF4t3TEllI/AAAAAAAAAg0/fosyawdn7H8/s320/smcaribou.img001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337179762744137298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Caribou crossing Alaskan Highway in front of my car - Muncho Lake, British Columbia</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/ShBJRW5eQjI/AAAAAAAAAgs/ehGf5QOj-3Y/s1600-h/bocking_fig02b.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/ShBJRW5eQjI/AAAAAAAAAgs/ehGf5QOj-3Y/s320/bocking_fig02b.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336846120987279922" border="0" /></a><span style=""><b>Figure 2. Aerial Surveys of Caribou Populations in 1948</b><br /><br />Adapted by Eric Leinberger from A. W. F. Banfield, "The Barren-Ground Caribou," Department of Resources and Development, Northern Administration and Lands Branch, 1951.</span><br /><br /><table width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><!--_text_noindent_-->THE IMAGE OF NORTHERN scientists, circa 1964, was said to be one of contented indifference to political matters. They were a hardy few, "plying their erudite mysteries among the natives and amid the vastness in virtual aloneness and, to them, happy anonymity."<!--_noteRef_--><sup><a name="REF1" href="http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/12.4/bocking.html#FOOT1">1</a></sup><!--_/noteRef_--> But the claim rang false: scientists were neither alone nor anonymous. Accompanied by pilots and administrators, guided by priorities set in southern capitals and universities, scientists had become essential to the political and economic restructuring of northern Canada.<!--_/text_noindent_--></td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="10"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:Arial,helvetica,sans serif;" ><a name="PAR1"><b>1</b></a></span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><!--_text_indent_--> Historians have described how scientists have participated in exploiting and sometimes conserving the natural environment. Scholars in other fields have complemented these efforts, charting the complexity of scientists' roles in environmental affairs. Northern Canada offers opportunities to extend this work. The region presents an unusual, sometimes extreme environment—both a challenge and an attraction to scientists; scientists have also historically played a disproportionate role in shaping attitudes and decisions regarding the North. In this article I seek to explain the paths followed by scientists in the North: the topics they studied, the ideas that guided their work, their methods, their influence on decisions, and how these dimensions of scientific work related to the northern environment. My focus will be on two distinct episodes. In the first, extending over several decades but culminating in the early 1950s, northern Canada attracted the attention of ecologists debating the existence and significance of cycles in animal populations. In the second, which took place during the 1960s and 1970s, notions of ecological fragility again drew ecologists to the North, within a political culture newly sensitive to impacts on this environment.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />from Stephen Bocking, <a href="http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/12.4/bocking.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Science and Spaces in the Northern Environment</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:Courier New,Courier,mono;"> Bocking, Stephen, Science and Spaces in the Northern Environment. <u>Environmental History</u> 12.4 (2007): 61 pars. 17 May 2009 <http: org="" journals="" eh="" 4="" html="">. </http:></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-30754204145847117072009-05-16T21:23:00.002-06:002009-05-16T22:07:16.173-06:00arctic terns<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sg-DWqrd0tI/AAAAAAAAAgk/HR17SE_MLc8/s1600-h/MGP_EIS_Vol3_Figure10.42.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sg-DWqrd0tI/AAAAAAAAAgk/HR17SE_MLc8/s320/MGP_EIS_Vol3_Figure10.42.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336628508894286546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">purple line is path aerial surveyor took, green line outlines Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary, and size of yellow dot refers to amount of Arctic Terns sited.<br /><br />The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is an Arctic to<br />Antarctic traveler with annual migrations of up to 24,000<br />miles round trip. On its wintering grounds, this Olympic<br />flyer benefits from a “second summer” giving it more<br />hours of daylight than any other bird.<br />In addition to excellent flying abilities, this slender<br />tern is also known for its elegant breeding plumage. The<br />bill, feet, and legs are blood-red. The upper wings and<br />back are light gray, contrasting with a jet-black cap. The<br />tail is long and deeply forked. Arctic Terns often mix on<br />coastal breeding grounds with Aleutian Terns (Sterna<br />aleutica). They are similar in appearance and both have a<br />black cap, but the Aleutian Tern has a white forehead,<br />black bill, feet and legs, and the wings are a darker gray.<br />Nests of the Arctic Tern are commonly made near<br />fresh or salt water in open, usually treeless environments.<br />The nest is very difficult to spot unless it contains eggs; it<br />is little more than a shallow depression scraped in the<br />ground. Intruders in nesting areas are often met with<br />aggressive dives and pecks on the back or head<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:13;" ><div style="position: absolute; top: 824px; left: 70px;"><nobr>cks on the back or head.</nobr></div></span></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-49613955585914765672009-05-16T19:59:00.003-06:002009-05-17T12:37:14.327-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sg9vhQIjwMI/AAAAAAAAAgc/HaDAaOpEl-8/s1600-h/img016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 151px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sg9vhQIjwMI/AAAAAAAAAgc/HaDAaOpEl-8/s320/img016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336606700514558146" border="0" /></a><br />more on my website <a href="http://www.louisaconrad.com/arctic/arctic-plants/">here</a>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-32859416082911879222009-05-14T13:11:00.004-06:002009-05-16T22:31:34.718-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sgxs-UWrG7I/AAAAAAAAAgU/YT46qLlLGVg/s1600-h/img001sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sgxs-UWrG7I/AAAAAAAAAgU/YT46qLlLGVg/s320/img001sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335759476398693298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> burnt black spruce forest in the boreal corridor of eagle plains<br /><br />more on fires impact on boreal forest and the mapping that correlates <a href="http://www.geostrategis.com/p_borealfires.htm">here </a><br />http://www.geostrategis.com/p_borealfires.htm<br /></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-65223691278635929922009-05-14T13:05:00.003-06:002009-05-14T13:07:51.554-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgxriVmX1xI/AAAAAAAAAgM/0jS5ifTTL6M/s1600-h/img002sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgxriVmX1xI/AAAAAAAAAgM/0jS5ifTTL6M/s320/img002sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335757896185009938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">standard mosquito behavior for the Mackenzie Delta</span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-38805859149969200382009-05-13T04:55:00.004-06:002009-05-13T04:58:59.832-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgqnX0YmAUI/AAAAAAAAAgE/eVh8PL0Ip1A/s1600-h/ed_DSC2926.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgqnX0YmAUI/AAAAAAAAAgE/eVh8PL0Ip1A/s320/ed_DSC2926.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335260736214401346" border="0" /></a>animated map (still shot) showing proposed roads, pipelines and wells in NWT by 2012<br /><div><br /></div><div><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Arial;" >NWT Promotes Pipeline in Texas</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Verdana;" >By SHAWN BELL, Slave River Journal Reporter 12.MAY.09</span><br />The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment was in Houston, Texas last week, promoting northern gas and reassuring potential investors that the GNWT still supports the Mackenzie Gas Project. Minister Bob McLeod is especially concerned about the US government’s plans to provide more than the current $18 billion in loan guarantees for an Alaskan pipeline, a situation he says weights the playing field in favour of the Americans. “There’s a new (US) national energy security bill proposed by both Republican and Democrat senators to increase the federal loan guarantee to $30 billion,” McLeod told The Journal. “We feel the federal government should look into this very seriously, should look into raising this issue in Washington.” The primary purpose of McLeod’s Texas trip was to meet with five senior executives from oil and gas companies involved in the Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP). In light of the Joint Review Panel’s delay in a decision on the MGP – the latest indication is that the JRP will release its report in December 2009 – the minister said it is important to let the companies know the GNWT still has the project on its radar. “It’s frustrating for (the companies) too,” McLeod said. “It just points out how much the delay is costing the NWT and Canada.” In a press release, the GNWT stated “the construction and completion of the Mackenzie Gas Project is a pivotal component to realizing the Legislative Assembly’s vision of a prosperous Northwest Territories.” The territory estimates that northern gas reserves could supply US markets with 8 billion cubic-feet of gas per day. When asked why the government would be promoting what is essentially a private industry enterprise, McLeod said the GNWT sees the pipeline as an opportunity to open up the entire Mackenzie basin. “We see it as a basin-opening project,” McLeod said. “If you look at a map, in Alberta they’re drilling 17,000-20,000 wells per year, and that stops right at the NWT border. The only reason it stops there is that oil/gas companies don’t have a way to get the gas south.”</span></div>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-39088587174729707132009-05-07T10:10:00.001-06:002009-05-14T13:10:12.145-06:00<a href="http://www.mackenziegasproject.com/theProject/regulatoryProcess/applicationSubmission/Applicationscope/EIS.html#fivec">Mackenzie Gas Project - Environmental Impact Statement</a><br /><br />this is an extremely important and exhaustive report.louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-71547492494379091422009-04-08T13:23:00.001-06:002009-04-08T13:26:48.689-06:00The genetic evolution of arctic north america and greenland by ExxonMobil<table id="Table10" color="transparent" style="" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="3" width="700"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td><br /></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td><br /></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <p> <span style="font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica;font-size:85%;"><u>Stephen Creaney</u>, <i>ExxonMobil Exploration Company (United States)</i></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica;font-size:85%;">Michael Sullivan, <i>ExxonMobil Exploration Company (United States)</i></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span> </p> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif;font-size:85%;">The sedimentary basins of Arctic North America and Greenland are extremely diverse in their modes of genesis. This controls the development of petroleum systems within these basins as well as their exposure to post-accumulation destructive forces.<br />The Canadian - Greenland Shield is a significant controlling influence on basin development in the area due to its 60km thick core of well-annealed, highly buoyant continental crust. During the lower Paleozoic platformal sediments accumulated around the flanks of the generally emergent craton with the reduced oxygen atmosphere being conducive to the accumulation of organic rich, oil prone source rocks of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous age. The Caledonian suturing at the end of the Paleozoic provided erosional products to the interior forelands and drove hydrocarbon generation in some of these basins.<br />The Ellesmerian collision in Northern Canada quickly produces the Parry Island foldbelt and segregates the Sverdrup Basin from the Ellesmerian platform. The Caledonian suture attempted to rift open numerous times. These failed rifts were very conducive to the accumulation of source rocks with lacustrine as well as marine (Kimmeridgian) sources being deposited. The rift flank uplift along East Greenland provided a significant sediment source into the Sverdrup Basin. Rifting temporarily propagates into Labrador and opens Baffin Bay with strike slip motion along Nares Strait during the Cretaceous. The movement of the Alpha Ridge "plume" from the high arctic in the Cretaceous into the North Atlantic drives rifting to the east side of Greenland. The North Atlantic opens in the Early Tertiary with abundant associated volcanism and propagates into the arctic with the opening of the Eurasian Basin. Atlantic rifting drives Greenland back into the Sverdrup margin producing the Eurekan Orogeny.<br />Pacific subduction profoundly affects the western side of the craton generating the Western Cordillera and the Brooks Range. Associated forelands developed and began to be rapidly loaded with Cretaceous - Tertiary sediment. Paleozoic and Mesozoic sources were augmented with Cretaceous sources and significant generation occurred in Northern Alaska and the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. These basins are characterized by long distance migration, stratigraphic traps and significant basin margin accumulations with a risk for biodegradation. The Cordillera is a very destructive environment for hydrocarbon accumulation with interior collapse basins and transtensional pull-aparts all presenting poor targets for exploration. The final tertiary draining of the North American continent produced the Mackenzie Delta in the Canada Basin which entered an inside corner of the transform rift margin and has been constantly "forced" by ongoing Cordilleran tectonics resulting in some trap rupture. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-80118279051468660512009-04-01T09:18:00.001-06:002009-04-01T09:20:31.765-06:00Syncrude says duck death toll was 3 times original estimate<p><span style="font-size:85%;">Three times as many ducks died in a northern Alberta tailings pond last year than the 500 originally estimated, Syncrude Canada announced Tuesday.</span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;">"We can now tell you that the final number is 1,606 birds," Syncrude president and CEO Tom Katinas said<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">In late April 2008, migrating ducks landed on a tailings pond on Syncrude's Aurora oilsands site. </span> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The company failed to deploy the air cannons it uses to scare the birds away because of severe winter weather. The ducks landed on the open water and sank to the bottom of the lake after they were coated in oil.</span></p>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-21411212635733015762009-03-23T21:03:00.002-06:002009-03-23T21:03:59.882-06:00Changes Amplify Arctic Warming<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SchNftAjuAI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Q-qg_q_QHFI/s1600-h/_45146192_ice_extent_466.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SchNftAjuAI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Q-qg_q_QHFI/s400/_45146192_ice_extent_466.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316584567164090370" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="gI"><br /></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-46106298054431606042009-03-16T19:06:00.000-06:002009-03-16T19:07:58.374-06:00Budget triples for Mackenzie Valley review panel<div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">SHAWN MCCARTHY AND NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">From Monday's Globe and Mail</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">March 16, 2009 at 3:41 AM EDT</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">OTTAWA and CALGARY — The budget for the panel reviewing the proposed $16-billion Mackenzie Valley Pipeline has nearly tripled amid delays that have frustrated industry and government, an internal federal report says.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The report from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency says the Joint Review Panel's costs have risen to $18-million, from the original budget of $6.8-million when it was established in the summer of 2004. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The review panel, headed by chairman Robert Hornal, is charged with assessing the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the proposed 1,220-kilometre gas pipeline. Last December, the panel announced it would not finish its report in March as planned, but expected to release it at the end of this year.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The federal review of its work found that salaries alone have soared to $11-million, including more than $900,000 for the chairman, said a source who has been briefed on it.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In an interview, Mr. Hornal disputed that figure, saying that he has billed a total of $750,000 through the end of December, 2008. He is not paid a salary, but a standard federal rate of $650 a day for a position like his, he said. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"I don't think I'm overpaid or underpaid," he said. "I'm doing this as a citizen of the country and I'm working hard to do a good job on it."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Other members of the panel are paid $500 a day. Mr. Hornal said the panel itself does not set the budget - that is the responsibility of the federal and territorial agencies that oversee the panel - and the dramatic rise in costs can be attributed to the length of time it has taken to produce a report.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"Primarily, it's taken much longer than we anticipated to do the job," he said.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Stephen Hazell, the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada and a frequent presenter before the panel, defended the expanded budget.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"It's a lot of money," he said. "But this is a one-time decision that will decide the future of the entire Northwest Territories for decades to come. When you look at it that way, $18-million is probably not that much."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The joint review panel is the first major hurdle that the project's proponents must clear. Its report will form the basis of a regulatory review by the National Energy Board, as well as environmental reviews of local site impacts.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice, Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland and the project's proponents have all expressed their frustration with the slow pace of the review panel's deliberations. They also worry that the review panel will fail to meet its December deadline.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nellie Cournoyea, the chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corp., called the much-delayed review process, which will span more than five years before it is completed, "insanity."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"This whole process is just mind-boggling," she said. "It was supposed to be everybody sits together, it will be quicker. I don't know how this just ran away somehow."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Mr. Prentice, who also has responsibility for the Northern Pipeline Agency, has offered the consortium of companies a package of financial assistance that includes federal funding for infrastructure and some measure of assuming financial risk in return for a share of the profits.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Critics question whether the pipeline will ever be commercially viable, after technological advancements have reduced the cost of tapping vast amounts of unconventional gas in less remote areas of both the United States and Canada.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The seven-person joint review panel was established in August, 2004, by former Liberal environment minister Stéphane Dion to combine reviews by the federal government, the Northwest Territories and the Inuvialuit Game Council, which has treaty rights to conduct environmental assessments of pipeline projects through land controlled by the Inuvialuit.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The proponents of the Mackenzie Gas Project are Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited Partnership, ConocoPhillips Canada (North) Limited, Exxon Mobil Canada Properties, Shell Canada and Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Pipeline Limited Partnership.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. has expressed an interest in becoming a partner in the project. TransCanada has already won the right to build the much larger Alaska Highway gas pipeline. Canadian officials have long worried that completion of the Alaska pipeline would make the building of the Mackenzie uneconomic.</span></p></div>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-89549714588951421992009-03-12T10:53:00.001-06:002009-03-12T10:53:46.800-06:00Suncor, contractors face 90 charges over waste water dumping<h1 class="headline"><br /></h1>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-6377254816115726012009-03-03T10:00:00.002-07:002009-03-03T10:01:20.960-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sa1iXITz0tI/AAAAAAAAAd4/IWPG_IyCTcE/s1600-h/isr-private_lands_keymap(8x11).jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/Sa1iXITz0tI/AAAAAAAAAd4/IWPG_IyCTcE/s400/isr-private_lands_keymap(8x11).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309007685246767826" /></a><br /><br /><br />map detailing Inuvaliut Settlement Region and subsurface ownership rights.louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-38251142678653789122009-03-02T16:46:00.003-07:002009-03-03T10:00:40.051-07:00Letter to Joint Review PanelDecember 23, 2008 <br /> <br />Mr. Robert Hornal, Chair <br />Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project <br />Suite 302, 125 Mackenzie Road <br />Inuvik <br />Northwest Territories <br />X0E 0T0 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Hornal: <br /> <br />Re: Revised Date for Release of the Joint Review Panel Report <br />We wish to confirm that the Joint Review Panel Agreement (JRPA or Agreement) parties <br />have received the December 5th news release issued by the Joint Review Panel (JRP) <br />regarding the revised December 2009 final report release date. We assume this <br />announcement by the Panel is a response to the letter from the Mackenzie Valley <br />Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) and Inuvialuit Game Council (IGC) <br />dated November 26th, 2008 requesting that the JRP “determine its best estimate of a <br />completion date for its final report and relate that information to participants in the <br />environmental impact review of the Mackenzie Gas Project and the general public…”. <br />The JRPA requires that any revision to the schedule for the environmental impact review <br />of the Mackenzie Gas Project be approved by the parties to the Agreement. This letter is <br />to provide early notice that the revised completion date of December 2009 is not <br />acceptable to the MVEIRB and the IGC. <br />The December 2009 completion date came as a major surprise when we had recently <br />been led to believe that a reasonable expectation would be for the English version of the <br />Panel’s final report to be available by the end of March 2009 with the final published <br />report to be available by the end of June 2009. <br />The revised length of the MGP JRP environmental impact review process is now <br />significantly longer than that originally set out in the Agreement and the investment of <br />time and resources has to date been much greater than had been anticipated as being <br />necessary for this review. <br />We wish to assure Panel members that the efforts they have expended in responding to <br />the difficult and complex task they were assigned is appreciated as is their diligence in <br />meeting that challenge. We are also confident that the Panel will produce a quality final <br />report. <br />We therefore consider it important to set out our current expectations of the Panel in <br />accordance with the Agreement: <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />1. We suggest that the Panel make every effort to issue its final report in two phases; <br />a “Decision” document by March 31st, 2009, to be followed by Supplementary <br />Documents by August 31st, 2009. <br /> The “Decision” document should set out the Panel’s decision, including brief <br />reasons and identify any mitigation measures recommended by the Panel <br />regarding the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project. It is not an uncommon practice <br />for an administrative tribunal to set out a decision and to follow up with more <br />explanation and detail at a later date. This approach will provide the Panel with a <br />means of communicating its decision with respect to the proposed project early <br />without the need to wait for all documents to be produced. <br />We believe this is a reasonable approach to maintain a schedule that will see the <br />Panel’s recommended decision and measures released by March 31, 2008 but still <br />allow the additional time necessary for the Panel to complete the text fully <br />describing the reasons behind its recommended decision and mitigation measures. <br />2. We confirm that the parties will be responsible for, and make arrangements for, <br />all translation and production requirements of both the final “Decision” and <br />Supplementary Documents through the Northern Gas Project Secretariat, once <br />these documents are received from the Panel. <br /> <br />The cooperation of the Panel would be appreciated. <br /> <br />Last but not least we want to wish you and the other Panel members all the best of the <br />season. We look forward to following up on the progress of the Panel early in the New <br />Year. <br /> Sincerely<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Mr. Frank Pokiak, Chair <br /> Inuvialuit Game Council <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Mr. Richard Edjericon, Chairperson <br /> Mackenzie Valley Environmental <br /> Impact Review Board <br /> <br /> <br />C. Northern Gas Project Secretariat <br />Page 2 of 2louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-54855832924125521552009-02-24T07:33:00.001-07:002009-02-24T07:41:46.536-07:00Canada's Highway to Hell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SaQHHfpntRI/AAAAAAAAAc8/R85RyIxaLc4/s1600-h/07fall_alberta_feature.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SaQHHfpntRI/AAAAAAAAAc8/R85RyIxaLc4/s320/07fall_alberta_feature.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306374086285833490" /></a><br />Every day approximately 50 new fortune seekers travel north on Canada's Highway 63 to the tar sands of Alberta, to join what may be the world's last great oil rush. The two-lane all-weather highway starts about 100 miles north of the provincial capital, Edmonton, and ends at Fort McMurray, a sprawling city hastily carved out of swampy groves of spruce. The road was originally built in the 1970s to connect a marginal and experimental source of heavy oil with the rest of the country. It has since become a continental artery to a modern-day Klondike that has made Canada the number-one supplier of oil to the United States. That's right -- Canada.<br /><br />from http://www.onearth.org/article/canadas-highway-to-helllouisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-18727939207403829022009-02-23T09:35:00.001-07:002009-02-23T09:35:31.569-07:00Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:35:22 -0700<br />Subject: Letter to the Editor<br />From: tkhalifax@northwestel.net<br />To: entertainment@nnsl.com; editor@nnsl.com<br /><br />News North Editor<br /> <br />I just finished reading your article promoting France Benoit’s new “documentary” about the Mackenzie Gas Project and would like to offer the following definition from Oxford:<br />adjective 1 consisting of documents and other material providing a factual account. 2 using film, photographs, and sound recordings of real events.<br />While I have not seen this film, from what she’s said in the article gives a pretty good idea of exactly just how “factual” this film really is.<br />Ms. Benoit and her ilk are under the misconception that by stopping the MGP they will somehow stop production at the “tar” sands. This is an erroneous conclusion that has no basis in fact. The oil sands have done quite well without arctic gas and will continue long into the future without it. Further, there is no science or factual evidence to conclude that there are any negative effects in the downstream waters of the oil sands.<br />Ms. Benoit must have traveled far and wide to find people to speak out against the pipeline, but if facts matter, most people along the pipeline route are in favour of it.<br />Yes, Ms. Benoit may receive some attention to her “documentary” in Ottawa, Montreal and even Yellowknife, but we along the proposed pipeline route know the real facts.<br />The Sierra Club and her other environmental extremist cohorts have decimated the fur industry leaving these communities without an income and without hope. The social and economic impacts of those anti-fur campaigns have ruined a culture and a way of life. The pipeline has shone some glimmer of hope along the valley to these otherwise isolated and poverty-stricken communities.<br />I invite Ms. Benoit to bring her film to Inuvik. I’ll be standing outside, handing out rotten produce to hurl.<br /> <br />Terry Halifax<br />867.678.2899<br />Inuvikunfinished bridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00407371563777651928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-84475057399652132922009-02-22T23:11:00.002-07:002009-02-22T23:16:52.344-07:00<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2950280&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2950280&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2950280">Sincrude Processing Plant, Fort McMurray, Alberta</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user250504">louisa conrad</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /><br />Washington Post article on Migratory Birds dying in Tar Sands tailing ponds (as shown above, noise your hear is a blast going off to scare birds from landing)<br />http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500928.html<br /><br />CHICAGO -- About half of America's migratory birds fly from destinations as far-flung as Chile to nest in Canada's boreal forest. In Alberta, that forest lies above tar sands that contain oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia's.<br /><br />The excavation of the tar sands -- projected to pump $2.4 trillion into Canada's economy between 2010 and 2030 -- could reduce the region's migratory-bird population by almost half, according to a peer-reviewed study released Dec. 2 by U.S. and Canadian environmental groups.<br /><br />The Connecticut warbler and the blackpoll warbler, which fly through the Washington area en route from Alberta's boreal forests, are among about 300 species affected by tar sands mining. The study estimates that over 30 to 50 years, tar sands excavation will reduce bird populations by anywhere from 6 million to 166 million, including several endangered and threatened species. The world's only natural breeding ground for endangered whooping cranes, for example, lies north of the Albertan tar sands, and the Athabasca River, which feeds the cranes' wetland habitat, flows north through the sands.louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-59743456323007602162009-02-22T23:07:00.002-07:002009-02-22T23:10:47.032-07:00Globe special on Tar Sandslouisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-20559053937899265782009-02-22T22:52:00.003-07:002009-02-22T23:01:57.079-07:00info on Beaufort Sea from Arctic Report Card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SaI5sGW1e1I/AAAAAAAAAc0/LEagdkp7l1g/s1600-h/o3-lrg.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 116px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SaI5sGW1e1I/AAAAAAAAAc0/LEagdkp7l1g/s320/o3-lrg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305866740779285330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="bodyitalics">Canada Basin and Beaufort Gyr</span>e</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The 2007 Canada Basin and the Beaufort Gyre summer conditions exhibited very strong freshening relative to 2006 and previous years of observations (Richter-Menge et al. 2006). Data collected as part of the Beaufort Gyre Environmental Observatory (BGEO, <a href="http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre/index.html">www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre/index.html</a>) show that in 2000–07, the total freshwater content in the Beaufort Gyre has not changed dramatically relative to climatology (although the absolute maximum was observed in 2007), but there was a significant change in the freshwater distribution (Fig. O3(c,d)). The center of the freshwater maximum shifted toward Canada and significantly intensified relative to climatology. This region of the Beaufort Gyre is much fresher than 30 yr ago.</span></p><p><br /></p>http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/ocean.html<br /><br />and some more arctic maps here: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/maps.htmllouisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-34712348830693065212008-10-18T14:17:00.001-06:002008-10-18T14:20:11.214-06:00Inuvaliut Agrees to Access Agreement<p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Under Inuvialuit Regional Corporation rules, the Inuvialuit of the community closest to a development - in this case Inuvik - vote on ratifying such agreements. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Inuvik Community Corporation has a little more than 1,000 members. At the Oct. 1 meeting, 120 people voted in favour of the deals and only seven were opposed. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"It was resounding support of the access and benefits agreements that were negotiated and for the project to proceed," said Duane Smith, chairperson of the Inuvik Community Corporation. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Smith said it was a major endorsement of the project by one of the aboriginal groups along the route. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"If we didn't vote in favour of it, it would be another hindrance to the project proceeding," he said. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The benefits of the agreements cover such things as education, training, employment, scholarships and contracting preference for Inuvialuit businesses in the Inuvialuit settlement region. </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Smith said he couldn't get into specifics because the deals are "private agreements." </span></p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The multi-billion-dollar Mackenzie Gas Project, which will carry Beaufort Delta natural gas south on a pipeline, is awaiting regulatory approval after which proponents will make a final decision on proceeding.</span> </p>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-40080848104366545062008-09-21T21:23:00.005-06:002009-05-12T13:07:31.430-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgnItUflwAI/AAAAAAAAAf8/BNk9__Sc1oc/s1600-h/web_DSC2612.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SgnItUflwAI/AAAAAAAAAf8/BNk9__Sc1oc/s320/web_DSC2612.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335015914517938178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">unfinished mackenzie delta map<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNcU75y84VI/AAAAAAAAAZc/4oKqy9sX33k/s1600-h/mackenzie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNcU75y84VI/AAAAAAAAAZc/4oKqy9sX33k/s320/mackenzie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248686910082965842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">mackenzie confluence</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNcU75fk3eI/AAAAAAAAAZk/hW4yIN8dDjo/s1600-h/mackenziedeltainprogress.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNcU75fk3eI/AAAAAAAAAZk/hW4yIN8dDjo/s320/mackenziedeltainprogress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248686910001700322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">another beginning of mackenzie delta drawing</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNcQACOL4ZI/AAAAAAAAAZM/TY87T1fkaCg/s1600-h/mackenzie.jpg"><br /></a>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-54880660544390756592008-09-18T18:22:00.002-06:002008-09-18T18:23:20.183-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLw7pu4weI/AAAAAAAAAY0/QkYkUTB8AGk/s1600-h/arcticjelly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLw7pu4weI/AAAAAAAAAY0/QkYkUTB8AGk/s320/arcticjelly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247521423445508578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLw7oYHf-I/AAAAAAAAAY8/jjn1f6-OebY/s1600-h/text11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLw7oYHf-I/AAAAAAAAAY8/jjn1f6-OebY/s320/text11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247521423081570274" border="0" /></a>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-72404118433623805412008-09-18T17:02:00.003-06:002008-09-18T22:08:45.595-06:00gxt seismic work in Beaufort Sea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLeVIZkspI/AAAAAAAAAYs/KsZlC_TyN8s/s1600-h/MennoDinklemanGXT13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNLeVIZkspI/AAAAAAAAAYs/KsZlC_TyN8s/s320/MennoDinklemanGXT13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247500970453414546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />blue was phase one seismic (3,534km) green is phase two (5,561km) and red is 3d seismic being done in august.fall 2008. the blacks dots are drilled wells<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNMllIv0X7I/AAAAAAAAAZE/r3K0-WwZE3Y/s1600-h/whitefish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNMllIv0X7I/AAAAAAAAAZE/r3K0-WwZE3Y/s320/whitefish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247579310750195634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">and whitefish from the Beaufort drying in Tuktoyaktuk.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-92136425737593346612008-09-17T12:04:00.004-06:002008-09-17T12:50:10.030-06:00Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, Inuvik<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHutJrv6I/AAAAAAAAAYM/tLsu2rGIkUA/s1600-h/athleticcomplex.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHutJrv6I/AAAAAAAAAYM/tLsu2rGIkUA/s320/athleticcomplex.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247053908583104418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHu3W7sZI/AAAAAAAAAYU/k0BlUZG5tiM/s1600-h/athleticcomplex2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHu3W7sZI/AAAAAAAAAYU/k0BlUZG5tiM/s320/athleticcomplex2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247053911323029906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHu9zg-AI/AAAAAAAAAYc/1Z6k570XBjM/s1600-h/text8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHu9zg-AI/AAAAAAAAAYc/1Z6k570XBjM/s320/text8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247053913053526018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHvPVqN2I/AAAAAAAAAYk/Bgb-RcfTmcE/s1600-h/text9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SNFHvPVqN2I/AAAAAAAAAYk/Bgb-RcfTmcE/s320/text9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247053917760141154" border="0" /></a>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147335684244638970.post-19386920358738299572008-09-13T16:33:00.003-06:002008-09-13T16:35:35.754-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SMw_8LyBpnI/AAAAAAAAAYE/1wBjhXH5F98/s1600-h/northernpassagearcticcirgle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2FOb96_8sbE/SMw_8LyBpnI/AAAAAAAAAYE/1wBjhXH5F98/s320/northernpassagearcticcirgle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245637969167099506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the yellow dot is Tuktoyaktuk. the red line is route of the northern passage. the dotted line is the arctic circle.</span></span>louisa conradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654016525772948396noreply@blogger.com0