00:00:02.392 --> 00:00:04.621
(water rushing)

00:00:04.621 --> 00:00:08.121
(calm instrumental music)

00:01:01.188 --> 00:01:02.610
- [Narrator] I live in Canada,

00:01:02.610 --> 00:01:05.253
a country rich in fresh water.

00:01:05.253 --> 00:01:06.930
What the world does not know

00:01:06.930 --> 00:01:08.721
is that in British Columbia we cannot say

00:01:08.721 --> 00:01:11.804
that we have pristine water any more.

00:01:13.482 --> 00:01:16.829
The Fraser River is connected
to mountains, an ocean,

00:01:16.829 --> 00:01:20.329
people, plants, fish, birds and much more.

00:01:21.229 --> 00:01:23.294
But not everyone cares in the same way

00:01:23.294 --> 00:01:24.765
about our unique watershed,

00:01:24.765 --> 00:01:28.932
like the people who defend
its beauty and its integrity.

00:01:29.808 --> 00:01:31.975
(yelling)

00:01:33.127 --> 00:01:35.377
(cheering)

00:01:39.282 --> 00:01:42.461
If we look around we understand
that there is much to love,

00:01:42.461 --> 00:01:46.378
so much to see and to
feel and so much to lose.

00:01:47.474 --> 00:01:49.629
Before we embark on a journey
and meet with the people

00:01:49.629 --> 00:01:53.182
who are defending the Fraser
River and its surroundings,

00:01:53.182 --> 00:01:56.812
we decided to gather some important facts.

00:01:56.812 --> 00:02:00.312
(calm instrumental music)

00:02:07.819 --> 00:02:09.581
- I'm Micheal Church,
I'm Professor Emeritus

00:02:09.581 --> 00:02:10.850
in the Department of Geography

00:02:10.850 --> 00:02:12.717
at the University of British Columbia.

00:02:12.717 --> 00:02:15.234
I'm a sort of geologist geographer

00:02:15.234 --> 00:02:17.761
who studies sediment transport and erosion

00:02:17.761 --> 00:02:20.919
and the development of landscapes
on the Earth's surface.

00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:23.392
And over the years I've done
a lot of work on Fraser River.

00:02:23.392 --> 00:02:25.709
Fraser River is a rather
special river, I think.

00:02:25.709 --> 00:02:29.260
It's by discharge the 77th
largest river in the world,

00:02:29.260 --> 00:02:31.063
which doesn't sound to
impressive but when you think

00:02:31.063 --> 00:02:32.653
there are thousands and
thousands of rivers,

00:02:32.653 --> 00:02:34.679
it is quite an impressive river.

00:02:34.679 --> 00:02:36.384
It's also interesting
because it's one of the few

00:02:36.384 --> 00:02:39.062
major rivers in the world
on which the main stem,

00:02:39.062 --> 00:02:41.484
the main channel, is not dammed,

00:02:41.484 --> 00:02:44.290
and so it still contains
its historic runs of salmon.

00:02:44.290 --> 00:02:46.391
It still flows from mountains to sea

00:02:46.391 --> 00:02:47.797
in the way that it always did,

00:02:47.797 --> 00:02:49.611
through a series of spectacular canyons

00:02:49.611 --> 00:02:51.554
which are exceptional landscapes

00:02:51.554 --> 00:02:53.399
and then into the lower
mainland of British Columbia

00:02:53.399 --> 00:02:56.854
where it flows through the
settled part of the province

00:02:56.854 --> 00:02:59.162
and feeds us in many ways, with the fish,

00:02:59.162 --> 00:03:00.932
with recreational opportunities

00:03:00.932 --> 00:03:03.930
and with simple additions
to the landscape.

00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:05.690
The sediment transport in Fraser River

00:03:05.690 --> 00:03:08.410
is rather interesting, it
moves about 18 million tons

00:03:08.410 --> 00:03:10.586
of material into the sea every year.

00:03:10.586 --> 00:03:12.719
That sounds like a lot, but
it's rather a modest load

00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:14.639
in relation to the loads of sediment

00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:16.709
that come from other world rivers.

00:03:16.709 --> 00:03:19.013
Most of that sediment is
fine material that washes out

00:03:19.013 --> 00:03:21.679
into the delta and on to
the Strait of Georgia.

00:03:21.679 --> 00:03:24.285
But there is a small
load, perhaps four or five

00:03:24.285 --> 00:03:26.782
hundred thousand tons a
year, of gravel and sand

00:03:26.782 --> 00:03:28.583
that comes out of the
canyons and is deposited

00:03:28.583 --> 00:03:30.728
along the river in the lower mainland.

00:03:30.728 --> 00:03:32.255
When sediment comes down the river,

00:03:32.255 --> 00:03:34.943
the coarser material is
deposited in the channel

00:03:34.943 --> 00:03:37.343
and then after a period, it's
picked up and moved on again.

00:03:37.343 --> 00:03:40.982
It doesn't move continuously,
it moves in stops and starts.

00:03:40.982 --> 00:03:42.810
When sediment is deposited in the channel,

00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:44.709
the channel needs to
erode the opposite bank

00:03:44.709 --> 00:03:47.516
to make room to continue
transmitting the water downstream.

00:03:47.516 --> 00:03:49.151
The net result of all
this is that the river

00:03:49.151 --> 00:03:52.650
moves sideways from time to time.

00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:56.149
And so a river that's moving
sand and gravel needs room,

00:03:56.149 --> 00:03:58.879
the concept is called room for the river.

00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:01.898
But what we tend to do is to
build dikes close to the river

00:04:01.898 --> 00:04:04.669
because we value the use of
the land adjacent to the river

00:04:04.669 --> 00:04:06.666
and we thereby straightjacket the river

00:04:06.666 --> 00:04:08.362
and this creates problems
for the disposition

00:04:08.362 --> 00:04:10.442
of sediment in the river and so sediment

00:04:10.442 --> 00:04:13.416
deposits on the river
bed, water levels rise

00:04:13.416 --> 00:04:15.082
and flood hazards become more severe

00:04:15.082 --> 00:04:16.680
than they were originally.

00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:18.143
One of the interesting consequences

00:04:18.143 --> 00:04:20.966
of our straightjacketing
the river within dikes

00:04:20.966 --> 00:04:23.105
is that the river no longer
floods into its floodplain,

00:04:23.105 --> 00:04:25.582
it no longer renews water and sediment

00:04:25.582 --> 00:04:27.854
in wetlands and side channels.

00:04:27.854 --> 00:04:29.101
Along the lower Fraser River,

00:04:29.101 --> 00:04:30.961
approximately 100
kilometers of side channels

00:04:30.961 --> 00:04:33.831
have been cut off since the
19th century, for example,

00:04:33.831 --> 00:04:36.712
and the large lake in Sumas
Prairie has been drained

00:04:36.712 --> 00:04:38.952
to turn Sumas Prairie
into agricultural land.

00:04:38.952 --> 00:04:40.957
That water now has to
go down the main channel

00:04:40.957 --> 00:04:43.272
and contributes to the
raising of water levels.

00:04:43.272 --> 00:04:45.607
In addition, what we've
done on the land surface

00:04:45.607 --> 00:04:47.665
is we've ceased to nourish
the floodplain area

00:04:47.665 --> 00:04:50.696
with water and sediment
recharge from time to time

00:04:50.696 --> 00:04:53.105
and that reduces the rate at which

00:04:53.105 --> 00:04:55.842
habitats are created and re-created

00:04:55.842 --> 00:04:58.082
and so it freezes the landscape

00:04:58.082 --> 00:05:01.538
and as a result of that
biodiversity becomes less varied.

00:05:01.538 --> 00:05:04.130
When we do engineering
works along the river,

00:05:04.130 --> 00:05:07.266
that inevitably disturbs the
river in one way or another.

00:05:07.266 --> 00:05:08.930
Along lower Fraser River, for example,

00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:11.437
there are many docks, water offtake,

00:05:11.437 --> 00:05:14.998
water outfalls and
structures such as bridges.

00:05:14.998 --> 00:05:16.744
When, for example, we build a major bridge

00:05:16.744 --> 00:05:19.677
across Fraser River we
may have to put piers

00:05:19.677 --> 00:05:21.864
or flow-deflection structures in the river

00:05:21.864 --> 00:05:24.454
and those things change the flow.

00:05:24.454 --> 00:05:27.112
At the end of Fraser
River is the Fraser Delta

00:05:27.112 --> 00:05:29.851
which is a major landscape
feature by itself

00:05:29.851 --> 00:05:31.634
and an area where people are concentrated

00:05:31.634 --> 00:05:33.949
in the lower Fraser Valley.

00:05:33.949 --> 00:05:36.552
It is, of course, a very
rich biodiverse area.

00:05:36.552 --> 00:05:38.461
As we develop the area,
we inevitably disturb

00:05:38.461 --> 00:05:40.274
these habitats in serious ways.

00:05:40.274 --> 00:05:42.332
In particular, we dredge
the lower 35 kilometers

00:05:42.332 --> 00:05:44.296
of the river in order that sea-going ships

00:05:44.296 --> 00:05:47.628
can move upriver to the
Fraser Surrey Docks.

00:05:47.628 --> 00:05:49.789
That takes sand out of
the bottom of the river

00:05:49.789 --> 00:05:52.498
and it's this sand that forms the delta.

00:05:52.498 --> 00:05:54.461
Some of that sand goes into
the construction trades

00:05:54.461 --> 00:05:57.117
in greater Vancouver, some
of it is dumped offshore

00:05:57.117 --> 00:06:01.213
in deep water, some of it is
dumped elsewhere in the river.

00:06:01.213 --> 00:06:03.720
By using survey methods,
we've been able to estimate

00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:05.831
that originally, about
three million tons of sand

00:06:05.831 --> 00:06:08.434
moved through the Fraser
Delta each year and nourished

00:06:08.434 --> 00:06:11.063
the delta front so the
delta continued to grow.

00:06:11.063 --> 00:06:13.170
Today, with the diversion
of much of that sand

00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.602
due to dredging activities,
as little as one million

00:06:15.602 --> 00:06:17.915
tons of sand moves through
to the delta front.

00:06:17.915 --> 00:06:20.077
And that's reduced the growth
of the delta front, indeed,

00:06:20.077 --> 00:06:22.946
the delta front is beginning
to recede in some places

00:06:22.946 --> 00:06:24.792
and that has important consequences

00:06:24.792 --> 00:06:27.864
for the development of
the sea grass marshes

00:06:27.864 --> 00:06:30.646
in front of the Fraser Delta
and thereby for the development

00:06:30.646 --> 00:06:32.961
of habitats in front of the Fraser Delta.

00:06:32.961 --> 00:06:35.341
So all in all, we're
changing the Fraser Delta

00:06:35.341 --> 00:06:39.270
in significant ways that
will reduce the biodiversity

00:06:39.270 --> 00:06:41.565
and produce a more depauperate,

00:06:41.565 --> 00:06:45.125
poorer delta environment in the future.

00:06:45.125 --> 00:06:47.463
One significant feature
of Fraser River is that,

00:06:47.463 --> 00:06:49.618
within the lower mainland
of British Columbia,

00:06:49.618 --> 00:06:51.997
it's a major landscape feature.

00:06:51.997 --> 00:06:53.469
The lower mainland of British Columbia

00:06:53.469 --> 00:06:55.538
is that area of the province where

00:06:55.538 --> 00:06:57.106
most of the population lives

00:06:57.106 --> 00:06:59.954
and where growth is by far the greatest.

00:06:59.954 --> 00:07:03.954
So, slowly, the whole lower
mainland is becoming urbanized.

00:07:03.954 --> 00:07:05.554
In another half century or so,

00:07:05.554 --> 00:07:07.313
we'll be almost completely urbanized.

00:07:07.313 --> 00:07:09.181
Within this urban area, the Fraser River

00:07:09.181 --> 00:07:11.749
is the one natural landscape feature

00:07:11.749 --> 00:07:15.357
that promises relief from the
otherwise unbroken urbanism.

00:07:15.357 --> 00:07:17.512
It will provide
recreational opportunities,

00:07:17.512 --> 00:07:19.218
continue to provide food, we hope,

00:07:19.218 --> 00:07:21.514
it will provide spiritual
opportunities for people

00:07:21.514 --> 00:07:23.784
who want to get away from the urban life

00:07:23.784 --> 00:07:25.676
even for a small period.

00:07:25.676 --> 00:07:27.714
And so it's very important that today

00:07:27.714 --> 00:07:30.946
we acquire and protect as much
of the features of the river

00:07:30.946 --> 00:07:33.911
and its immediately-surrounding
land surfaces as we can

00:07:33.911 --> 00:07:36.471
to provide for the quality
of life in the future

00:07:36.471 --> 00:07:38.104
in the lower mainland.

00:07:38.104 --> 00:07:41.604
(calm instrumental music)

00:07:44.872 --> 00:07:46.225
- [Narrator] In our watershed,

00:07:46.225 --> 00:07:49.554
one of the biggest traditional
symbols is the salmon.

00:07:49.554 --> 00:07:51.133
Over the last 20 years or so,

00:07:51.133 --> 00:07:53.530
there has been a significant
decline in salmon stocks

00:07:53.530 --> 00:07:55.698
across the five species in the Fraser.

00:07:55.698 --> 00:07:58.705
Of course, the fish farms on
the coast are seen as being

00:07:58.705 --> 00:08:02.877
a major source for transmitting
diseases to wild salmon.

00:08:02.877 --> 00:08:05.010
But there are also other problems,

00:08:05.010 --> 00:08:07.302
and one of these is the
dramatic transformation

00:08:07.302 --> 00:08:10.215
of the Fraser watershed over time.

00:08:10.215 --> 00:08:12.967
Dredging and habitat loss
on the shores of the river

00:08:12.967 --> 00:08:17.020
eliminated many feeding
and safe, calm water areas.

00:08:17.020 --> 00:08:19.901
Another problem is that
fish are often denied access

00:08:19.901 --> 00:08:23.451
to sloughs and streams, this
is why we meet with citizens

00:08:23.451 --> 00:08:26.600
who care about their slough
and want to protect it

00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:28.636
and bring it back to a healthy condition.

00:08:28.636 --> 00:08:30.162
- Hi there, my name is Lina Azeez

00:08:30.162 --> 00:08:32.965
and I'm the Campaign Manager
for Connected Waters.

00:08:32.965 --> 00:08:35.464
I work at Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

00:08:35.464 --> 00:08:38.563
Watershed Watch is a
salmon-advocacy organization

00:08:38.563 --> 00:08:43.284
that aims to protect and
conserve our wild pacific salmon.

00:08:43.284 --> 00:08:46.709
Today we are in Chilliwack
by the Hope Slough

00:08:46.709 --> 00:08:49.402
and we are here, we've
gathered a number of people

00:08:49.402 --> 00:08:52.897
from across the community
who want to canoe the slough.

00:08:52.897 --> 00:08:54.238
It used to be, back in the day,

00:08:54.238 --> 00:08:56.574
that they used to have canoe races

00:08:56.574 --> 00:08:58.046
it was called the Rosedale Races

00:08:58.046 --> 00:09:00.307
and they used to happen
every year, however,

00:09:00.307 --> 00:09:02.846
there has been a significant
decline in the quality

00:09:02.846 --> 00:09:05.005
of the water and nobody wants to swim

00:09:05.005 --> 00:09:06.974
or paddle in it anymore.

00:09:06.974 --> 00:09:11.058
We want to restore the
Hope Slough so that it is

00:09:11.058 --> 00:09:14.392
a place that the community
feels a true passion for

00:09:14.392 --> 00:09:15.907
and a pride for.

00:09:15.907 --> 00:09:20.014
We also want to ensure that it
continues to be good habitat

00:09:20.014 --> 00:09:23.598
for salmon who are spawning
as well as rearing.

00:09:23.598 --> 00:09:26.691
This particular waterway
has been impacted by

00:09:26.691 --> 00:09:29.454
the diking infrastructure
that's in Chilliwack.

00:09:29.454 --> 00:09:32.760
And it is not really
unique to this system,

00:09:32.760 --> 00:09:34.414
it's something that we have recognized

00:09:34.414 --> 00:09:37.091
is an issue all across the lower mainland

00:09:37.091 --> 00:09:40.971
because the lower Fraser has
about 600 kilometers of dikes.

00:09:40.971 --> 00:09:44.248
And what these have done is, essentially,

00:09:44.248 --> 00:09:47.937
disconnected the small
tributaries and smaller sloughs

00:09:47.937 --> 00:09:51.906
that otherwise would flow
naturally into the Fraser River.

00:09:51.906 --> 00:09:54.572
When you create that dike
and you put up a wall,

00:09:54.572 --> 00:09:57.091
what happens is the
water behind that system

00:09:57.091 --> 00:09:59.491
essentially stops flowing
and what ends up happening

00:09:59.491 --> 00:10:02.755
is you have algae growth,
you have canary grass growing

00:10:02.755 --> 00:10:07.299
right into the water, you
have siltation and stagnation.

00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:10.368
And this area in particular
has a lot of agriculture

00:10:10.368 --> 00:10:12.302
and because of that
agriculture, you have runoff

00:10:12.302 --> 00:10:16.384
from the farms that tend to
encourage growth of algae

00:10:16.384 --> 00:10:20.152
and the various grasses and
invasive plants in the water

00:10:20.152 --> 00:10:24.568
so it's no longer a welcoming
place for humans or animals.

00:10:24.568 --> 00:10:26.691
- [Narrator] Watershed
Watch is also concerned

00:10:26.691 --> 00:10:28.654
about hundreds of gates and pumps

00:10:28.654 --> 00:10:31.139
blocking the fish access
to small tributaries,

00:10:31.139 --> 00:10:34.413
streams and sloughs in
the Vancouver region.

00:10:34.413 --> 00:10:36.524
The pumps are well known to be deadly

00:10:36.524 --> 00:10:38.254
as they grind up the small fish

00:10:38.254 --> 00:10:40.472
who are trying to go through them.

00:10:40.472 --> 00:10:42.403
This part of the dike
system needs improvement

00:10:42.403 --> 00:10:45.955
to protect our wild fish
from this continual massacre.

00:10:45.955 --> 00:10:48.538
(upbeat music)

00:10:50.531 --> 00:10:52.792
There is no doubt that
we live in a watershed

00:10:52.792 --> 00:10:55.352
with many fun and interesting people.

00:10:55.352 --> 00:10:58.522
- And we will be canoeing
down this waterway

00:10:58.522 --> 00:11:01.772
to build a relationship with the water.

00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:04.150
We're gonna look so cool on the water

00:11:04.150 --> 00:11:06.017
like this massive flotilla.

00:11:06.017 --> 00:11:08.600
(upbeat music)

00:11:19.334 --> 00:11:21.189
- My name's Mike Pearson, I'm a biologist,

00:11:21.189 --> 00:11:25.436
I came to participate
and set a few fish traps

00:11:25.436 --> 00:11:29.254
so we could show people what
was found in the slough.

00:11:29.254 --> 00:11:32.773
We didn't catch a lot but we
did get several native species,

00:11:32.773 --> 00:11:35.791
a large scale sucker,
some redside shiners,

00:11:35.791 --> 00:11:39.238
pikeminnows, some sticklebacks,
all in the slough.

00:11:39.238 --> 00:11:41.889
(upbeat music)

00:11:41.889 --> 00:11:43.659
- [Narrator] Mike is also
convinced that the quality

00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:45.761
of the water can be greatly
improved by adding to

00:11:45.761 --> 00:11:49.344
the riparian buffers in
between farms and waterways.

00:11:49.344 --> 00:11:52.651
A riparian buffer is an
ecosystem of growing grasses,

00:11:52.651 --> 00:11:55.841
trees and shrubs on
the edge of crop fields

00:11:55.841 --> 00:11:59.436
that slows the runoff
waters and phosphorous.

00:11:59.436 --> 00:12:01.900
As much as 80 to 90% will settle out

00:12:01.900 --> 00:12:04.415
and fall to the bottom of
the crop field rather than

00:12:04.415 --> 00:12:07.905
get washed out into the
streams, sloughs and rivers.

00:12:07.905 --> 00:12:10.188
Another major job of a riparian buffer

00:12:10.188 --> 00:12:12.555
is to remove nitrogen
from shallow groundwater

00:12:12.555 --> 00:12:14.505
before it moves to the waterways.

00:12:14.505 --> 00:12:17.088
(upbeat music)

00:12:22.333 --> 00:12:23.750
- Hey!
- Hey guys.

00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:26.628
- [Bystander] Hey, you got a keg?

00:12:26.628 --> 00:12:28.345
- Well, we turned it into a party.

00:12:28.345 --> 00:12:30.595
(laughing)

00:12:31.758 --> 00:12:33.580
- Hi, I'm Ian Stephen,
I'm the Program Director

00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:35.661
at the WaterWealth
Project, just here today

00:12:35.661 --> 00:12:38.350
as a participant in this event,
the canoe event put on by

00:12:38.350 --> 00:12:42.009
Watershed Watch and Friends
of the Camp-Hope Slough.

00:12:42.009 --> 00:12:45.326
WaterWealth does a range
of freshwater issues,

00:12:45.326 --> 00:12:47.501
we do sort of public
engagement, bringing people

00:12:47.501 --> 00:12:49.902
into processes involving things like

00:12:49.902 --> 00:12:52.600
the new BC Water Sustainability Act.

00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:56.025
Our really main focus
for quite some time now

00:12:56.025 --> 00:12:58.457
has been locally here in Chilliwack

00:12:58.457 --> 00:13:02.624
on the Kinder Morgan Trans
Mountain Pipeline expansion.

00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:06.500
The province right now is in
the process of modernizing

00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:10.042
BC water law for the first
time in over 100 years.

00:13:10.042 --> 00:13:12.649
And we were involved in
the public consultation,

00:13:12.649 --> 00:13:16.027
sort of bringing the public
into that public consultation

00:13:16.027 --> 00:13:17.854
before this new law came into effect.

00:13:17.854 --> 00:13:20.414
Now the new law is in effect
but many of the regulations

00:13:20.414 --> 00:13:22.458
for it are yet to be written.

00:13:22.458 --> 00:13:25.085
There was actually a study
done by somebody at UBC

00:13:25.085 --> 00:13:27.860
that looked at the public
consultations to date

00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:31.102
and they found the input the government

00:13:31.102 --> 00:13:33.235
received from industry and the input

00:13:33.235 --> 00:13:35.924
they received from the
public were quite different.

00:13:35.924 --> 00:13:37.790
And then the policy outcomes,

00:13:37.790 --> 00:13:40.610
to this point, very much
align with the industry

00:13:40.610 --> 00:13:42.184
point of view on those things.

00:13:42.184 --> 00:13:44.884
So there's a great deal
of very important work

00:13:44.884 --> 00:13:47.646
yet to be done in that
and to try and engage

00:13:47.646 --> 00:13:51.304
the public in those
processes and make sure,

00:13:51.304 --> 00:13:53.401
being that this is the
first time in over 100 years

00:13:53.401 --> 00:13:55.428
that we've modernized water law in BC,

00:13:55.428 --> 00:13:57.092
we wanna make sure we get it right

00:13:57.092 --> 00:14:01.134
and really achieve the fullest
potential of this new law

00:14:01.134 --> 00:14:04.801
to steward water well
for the future in BC.

00:14:07.044 --> 00:14:09.209
- Yeah, I got it.

00:14:09.209 --> 00:14:12.537
- Oh, my legs.
(laughing)

00:14:12.537 --> 00:14:13.370
Awesome.

00:14:14.694 --> 00:14:16.968
- How do you feel Lina?
- Great.

00:14:16.968 --> 00:14:20.382
That was a fantastic paddle.
- Great.

00:14:20.382 --> 00:14:21.215
- Yeah.

00:14:22.265 --> 00:14:23.630
Just look at the crowd.

00:14:23.630 --> 00:14:26.213
(upbeat music)

00:14:29.686 --> 00:14:32.019
(murmuring)

00:14:46.765 --> 00:14:48.888
- [Narrator] Even on a moody day,

00:14:48.888 --> 00:14:52.237
dramatic nature can be a
source of great inspiration.

00:14:52.237 --> 00:14:55.019
We meet Gary Haggquist from Cultus Lake.

00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:58.402
He thinks art can be a way
to protect his watershed.

00:14:58.402 --> 00:15:00.365
- I'm an artist who has long been

00:15:00.365 --> 00:15:03.051
inspired by the natural world.

00:15:03.051 --> 00:15:04.352
I love art.

00:15:04.352 --> 00:15:07.646
Being an artist, I feel so lucky,

00:15:07.646 --> 00:15:09.462
I'm truly blessed

00:15:09.462 --> 00:15:11.030
to pursue a career

00:15:11.030 --> 00:15:13.280
where every day I go in and

00:15:15.134 --> 00:15:18.884
let my creativity flow,
let my passions rise,

00:15:19.926 --> 00:15:21.664
give voice to nature.

00:15:21.664 --> 00:15:25.662
The forest, the water,
the lakes, the mountains

00:15:25.662 --> 00:15:28.128
are integral to my work.

00:15:28.128 --> 00:15:32.295
It's the landscapes that
I'm mainly interested in

00:15:33.809 --> 00:15:38.389
and I'm blessed with an
abundance of water resources,

00:15:38.389 --> 00:15:41.193
water being one of my favorite subjects.

00:15:41.193 --> 00:15:44.472
I'm a very lucky person
to have a free voice.

00:15:44.472 --> 00:15:45.896
I feel

00:15:45.896 --> 00:15:47.304
somewhat

00:15:47.304 --> 00:15:49.310
obligated to use that free voice

00:15:49.310 --> 00:15:52.563
to speak for nature,
to be a voice for her.

00:15:52.563 --> 00:15:53.863
To be a protector.

00:15:53.863 --> 00:15:58.030
(chanting)
(drumming)

00:16:02.547 --> 00:16:05.678
My good friend, Eddy
Gardner, who I have known

00:16:05.678 --> 00:16:09.911
and we've been kind of working
together ever since then.

00:16:09.911 --> 00:16:13.155
I've had the great honor
of traveling with him

00:16:13.155 --> 00:16:15.336
and visiting many

00:16:15.336 --> 00:16:16.753
small communities

00:16:17.672 --> 00:16:19.742
where we were welcomed with open arms.

00:16:19.742 --> 00:16:22.159
And been in a few long houses

00:16:23.242 --> 00:16:27.075
and had the privilege
of witnessing ceremonies

00:16:28.477 --> 00:16:32.552
and the deep connection
that the Sto:lo people

00:16:32.552 --> 00:16:37.331
and other tribes all the
way up the Fraser River have

00:16:37.331 --> 00:16:40.435
and the connection to nature is palpable.

00:16:40.435 --> 00:16:44.602
(chanting)
(drumming)

00:16:47.551 --> 00:16:51.168
I was in a really
interesting march in Victoria

00:16:51.168 --> 00:16:53.585
with Chief Bo Dick and others

00:16:54.607 --> 00:16:57.690
standing up for our water and Salmon.

00:16:59.397 --> 00:17:02.737
I was there filming it with my camera,

00:17:02.737 --> 00:17:05.127
I've become a little bit of a videographer

00:17:05.127 --> 00:17:09.294
as a result of some of these
events that I've taken part in.

00:17:10.185 --> 00:17:12.919
They've inspired me even more

00:17:12.919 --> 00:17:15.959
to give voice to mother earth,

00:17:15.959 --> 00:17:19.607
to protect the lands and
waters that we all need.

00:17:19.607 --> 00:17:21.857
(chanting)

00:17:22.805 --> 00:17:24.972
(yelling)

00:17:30.588 --> 00:17:33.692
So it's had an influence on my work.

00:17:33.692 --> 00:17:37.859
(chanting)
(drumming)

00:17:42.375 --> 00:17:44.208
- We're all connected.

00:17:48.316 --> 00:17:50.983
We must embrace that connection.

00:17:53.105 --> 00:17:55.355
We have to shift our values

00:17:56.325 --> 00:17:59.761
and realize that there's something more

00:17:59.761 --> 00:18:00.594
important

00:18:01.861 --> 00:18:04.796
than money and the monetary system

00:18:04.796 --> 00:18:07.046
that's been enforced on us.

00:18:08.689 --> 00:18:10.990
(yelling)

00:18:10.990 --> 00:18:13.240
(cheering)

00:18:20.348 --> 00:18:22.598
(chanting)

00:18:26.711 --> 00:18:30.878
- All my work has been about
giving a voice to nature.

00:18:32.268 --> 00:18:34.325
(calm instrumental music)

00:18:34.325 --> 00:18:35.158
- [Narrator] History can tell us

00:18:35.158 --> 00:18:37.391
a lot about natural resources.

00:18:37.391 --> 00:18:40.515
Shannon King is the Manager
of Audience Engagement

00:18:40.515 --> 00:18:43.086
at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society.

00:18:43.086 --> 00:18:46.136
- The Fraser River watershed
is an incredible place

00:18:46.136 --> 00:18:49.976
and I personally love it for many reasons

00:18:49.976 --> 00:18:52.740
but for me, one of the most interesting

00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:55.322
and amazing things about
it is the salmon run.

00:18:55.322 --> 00:19:00.253
To have a place where so many
millions of fish come back

00:19:00.253 --> 00:19:04.420
annually to spawn, passing right
by where we are sitting now

00:19:05.375 --> 00:19:06.933
is really an incredible story,

00:19:06.933 --> 00:19:09.909
and it's one of the things
that I am passionate about,

00:19:09.909 --> 00:19:11.893
that I want to teach other people about,

00:19:11.893 --> 00:19:14.089
is that this doesn't happen everywhere.

00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:16.085
And I think that, especially for kids,

00:19:16.085 --> 00:19:18.879
it's just this is where you
live and this is what it's like,

00:19:18.879 --> 00:19:21.310
you kind of expect that
it's like that everywhere.

00:19:21.310 --> 00:19:24.799
But getting kids to understand
that this is a phenomenon

00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:26.570
that doesn't happen
everywhere and it's something

00:19:26.570 --> 00:19:29.491
that is really special to this place

00:19:29.491 --> 00:19:32.490
is something that I
particularly like to share.

00:19:32.490 --> 00:19:36.021
I mean, it's absolutely
amazing that millions of fish

00:19:36.021 --> 00:19:38.303
come swimming by, and
bringing the nutrients

00:19:38.303 --> 00:19:39.701
from the ocean that they have gathered

00:19:39.701 --> 00:19:41.418
over the years of their living there.

00:19:41.418 --> 00:19:44.586
And they bring those nutrients
into the Fraser River system

00:19:44.586 --> 00:19:47.801
where they go back to their
natal streams to spawn,

00:19:47.801 --> 00:19:50.141
they leave those nutrients
there for the next generation

00:19:50.141 --> 00:19:52.857
and for the trees, the
mammals and the insects

00:19:52.857 --> 00:19:54.105
are using those nutrients.

00:19:54.105 --> 00:19:56.067
I think it's an incredible story

00:19:56.067 --> 00:19:59.385
that we just have lost some connection to.

00:19:59.385 --> 00:20:01.568
- [Narrator] A special site like this

00:20:01.568 --> 00:20:04.568
is also associated with old legends.

00:20:06.249 --> 00:20:08.201
- People used to say that
you could walk across

00:20:08.201 --> 00:20:12.413
the backs of the salmon
to get across the river

00:20:12.413 --> 00:20:15.444
during the heaviest spawning times.

00:20:15.444 --> 00:20:17.076
And while I think that might have been

00:20:17.076 --> 00:20:21.545
a bit of an exaggeration,
I have heard that this is

00:20:21.545 --> 00:20:25.183
the most productive
salmon-producing river in the world.

00:20:25.183 --> 00:20:26.930
It isn't just a Steveston story,

00:20:26.930 --> 00:20:30.164
it's very much throughout the
watershed that those salmon

00:20:30.164 --> 00:20:32.628
who are coming past
Steveston on their way by

00:20:32.628 --> 00:20:34.099
are heading throughout the watershed

00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:36.319
into all sorts of
different rivers and lakes

00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.708
and that makes it the most productive

00:20:38.708 --> 00:20:40.767
salmon-producing river in the world.

00:20:40.767 --> 00:20:43.081
- [Narrator] Let's not forget
that the indigenous prosperity

00:20:43.081 --> 00:20:45.493
on the west coast of BC was largely due

00:20:45.493 --> 00:20:48.654
to the abundance of salmon
before colonization.

00:20:48.654 --> 00:20:50.916
- Our people had the
highest standard of living

00:20:50.916 --> 00:20:53.278
than anybody in the entire world.

00:20:53.278 --> 00:20:55.528
(cheering)

00:20:57.794 --> 00:21:01.213
- So at this particular site
at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

00:21:01.213 --> 00:21:03.615
National Historic Site,
we talk a lot about

00:21:03.615 --> 00:21:05.698
the importance of fishing

00:21:06.623 --> 00:21:10.163
to the people that came here
to work in this industry

00:21:10.163 --> 00:21:11.583
from many different places.

00:21:11.583 --> 00:21:14.270
So we talk about the multiculturalism

00:21:14.270 --> 00:21:15.465
of the fishing industry,

00:21:15.465 --> 00:21:19.251
we talk about the work that was done here

00:21:19.251 --> 00:21:21.631
and how challenging it was for many people

00:21:21.631 --> 00:21:24.169
and how hard they had to
work in this industry.

00:21:24.169 --> 00:21:26.419
We want people to remember,

00:21:27.711 --> 00:21:29.682
it wasn't easy for everybody,

00:21:29.682 --> 00:21:32.489
it was a hard job and not everybody

00:21:32.489 --> 00:21:34.953
was treated the same in a cannery.

00:21:34.953 --> 00:21:38.547
And I think that
remembering that helps us to

00:21:38.547 --> 00:21:41.428
better understand multiculturalism
in our country today

00:21:41.428 --> 00:21:43.860
and how we work together.

00:21:43.860 --> 00:21:47.625
And that's sort of one of the
keys messages of this site.

00:21:47.625 --> 00:21:50.375
(dramatic music)

00:21:53.732 --> 00:21:56.315
(somber music)

00:22:06.187 --> 00:22:08.062
- [Narrator] Michelle
Molnar from the David Suzuki

00:22:08.062 --> 00:22:10.732
Foundation presents us
with an important study

00:22:10.732 --> 00:22:13.827
about the role of the
environment in the economy.

00:22:13.827 --> 00:22:16.739
- Unfortunately when we
developed our current

00:22:16.739 --> 00:22:20.911
economic system, we did it at a time

00:22:20.911 --> 00:22:23.828
when nature was viewed as limitless

00:22:24.930 --> 00:22:27.780
and unfortunately, we had

00:22:27.780 --> 00:22:29.447
few built resources.

00:22:31.097 --> 00:22:34.969
So during that time, we
developed a blind spot

00:22:34.969 --> 00:22:39.087
to the role of the
environment in our economy.

00:22:39.087 --> 00:22:41.561
Since that time, we've really realized

00:22:41.561 --> 00:22:44.355
that they're very interconnected.

00:22:44.355 --> 00:22:47.438
A healthy, stable, intact environment

00:22:48.323 --> 00:22:51.972
will do things like store
and clean our water.

00:22:51.972 --> 00:22:53.472
It cleans our air.

00:22:55.089 --> 00:22:57.231
It filters our waste.

00:22:57.231 --> 00:22:58.648
It stores carbon.

00:22:59.632 --> 00:23:03.799
Protects us from extreme
weather events such as floods,

00:23:04.724 --> 00:23:08.422
provides us with a space to recreate,

00:23:08.422 --> 00:23:10.661
gives us inspiration

00:23:10.661 --> 00:23:13.078
and helps to keep us healthy.

00:23:14.033 --> 00:23:17.359
The unfortunate thing is,
our economy doesn't recognize

00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:21.830
many of those services
so we produced this study

00:23:21.830 --> 00:23:23.729
to give a value to those services,

00:23:23.729 --> 00:23:27.046
to really ask, if we had to replace those

00:23:27.046 --> 00:23:29.669
with man-made services,

00:23:29.669 --> 00:23:31.935
how much would it cost?

00:23:31.935 --> 00:23:34.070
So we did that for the lower mainland

00:23:34.070 --> 00:23:37.524
and we found that that
watershed is supplying us

00:23:37.524 --> 00:23:41.107
with 30 to 60 billions
of dollars of assets

00:23:42.465 --> 00:23:44.298
in services each year.

00:23:46.305 --> 00:23:51.012
So here in the lower mainland,
there's limited space

00:23:51.012 --> 00:23:53.345
of low elevation grasslands.

00:23:54.598 --> 00:23:59.110
We find that those areas draw
a high level of biodiversity

00:23:59.110 --> 00:24:02.065
as well as human populations.

00:24:02.065 --> 00:24:04.648
(somber music)

00:24:12.491 --> 00:24:15.741
So we really wanted to do this study to

00:24:17.014 --> 00:24:19.431
help educate people about the

00:24:20.550 --> 00:24:24.561
value, really, of the functions of nature.

00:24:24.561 --> 00:24:27.144
(somber music)

00:24:34.189 --> 00:24:36.742
60 billion dollars worth

00:24:36.742 --> 00:24:38.639
of services per year,

00:24:38.639 --> 00:24:42.806
that's probably a low figure,
probably an underestimate.

00:24:43.697 --> 00:24:46.928
Certainly our key conclusions
coming out of this

00:24:46.928 --> 00:24:50.451
is of restructuring of
our economic system.

00:24:50.451 --> 00:24:54.076
At this point in time we know that

00:24:54.076 --> 00:24:57.692
the environment and the
services that it provides

00:24:57.692 --> 00:25:00.529
are starting to grow scarce.

00:25:00.529 --> 00:25:02.640
This is the mandate of economics,

00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:05.733
the allocation of scarce resources.

00:25:05.733 --> 00:25:08.860
It's time to start to incorporate

00:25:08.860 --> 00:25:11.610
indicators and metrics that track

00:25:12.846 --> 00:25:14.015
our environment.

00:25:14.015 --> 00:25:15.508
It's how much of it is there?

00:25:15.508 --> 00:25:17.065
How healthy is it?

00:25:17.065 --> 00:25:18.963
How well is it providing those functions

00:25:18.963 --> 00:25:22.462
that we rely upon for life support,

00:25:22.462 --> 00:25:26.100
for inspiration and to fuel our economies?

00:25:26.100 --> 00:25:28.683
(somber music)

00:25:40.823 --> 00:25:43.573
(birds chirping)

00:25:46.598 --> 00:25:48.403
- [Narrator] Healthy ecosystems protect us

00:25:48.403 --> 00:25:50.536
from extreme weather events.

00:25:50.536 --> 00:25:52.168
The near-shore areas of vegetation

00:25:52.168 --> 00:25:54.707
including forest and
wetlands are protecting us

00:25:54.707 --> 00:25:57.290
from flooding and storm surges.

00:25:59.302 --> 00:26:01.160
We see those events becoming more common

00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:03.293
because of climate change.

00:26:03.293 --> 00:26:06.481
The simple act of maintaining
and protecting nature

00:26:06.481 --> 00:26:08.624
prevents future disasters.

00:26:08.624 --> 00:26:10.525
(calm instrumental music)

00:26:10.525 --> 00:26:13.275
(birds chirping)

00:26:18.696 --> 00:26:21.425
Aquatic plants, eelgrass beds,

00:26:21.425 --> 00:26:25.630
salt marshes, act as
incredible banks for carbon.

00:26:25.630 --> 00:26:28.350
They represent only around
five percent of the vegetation

00:26:28.350 --> 00:26:30.835
on Earth but they store just as much

00:26:30.835 --> 00:26:35.219
as all terrestrial areas
on Earth's land masses.

00:26:35.219 --> 00:26:37.779
These watershed areas
contribute to slowing down

00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:40.017
the impact of climate change.

00:26:40.017 --> 00:26:43.080
They are critical and
extremely valuable to maintain

00:26:43.080 --> 00:26:46.995
stability, health and
protection for all species.

00:26:46.995 --> 00:26:49.329
(calm instrumental music)

00:26:49.329 --> 00:26:52.079
(birds chirping)

00:27:14.734 --> 00:27:17.774
The environmental impact of
fast-growing human populations

00:27:17.774 --> 00:27:19.598
in this part of British Columbia

00:27:19.598 --> 00:27:23.640
and more specifically in and
around Vancouver, is critical.

00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:27.534
On the land base, we see a
fragmentation of the ecosystems

00:27:27.534 --> 00:27:29.870
due to the development of agriculture,

00:27:29.870 --> 00:27:33.124
housing development and
the expansion of cities

00:27:33.124 --> 00:27:35.844
as they require larger amounts of space.

00:27:35.844 --> 00:27:38.427
(somber music)

00:27:44.040 --> 00:27:48.207
85% of our streams have been
lost over the last 150 years,

00:27:49.224 --> 00:27:52.146
many of them are paved over
and streams have been placed

00:27:52.146 --> 00:27:55.563
in pipes and are not seeing the daylight.

00:28:00.878 --> 00:28:04.023
In the last two decades, this
region has lost an average

00:28:04.023 --> 00:28:07.106
of 65 hectares of wetlands each year.

00:28:08.050 --> 00:28:10.633
(somber music)

00:28:16.040 --> 00:28:18.707
(rushing water)

00:28:20.584 --> 00:28:24.751
Nature brings free, valuable
health benefits for everyone.

00:28:25.948 --> 00:28:29.885
Recent studies show what
many of us have suspected.

00:28:29.885 --> 00:28:32.552
(water rushing)

00:28:33.853 --> 00:28:37.714
Two minutes in nature
reduces our stress levels.

00:28:37.714 --> 00:28:40.893
Two hours in nature
improves our concentration.

00:28:40.893 --> 00:28:44.393
(calm instrumental music)

00:28:46.983 --> 00:28:50.900
Two days spent in nature
improves our immunity.

00:28:59.602 --> 00:29:02.077
We see hospitals recognizing
that a simple view

00:29:02.077 --> 00:29:06.321
of green space helps patients
to heal more quickly.

00:29:06.321 --> 00:29:08.349
And we know that children who have access

00:29:08.349 --> 00:29:11.005
to a single tree in their back yard

00:29:11.005 --> 00:29:14.088
can cope better with everyday disruptions.

00:29:14.088 --> 00:29:15.752
(calm instrumental music)

00:29:15.752 --> 00:29:18.502
(birds chirping)

00:29:24.401 --> 00:29:26.289
The David Suzuki Foundation believes

00:29:26.289 --> 00:29:28.634
that it is now time to act to replace

00:29:28.634 --> 00:29:30.833
the large fossil fuel industry projects

00:29:30.833 --> 00:29:33.287
with sustainable alternatives.

00:29:33.287 --> 00:29:36.263
(calm instrumental music)

00:29:36.263 --> 00:29:38.449
It is time to move from an economy

00:29:38.449 --> 00:29:41.799
that is destructive and
degrades our environment

00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:46.204
to an economy that is more
sustainable and restores nature.

00:29:46.204 --> 00:29:49.052
The good news is, we
have all the technology

00:29:49.052 --> 00:29:51.302
already available to do so.

00:29:52.602 --> 00:29:54.426
- They're all incredibly important issues

00:29:54.426 --> 00:29:57.392
that are quite interconnected.

00:29:57.392 --> 00:29:59.831
Climate change is probably
the leading challenge

00:29:59.831 --> 00:30:01.367
of our generation.

00:30:01.367 --> 00:30:05.301
And part of solving
that issue is looking at

00:30:05.301 --> 00:30:08.801
how we transition to a low-carbon economy.

00:30:09.844 --> 00:30:13.937
It's also looking at protecting the range

00:30:13.937 --> 00:30:17.020
and diversity of life on this planet.

00:30:18.429 --> 00:30:21.420
And the right, enshrining
in our constitution,

00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:24.216
the right to a healthy environment

00:30:24.216 --> 00:30:27.110
I think could be a key
strategy in doing this.

00:30:27.110 --> 00:30:29.860
(dramatic music)

00:30:34.422 --> 00:30:36.852
- [Narrator] In our watershed,
we have a huge demand

00:30:36.852 --> 00:30:38.582
for protected nature.

00:30:38.582 --> 00:30:41.376
And so many concerned
citizens show courage,

00:30:41.376 --> 00:30:45.248
initiative, integrity
and positive actions.

00:30:45.248 --> 00:30:46.870
Even under the rain.

00:30:46.870 --> 00:30:49.620
(dramatic music)

00:31:00.841 --> 00:31:03.241
- My name's Joe Daniels,
I'm the Coordinator

00:31:03.241 --> 00:31:05.737
for the Fraser River
Illegal Dumping Alliance.

00:31:05.737 --> 00:31:08.404
We're a coordinated group
of local non-profits,

00:31:08.404 --> 00:31:10.942
local businesses and
municipal government branches

00:31:10.942 --> 00:31:12.873
that are coming together to address

00:31:12.873 --> 00:31:16.540
illegal dumping issues
in the Fraser Valley.

00:31:26.441 --> 00:31:28.634
I find it really fascinating the way

00:31:28.634 --> 00:31:31.225
ecological communities kind of mirror

00:31:31.225 --> 00:31:33.975
the communities we live
in in that we're often

00:31:33.975 --> 00:31:35.865
still a part of those
ecological communities

00:31:35.865 --> 00:31:37.902
whether we realize it or not.

00:31:37.902 --> 00:31:41.668
And so it's really
interesting to find ways,

00:31:41.668 --> 00:31:45.742
examine ways, that we
interact with our ecosystems

00:31:45.742 --> 00:31:48.100
and ways that we could be
maybe a more responsible member

00:31:48.100 --> 00:31:49.600
of that community.

00:31:51.918 --> 00:31:54.477
We organize these big cleanup events

00:31:54.477 --> 00:31:56.354
because it's an on-going issue.

00:31:56.354 --> 00:31:58.820
We have to organize
these events every year,

00:31:58.820 --> 00:32:00.739
sometimes multiple times a year,

00:32:00.739 --> 00:32:03.671
and we do that because it's
an issue that persists.

00:32:03.671 --> 00:32:05.465
As much as we keep working
on it, it seems to be

00:32:05.465 --> 00:32:08.631
something that we keep
finding and dealing with.

00:32:08.631 --> 00:32:10.172
A lot of it has to do
with people coming out

00:32:10.172 --> 00:32:13.788
from more urban areas, but
all throughout the region,

00:32:13.788 --> 00:32:15.794
coming out and leaving
their garbage behind

00:32:15.794 --> 00:32:16.935
when they're fishing or when they're

00:32:16.935 --> 00:32:18.590
just out enjoying the river.

00:32:18.590 --> 00:32:21.026
You know, I was young, I was a Boy Scout,

00:32:21.026 --> 00:32:23.330
they taught me to pack out what I pack in

00:32:23.330 --> 00:32:25.312
and unfortunately it seems to be a lesson

00:32:25.312 --> 00:32:28.645
that's lost on a lot of people nowadays.

00:32:34.166 --> 00:32:36.300
Today is our 10th annual cleanup

00:32:36.300 --> 00:32:37.772
for us at Fraser River Keeper,

00:32:37.772 --> 00:32:39.894
we've been organizing
these cleanups every year

00:32:39.894 --> 00:32:43.350
since 2007 with the help of
our partners at Woodtone,

00:32:43.350 --> 00:32:45.345
they're a local area
wood products business.

00:32:45.345 --> 00:32:47.521
We started off with
about a dozen volunteers

00:32:47.521 --> 00:32:50.358
and now we're in the hundreds.

00:32:50.358 --> 00:32:52.769
Last year we had about 450 out

00:32:52.769 --> 00:32:54.220
and this year, despite the rain,

00:32:54.220 --> 00:32:57.953
we're looking at probably
about 200 people coming out.

00:32:57.953 --> 00:33:01.313
We pick up pretty much
anything you can imagine.

00:33:01.313 --> 00:33:04.876
Everything from car parts, we've
pulled pieces of boats out,

00:33:04.876 --> 00:33:07.052
we deal with burnt-out camper trailers

00:33:07.052 --> 00:33:09.462
and just basic residential waste.

00:33:09.462 --> 00:33:10.900
One of the biggest problems we deal with

00:33:10.900 --> 00:33:13.281
are burn piles from pallet fires.

00:33:13.281 --> 00:33:14.945
It's kind of a thing you
deal with out in the country,

00:33:14.945 --> 00:33:17.452
a lot of people like to have
big bonfires, burn pallets.

00:33:17.452 --> 00:33:19.008
They don't think about
the fact they're leaving

00:33:19.008 --> 00:33:20.852
a whole pile of nails behind.

00:33:20.852 --> 00:33:23.188
And the metal in those
nails is often toxic

00:33:23.188 --> 00:33:24.588
when it leeches into the environment.

00:33:24.588 --> 00:33:27.051
So we have people out with magnet sweepers

00:33:27.051 --> 00:33:28.481
to deal with those nail piles

00:33:28.481 --> 00:33:30.687
and we're cleaning all that stuff up.

00:33:30.687 --> 00:33:32.769
Yeah, there's just,
pretty much you name it,

00:33:32.769 --> 00:33:34.518
we've cleaned it up.

00:33:34.518 --> 00:33:35.862
We've got tons of people out here

00:33:35.862 --> 00:33:38.151
helping us with these events.

00:33:38.151 --> 00:33:39.675
That's probably our biggest weapon.

00:33:39.675 --> 00:33:43.253
We also use pickers,
long-handled pickers, buckets,

00:33:43.253 --> 00:33:45.584
safety vests to keep everyone safe.

00:33:45.584 --> 00:33:48.079
Safety gloves, all that
stuff that's needed

00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:50.075
in order to keep people safe and make sure

00:33:50.075 --> 00:33:52.443
they can clean up the
garbage they're dealing with.

00:33:52.443 --> 00:33:55.814
The Fraser River is a
really important watershed,

00:33:55.814 --> 00:33:59.462
it is the longest river in
BC, as many people talk about.

00:33:59.462 --> 00:34:01.723
This region in particular
is really important though,

00:34:01.723 --> 00:34:03.056
this is called the gravel region.

00:34:03.056 --> 00:34:05.211
Some of us call it the
heart of the Fraser.

00:34:05.211 --> 00:34:06.704
The reason why we call it that is because

00:34:06.704 --> 00:34:09.433
the gravel, the spaces between the gravel,

00:34:09.433 --> 00:34:11.397
provide really important sheltering places

00:34:11.397 --> 00:34:14.148
for juvenile fish, sturgeon and salmon,

00:34:14.148 --> 00:34:16.454
that need to shelter in these areas

00:34:16.454 --> 00:34:18.992
as their bodies grow
and harden and develop.

00:34:18.992 --> 00:34:21.083
So if these areas get trashed,

00:34:21.083 --> 00:34:24.593
if they get destroyed
through illegal dumping

00:34:24.593 --> 00:34:28.761
or through issues related
to mining the gravel,

00:34:28.761 --> 00:34:30.595
you're gonna see a drop
in those populations

00:34:30.595 --> 00:34:32.505
and those are fish that we all care about,

00:34:32.505 --> 00:34:34.671
we love fishing them, we
love them in our rivers

00:34:34.671 --> 00:34:36.452
and, you know, we wanna keep them safe,

00:34:36.452 --> 00:34:38.392
we wanna keep them here.

00:34:38.392 --> 00:34:41.359
BC is a beautiful province,
we have wonderful rivers,

00:34:41.359 --> 00:34:43.547
we have beautiful lush green forests.

00:34:43.547 --> 00:34:45.460
We want people to come here and enjoy it

00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:47.593
but we want people to do it responsibly.

00:34:47.593 --> 00:34:49.183
So if you're gonna come
here, you're gonna fish,

00:34:49.183 --> 00:34:52.093
please, please, please,
pack out what you pack in

00:34:52.093 --> 00:34:55.807
and leave these places cleaner
than when you found them.

00:34:55.807 --> 00:34:58.015
Part of the thing that's
worked really well

00:34:58.015 --> 00:35:01.309
with these cleanups is because
it's a universal issue,

00:35:01.309 --> 00:35:03.058
a lot of people understand it.

00:35:03.058 --> 00:35:05.215
So we tend to get a lot of
support from the community

00:35:05.215 --> 00:35:08.137
and a lot of people are really fast

00:35:08.137 --> 00:35:11.551
and more than willing to
lend us their support.

00:35:11.551 --> 00:35:13.791
And this is where all this great equipment

00:35:13.791 --> 00:35:15.551
we have to work with comes from

00:35:15.551 --> 00:35:18.623
and we're really, really
grateful to have it

00:35:18.623 --> 00:35:20.553
because there's a lot of
stuff that we need it,

00:35:20.553 --> 00:35:24.720
there's a lot of heavy lifting
to get done around here.

00:35:34.138 --> 00:35:36.201
These cleanups usually
net anywhere from 10

00:35:36.201 --> 00:35:38.260
to 20 tons in a single day.

00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:40.361
It depends on the amount
of people we have out

00:35:40.361 --> 00:35:43.569
but if you were to take a look
around this site right now,

00:35:43.569 --> 00:35:46.292
it'd be easy to believe there's
that much garbage out here.

00:35:46.292 --> 00:35:48.415
And it's sad but, you know,

00:35:48.415 --> 00:35:50.345
we're really happy we're
able to make that impact

00:35:50.345 --> 00:35:53.023
and get it out and over
the past nine years

00:35:53.023 --> 00:35:54.889
we've been doing this, we've cleaned up

00:35:54.889 --> 00:35:57.051
about 88 tons of garbage so far.

00:35:57.051 --> 00:35:58.783
And we're hoping with our 10th year here

00:35:58.783 --> 00:36:00.991
to push it over 100 tons.

00:36:00.991 --> 00:36:02.057
- [Narrator] After visiting this beach,

00:36:02.057 --> 00:36:04.820
I had the strong feeling
that it is time to be happy

00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:07.903
about what we do and not what we own.

00:36:12.445 --> 00:36:14.440
One thing that we need
more of in the world

00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:17.172
is local, healthy food production.

00:36:17.172 --> 00:36:21.097
For that to happen, we have
to make this a priority.

00:36:21.097 --> 00:36:24.020
We meet two farmers who
have a lot to say about it.

00:36:24.020 --> 00:36:27.481
- We are Sweet Digz Farm,
we are a small-scale

00:36:27.481 --> 00:36:31.220
organically-oriented farm in Richmond

00:36:31.220 --> 00:36:33.587
right on the edge of the Fraser River.

00:36:33.587 --> 00:36:35.076
My name's Kimi Hendess.

00:36:35.076 --> 00:36:37.648
- And I'm Kareno Hawbolt.

00:36:37.648 --> 00:36:40.399
(birds chirping)

00:36:40.399 --> 00:36:42.937
Well, the industrialization

00:36:42.937 --> 00:36:44.623
of the river

00:36:44.623 --> 00:36:45.456
breaks up

00:36:46.367 --> 00:36:47.200
farmland.

00:36:49.845 --> 00:36:51.277
Agriculture

00:36:51.277 --> 00:36:54.168
does not end at one farm's boundaries

00:36:54.168 --> 00:36:55.331
and another farm's boundaries,

00:36:55.331 --> 00:36:58.051
agriculture's based in a community.

00:36:58.051 --> 00:37:00.227
And the more that industrialization

00:37:00.227 --> 00:37:01.805
sort of takes over farmland

00:37:01.805 --> 00:37:04.141
and breaks up pieces of farmland

00:37:04.141 --> 00:37:06.435
on the river's edge,

00:37:06.435 --> 00:37:10.115
the more our agricultural
community is broken up.

00:37:10.115 --> 00:37:11.437
- [Narrator] In this
side of the watershed,

00:37:11.437 --> 00:37:13.325
everyone sees that industrialization

00:37:13.325 --> 00:37:15.117
is pushing hard on the one hand

00:37:15.117 --> 00:37:16.717
and that the real estate business

00:37:16.717 --> 00:37:18.392
is developing new neighborhoods as fast

00:37:18.392 --> 00:37:21.027
as they possibly can on the other.

00:37:21.027 --> 00:37:23.415
- It's exactly what we're
seeing with this renewed push

00:37:23.415 --> 00:37:25.132
to industrialize the
Fraser, that's been going on

00:37:25.132 --> 00:37:28.256
for decades and now it's risen up again

00:37:28.256 --> 00:37:31.725
to try to come upriver,
they look for these

00:37:31.725 --> 00:37:35.510
moments in time and
political opportunities

00:37:35.510 --> 00:37:38.593
to put forward industrial development

00:37:39.586 --> 00:37:42.157
and then industry ends
up coming after farmland

00:37:42.157 --> 00:37:45.260
because so much land is now being taken

00:37:45.260 --> 00:37:48.371
from industrial use to residential use.

00:37:48.371 --> 00:37:51.283
So it's this whole
interplay of different kinds

00:37:51.283 --> 00:37:53.287
of land use and water use.

00:37:53.287 --> 00:37:56.204
(mysterious music)

00:37:58.715 --> 00:38:01.096
- [Narrator] Recently,
a giant bridge project

00:38:01.096 --> 00:38:02.748
has become the center of attention

00:38:02.748 --> 00:38:04.499
because it's going to affect farmland

00:38:04.499 --> 00:38:08.499
and a sensitive green
area, part of the estuary.

00:38:10.408 --> 00:38:13.298
- It's very symbolic because it is,

00:38:13.298 --> 00:38:16.243
the whole point of it is
that it enables industry,

00:38:16.243 --> 00:38:19.587
it enables coal that is problematic

00:38:19.587 --> 00:38:20.670
because it is

00:38:21.654 --> 00:38:25.581
transported in open
containers and it causes

00:38:25.581 --> 00:38:27.971
dust to settle on agricultural land

00:38:27.971 --> 00:38:32.728
and the jet fuel pipeline
that has been approved.

00:38:32.728 --> 00:38:36.503
So this whole trend of industrializing

00:38:36.503 --> 00:38:38.851
and introducing more
and more industrial use,

00:38:38.851 --> 00:38:41.570
the development of Roberts Bank.

00:38:41.570 --> 00:38:44.248
So the tunnel is currently the gatekeeper

00:38:44.248 --> 00:38:47.085
of the Fraser River, in some capacity.

00:38:47.085 --> 00:38:49.549
Obviously we've done a
lot of developing already

00:38:49.549 --> 00:38:52.899
but it kind of, it limits
the type of traffic

00:38:52.899 --> 00:38:55.127
that can travel upriver.

00:38:55.127 --> 00:38:58.819
If we remove the tunnel,
bigger ships can go upriver

00:38:58.819 --> 00:39:01.718
and all these other industrial
uses because enabled.

00:39:01.718 --> 00:39:05.153
Which then also enables
removal of farmland

00:39:05.153 --> 00:39:09.368
from food production and
conversion to industrial use.

00:39:09.368 --> 00:39:13.364
I think the symbolism is
also really powerful because

00:39:13.364 --> 00:39:17.733
it was announced at the
same time as we were

00:39:17.733 --> 00:39:19.708
in Paris negotiating

00:39:19.708 --> 00:39:22.214
a climate change deal that had

00:39:22.214 --> 00:39:25.254
somewhat, perhaps, aggressive
targets and really drastic

00:39:25.254 --> 00:39:28.572
consequences if we don't
meet those commitments.

00:39:28.572 --> 00:39:30.321
It's a phenomenal amount of money that is

00:39:30.321 --> 00:39:33.922
just being committed to this bridge

00:39:33.922 --> 00:39:37.461
at the expense of, say we're
just talking about congestion.

00:39:37.461 --> 00:39:39.972
Well, number one, it's not
the priority in the region,

00:39:39.972 --> 00:39:41.968
as identified by the
regional growth strategy

00:39:41.968 --> 00:39:44.132
or the regional transportation plan.

00:39:44.132 --> 00:39:47.120
Number two, it would be
taking resources away

00:39:47.120 --> 00:39:48.965
from other transportation infrastructure

00:39:48.965 --> 00:39:51.940
and buses, we know that
buses transport more people

00:39:51.940 --> 00:39:53.690
than cars so there is

00:39:54.775 --> 00:39:57.109
no aspect of this plan

00:39:57.109 --> 00:39:59.309
that is gonna put buses on the road

00:39:59.309 --> 00:40:01.627
and reduce the amount of
congestion in traffic.

00:40:01.627 --> 00:40:06.526
We are not doing the right
thing to meet those targets.

00:40:06.526 --> 00:40:09.852
I don't know how we
can justify taking land

00:40:09.852 --> 00:40:12.050
out of food production,

00:40:12.050 --> 00:40:16.194
degrading local food economies

00:40:16.194 --> 00:40:19.777
and expanding fossil
fuel oriented industry

00:40:21.058 --> 00:40:24.471
in an incredibly rich and valuable

00:40:24.471 --> 00:40:27.914
and globally-significant
environmental area,

00:40:27.914 --> 00:40:29.890
an ecosystem that is incredibly rich.

00:40:29.890 --> 00:40:31.703
- A farm cannot live in isolation

00:40:31.703 --> 00:40:34.816
and animals and the ecosystem cannot live

00:40:34.816 --> 00:40:36.471
in isolation on one little farm,

00:40:36.471 --> 00:40:40.290
you need a tract, you need
farmland connected to the river

00:40:40.290 --> 00:40:44.834
because that whole thing is
a system and we depend on it.

00:40:44.834 --> 00:40:48.032
- [Narrator] This is Deas
Slough and Deas Island,

00:40:48.032 --> 00:40:50.839
a natural area of the Fraser Delta.

00:40:50.839 --> 00:40:52.930
A local ornithologist, Anne Murray,

00:40:52.930 --> 00:40:56.354
wrote extensively about
this region's bird habitat.

00:40:56.354 --> 00:40:59.074
She shares her concerns with us.

00:40:59.074 --> 00:41:01.451
- We need to protect the Fraser Delta

00:41:01.451 --> 00:41:04.909
because only 20% of it remains

00:41:04.909 --> 00:41:08.578
which supports huge
populations of migratory birds,

00:41:08.578 --> 00:41:12.907
it supports Fraser salmon
populations in the river

00:41:12.907 --> 00:41:15.159
and other fish like sturgeon.

00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:18.157
And it also supports killer whale,

00:41:18.157 --> 00:41:22.477
sea lions, porpoises and
many other marine mammals.

00:41:22.477 --> 00:41:26.530
So all of these wildlife
occur in the Fraser Estuary

00:41:26.530 --> 00:41:29.218
and depend on a healthy delta,

00:41:29.218 --> 00:41:32.034
which is the upland
region around the river,

00:41:32.034 --> 00:41:33.581
for their survival.

00:41:33.581 --> 00:41:37.081
(calm instrumental music)

00:42:02.322 --> 00:42:05.202
The Pacific Flyway is a broad corridor

00:42:05.202 --> 00:42:08.699
for migration of birds, but
there are certain hotspots

00:42:08.699 --> 00:42:12.080
along the Flyway where a lot of birds stop

00:42:12.080 --> 00:42:14.651
because the conditions for them to feed

00:42:14.651 --> 00:42:16.477
and fuel up for their long journeys

00:42:16.477 --> 00:42:18.589
are perfect in those locations.

00:42:18.589 --> 00:42:20.989
And the Fraser Estuary is one of those

00:42:20.989 --> 00:42:24.967
absolutely critical hotspots
on the Pacific Flyway.

00:42:24.967 --> 00:42:28.466
We have large mud flats for
the shore birds to feed on,

00:42:28.466 --> 00:42:30.642
they have to fuel up if
they're gonna make it

00:42:30.642 --> 00:42:33.725
all the way up to the Arctic
and breed successfully.

00:42:33.725 --> 00:42:36.059
If they do not feed here,

00:42:36.059 --> 00:42:38.609
then they will not be able to stop

00:42:38.609 --> 00:42:41.842
many other places on the
northward part of their journey

00:42:41.842 --> 00:42:43.939
because the coast is rocky.

00:42:43.939 --> 00:42:47.656
All the way up the northern
coast of British Columbia

00:42:47.656 --> 00:42:50.054
there's fjords and there's cliffs

00:42:50.054 --> 00:42:52.701
and there's woodland that
are not large mud flats

00:42:52.701 --> 00:42:54.674
for the shore birds to feed on.

00:42:54.674 --> 00:42:57.607
Similarly, the water fowl feed in the big,

00:42:57.607 --> 00:43:01.448
gentle bays like Boundary
Bay and Roberts Bank

00:43:01.448 --> 00:43:04.786
and off Sturgeon Bank,
these are ideal places

00:43:04.786 --> 00:43:09.046
for waterfowl to feed
in the eelgrass meadows

00:43:09.046 --> 00:43:10.635
and stock up.

00:43:10.635 --> 00:43:14.135
(calm instrumental music)

00:43:36.111 --> 00:43:38.948
If we were not protecting
the Pacific Flyway

00:43:38.948 --> 00:43:43.300
in any way, if we just
built all over the habitats

00:43:43.300 --> 00:43:45.550
along this important route,

00:43:46.541 --> 00:43:48.216
then the birds would die out.

00:43:48.216 --> 00:43:51.032
They would go extinct because there is no

00:43:51.032 --> 00:43:55.522
other way they can get from
more remote wintering areas

00:43:55.522 --> 00:43:58.434
down in South America or Central America

00:43:58.434 --> 00:44:01.088
up to the Arctic breeding grounds

00:44:01.088 --> 00:44:03.224
where they're going to nest.

00:44:03.224 --> 00:44:06.724
(calm instrumental music)

00:44:19.314 --> 00:44:21.438
And think about what the birds do

00:44:21.438 --> 00:44:24.391
in terms of the ecosystem as a whole.

00:44:24.391 --> 00:44:26.633
They feed on insect pests,

00:44:26.633 --> 00:44:29.960
they, by their droppings,
provides the conditions

00:44:29.960 --> 00:44:31.838
in which fish can thrive.

00:44:31.838 --> 00:44:36.005
If fish thrive then more
birds thrive, larger animals.

00:44:36.954 --> 00:44:40.718
If you take one of the
building blocks out of nature,

00:44:40.718 --> 00:44:44.750
one of the support structures
which the huge number

00:44:44.750 --> 00:44:47.139
of birds in the world provide,

00:44:47.139 --> 00:44:49.433
you've destroyed the whole ecosystem.

00:44:49.433 --> 00:44:52.933
(calm instrumental music)

00:45:11.379 --> 00:45:14.889
The whole ecosystem is
linked in a completely

00:45:14.889 --> 00:45:19.593
self-sustaining cycle, you
cannot remove one part of it

00:45:19.593 --> 00:45:21.767
and expect the rest to survive.

00:45:21.767 --> 00:45:24.755
And many of the estuaries and mud flats

00:45:24.755 --> 00:45:28.542
and beaches are the places
most favored by humans

00:45:28.542 --> 00:45:32.755
for their developments and
so these areas are becoming

00:45:32.755 --> 00:45:36.937
impossible for the shore birds
to use to the same extent

00:45:36.937 --> 00:45:40.030
that they used to one or
two hundred years ago.

00:45:40.030 --> 00:45:43.315
So many of the shore bird
numbers are in decline

00:45:43.315 --> 00:45:47.209
and this is a serious issue
for many, many species.

00:45:47.209 --> 00:45:50.709
(calm instrumental music)

00:45:55.726 --> 00:45:57.913
The cumulative effects of development

00:45:57.913 --> 00:46:01.038
in the Fraser Estuary
are slowly destroying

00:46:01.038 --> 00:46:03.361
every last remaining bit of habitat

00:46:03.361 --> 00:46:07.212
for these internationally-important
migratory birds.

00:46:07.212 --> 00:46:10.478
And if something is not done to prevent

00:46:10.478 --> 00:46:12.547
any further loss of habitat,

00:46:12.547 --> 00:46:15.797
particularly habitats such as farmland,

00:46:17.082 --> 00:46:18.515
wetlands,

00:46:18.515 --> 00:46:19.725
marshes

00:46:19.725 --> 00:46:21.667
and sand flats,

00:46:21.667 --> 00:46:25.834
then we are going to lose
many more species of birds.

00:46:27.139 --> 00:46:30.056
(mysterious music)

00:46:36.931 --> 00:46:39.406
- [Narrator] A successful
farm project needs water,

00:46:39.406 --> 00:46:41.134
and many farmers are starting to see

00:46:41.134 --> 00:46:44.661
that it can be expensive
unless you have direct access

00:46:44.661 --> 00:46:46.661
to the river or ditches.

00:46:48.077 --> 00:46:51.992
- Richmond is historically
an agricultural island

00:46:51.992 --> 00:46:55.150
and having grown up in
Richmond, and being 45 now,

00:46:55.150 --> 00:46:57.592
I can remember a time
when it was all ditches

00:46:57.592 --> 00:46:59.790
and that was how we managed river water

00:46:59.790 --> 00:47:02.707
and getting water into local farms.

00:47:03.606 --> 00:47:06.014
Basically, this farm
that we're on right here

00:47:06.014 --> 00:47:08.584
on Number Two Road, we're in
an interesting water situation

00:47:08.584 --> 00:47:10.917
because our council has not,

00:47:11.816 --> 00:47:15.649
has really over time
allowed agricultural land

00:47:16.779 --> 00:47:18.510
to be chipped away and chipped away

00:47:18.510 --> 00:47:21.165
and allowed for development.

00:47:21.165 --> 00:47:23.042
So we're on Number Two
Road and they allowed

00:47:23.042 --> 00:47:25.635
condo development on one
side of the road but said

00:47:25.635 --> 00:47:28.855
don't you worry, we're gonna
keep farms on this side.

00:47:28.855 --> 00:47:30.936
Well basically that meant they had to take

00:47:30.936 --> 00:47:32.622
the ditching system out.

00:47:32.622 --> 00:47:35.907
And so, because water moves
differently with concrete

00:47:35.907 --> 00:47:39.416
than it does with farmland, so
when they put in the condos,

00:47:39.416 --> 00:47:43.348
they took out the ditches
and now all the farms

00:47:43.348 --> 00:47:45.264
along Number Two Road on this side

00:47:45.264 --> 00:47:48.531
have to use municipal water to irrigate.

00:47:48.531 --> 00:47:50.174
Now,

00:47:50.174 --> 00:47:51.934
other than that being totally ridiculous

00:47:51.934 --> 00:47:54.312
when we're just right beside the river,

00:47:54.312 --> 00:47:56.990
another problem with that
is if you are actually

00:47:56.990 --> 00:48:00.136
supporting local agriculture as a council,

00:48:00.136 --> 00:48:01.136
as a people,

00:48:02.942 --> 00:48:05.934
and you want, your farms have
to be economically viable,

00:48:05.934 --> 00:48:07.235
they have to be sustainable.

00:48:07.235 --> 00:48:10.600
To be dependent on city water,

00:48:10.600 --> 00:48:13.580
at $1.55 a cubic meter,

00:48:13.580 --> 00:48:17.160
$1.55 is what residential pays,
it's what industrial pays,

00:48:17.160 --> 00:48:21.161
agricultural pays the
exact same in Richmond

00:48:21.161 --> 00:48:23.387
as all that, the guy washing his car,

00:48:23.387 --> 00:48:26.651
we're paying the exact
same, $1.55 a cubic meter,

00:48:26.651 --> 00:48:28.176
that's extraordinary.

00:48:28.176 --> 00:48:29.254
Other, if,

00:48:29.254 --> 00:48:33.062
in other community, they
pay 25 cents a cubic meter.

00:48:33.062 --> 00:48:34.512
We're paying $1.55.

00:48:34.512 --> 00:48:36.762
So right there, as you see,

00:48:37.709 --> 00:48:41.338
there's not very many farms
continuing along Number Two Road

00:48:41.338 --> 00:48:43.973
and slowly, slowly, slowly,

00:48:43.973 --> 00:48:46.351
it's getting chipped off because, I think,

00:48:46.351 --> 00:48:48.944
when people come to see,
hey should I farm here?

00:48:48.944 --> 00:48:50.470
What's the water situation?

00:48:50.470 --> 00:48:52.742
And that's not a good thing.

00:48:52.742 --> 00:48:55.312
And as soon as you don't
have people farming

00:48:55.312 --> 00:48:56.603
you don't have farmland.

00:48:56.603 --> 00:48:59.696
The best way to protect
your farmland is to farm it.

00:48:59.696 --> 00:49:02.191
As soon as it's not farmed,

00:49:02.191 --> 00:49:04.811
well, it's, you know,
no one even farms it,

00:49:04.811 --> 00:49:08.075
it's really not good land,
and then all the sudden

00:49:08.075 --> 00:49:10.411
you're open for development.

00:49:10.411 --> 00:49:13.867
We are a small farm and we believe in

00:49:13.867 --> 00:49:16.864
the power of small farms to feed people.

00:49:16.864 --> 00:49:17.697
And

00:49:19.232 --> 00:49:21.449
small farms allow a lot of flexibility,

00:49:21.449 --> 00:49:24.000
we have, you know, we use a

00:49:24.000 --> 00:49:26.432
different kind of equipment

00:49:26.432 --> 00:49:29.331
that allows us to be on
the land in different ways.

00:49:29.331 --> 00:49:32.527
We have a local market, like it really,

00:49:32.527 --> 00:49:34.842
small farms really are feeding the world

00:49:34.842 --> 00:49:37.274
but there's this paradigm out there

00:49:37.274 --> 00:49:39.781
which ties right into industrialization

00:49:39.781 --> 00:49:41.114
which ties right into the bridge,

00:49:41.114 --> 00:49:45.008
it's the paradigm that
large farms feed the world.

00:49:45.008 --> 00:49:47.597
And then the talk is, well it's
too small to grow anything,

00:49:47.597 --> 00:49:49.829
really, you can't grow
anything on 10 acres.

00:49:49.829 --> 00:49:51.728
Really, people say that,
it's hard to believe,

00:49:51.728 --> 00:49:52.773
'cause when you come to our farm

00:49:52.773 --> 00:49:56.026
and you see the amount
we grow on three acres

00:49:56.026 --> 00:49:58.224
it's insane to think that you can't,

00:49:58.224 --> 00:50:00.101
it's too small to farm.

00:50:00.101 --> 00:50:03.567
But that's kind of what
happens as you break down land,

00:50:03.567 --> 00:50:06.437
as you break down a farming community.

00:50:06.437 --> 00:50:08.854
And so we really believe that

00:50:09.978 --> 00:50:12.608
we wanna bulk up the
power of the small farm

00:50:12.608 --> 00:50:15.898
because we actually
see that as the future.

00:50:15.898 --> 00:50:19.398
(calm instrumental music)

00:50:29.386 --> 00:50:31.063
- [Narrator] The Council
of Canadians is a national

00:50:31.063 --> 00:50:34.685
organization that is concerned
about our future as well.

00:50:34.685 --> 00:50:37.385
They advocate for democracy, fair trade,

00:50:37.385 --> 00:50:41.811
public health, sustainability
and water-related issues.

00:50:41.811 --> 00:50:44.254
Lynn Armstrong is one of the local chairs

00:50:44.254 --> 00:50:45.918
and we met with her in her home town,

00:50:45.918 --> 00:50:49.422
just in front of the future
giant bridge project.

00:50:49.422 --> 00:50:51.689
The construction has already begun

00:50:51.689 --> 00:50:54.674
and as we speak, many
citizens are hoping to see

00:50:54.674 --> 00:50:56.948
that the project is canceled.

00:50:56.948 --> 00:50:58.813
- It's almost unbelievable

00:50:58.813 --> 00:51:01.129
that we're facing plans for this new,

00:51:01.129 --> 00:51:03.668
hugely expensive, 10-lane bridge

00:51:03.668 --> 00:51:06.612
crossing the Fraser River at this place

00:51:06.612 --> 00:51:08.969
at this point in time.

00:51:08.969 --> 00:51:12.436
Fundamentally, the debate
about whether to build a bridge

00:51:12.436 --> 00:51:16.382
or not build a bridge is
missing the core issue.

00:51:16.382 --> 00:51:19.698
We have a problem of two
mutually exclusive visions

00:51:19.698 --> 00:51:21.662
for the future of the region.

00:51:21.662 --> 00:51:24.125
Two completely different worldviews.

00:51:24.125 --> 00:51:26.676
One vision acknowledges our need

00:51:26.676 --> 00:51:28.873
to address climate change,

00:51:28.873 --> 00:51:32.713
to honor the United Nations
sustainability goals,

00:51:32.713 --> 00:51:36.900
to shift as quickly as possible
to clean, renewable energy,

00:51:36.900 --> 00:51:41.150
to improve public
transit, retain farmland,

00:51:41.150 --> 00:51:45.317
promote local economies and
protect the local environment.

00:51:47.188 --> 00:51:49.492
Another very different
vision for the future

00:51:49.492 --> 00:51:52.009
of the region involves development

00:51:52.009 --> 00:51:55.060
and industrialization of the estuary

00:51:55.060 --> 00:51:58.248
to accommodate fossil fuel industries.

00:51:58.248 --> 00:52:01.165
(mysterious music)

00:52:15.921 --> 00:52:18.129
- [Mother] What does that fish say?

00:52:18.129 --> 00:52:19.546
What does it say?

00:52:22.095 --> 00:52:24.412
- [Narrator] For some people,
an aquarium is a place

00:52:24.412 --> 00:52:25.948
where families can have fun

00:52:25.948 --> 00:52:28.865
watching exotic creatures in tanks.

00:52:30.052 --> 00:52:31.078
- [Child] Fish!

00:52:31.078 --> 00:52:32.721
(laughing)

00:52:32.721 --> 00:52:34.416
- [Mother] She's so impressed by the fish.

00:52:34.416 --> 00:52:36.422
- [Child] Hi fish!

00:52:36.422 --> 00:52:38.012
- [Narrator] But for others,

00:52:38.012 --> 00:52:42.310
it is a mysterious, dark
place with reverberations.

00:52:42.310 --> 00:52:45.227
(mysterious music)

00:52:48.223 --> 00:52:52.390
Here, scientists are studying
the underwater world.

00:52:56.661 --> 00:53:00.267
At the Vancouver Aquarium
we meet with Dr. Peter Ross,

00:53:00.267 --> 00:53:02.267
an expert in toxicology.

00:53:04.456 --> 00:53:07.553
- Well the Fraser River is,
of course, a major river

00:53:07.553 --> 00:53:11.006
and it's releasing
millions of liters of water

00:53:11.006 --> 00:53:13.269
every single day into
the Strait of Georgia,

00:53:13.269 --> 00:53:15.051
northeastern Pacific Ocean.

00:53:15.051 --> 00:53:16.800
With that release of water,

00:53:16.800 --> 00:53:19.425
we have very small
quantities of different types

00:53:19.425 --> 00:53:22.934
of contaminates coming from
many, many different activities.

00:53:22.934 --> 00:53:25.430
These would include activities
within the Fraser River

00:53:25.430 --> 00:53:29.131
watershed, the basin, such
as pulp and paper mills

00:53:29.131 --> 00:53:31.489
where, of course, there
was a legacy of dioxin

00:53:31.489 --> 00:53:35.284
and furan contamination
that was largely solved

00:53:35.284 --> 00:53:37.227
through pulp mill regulations.

00:53:37.227 --> 00:53:39.476
We have a number of
wastewater treatment plants,

00:53:39.476 --> 00:53:41.974
this is largely domestic waste,

00:53:41.974 --> 00:53:45.534
we're releasing human waste
basically into the river system

00:53:45.534 --> 00:53:48.468
with a lot of pharmaceuticals
and pesticides

00:53:48.468 --> 00:53:51.179
and cleaning agents and
personal care products

00:53:51.179 --> 00:53:53.389
that are used in the home.

00:53:53.389 --> 00:53:56.195
And forestry and agricultural pesticides

00:53:56.195 --> 00:53:59.315
from all of the activities
related to those sectors.

00:53:59.315 --> 00:54:00.947
So you have a lot of different activities

00:54:00.947 --> 00:54:03.859
within the watershed that ultimately are

00:54:03.859 --> 00:54:08.217
draining into the Fraser River
and then going out to sea.

00:54:08.217 --> 00:54:10.300
In addition though, we've
also got those contaminates

00:54:10.300 --> 00:54:11.988
that are captured by the watershed,

00:54:11.988 --> 00:54:13.684
this would be through the air shed.

00:54:13.684 --> 00:54:17.590
So anything that has been
introduced into the atmosphere

00:54:17.590 --> 00:54:21.476
in the Fraser basin or
elsewhere, including Asia,

00:54:21.476 --> 00:54:25.007
can ultimately be rained or deposited out

00:54:25.007 --> 00:54:26.991
through atmospheric deposition

00:54:26.991 --> 00:54:31.268
into the lands and the waters
of the Fraser watershed.

00:54:31.268 --> 00:54:34.575
One of the recent topics
of considerable interest

00:54:34.575 --> 00:54:37.741
has been our work on
micro plastic pollution.

00:54:37.741 --> 00:54:41.135
Micro plastic pollution is defined as

00:54:41.135 --> 00:54:45.487
plastic particles less
than 5 millimeters in size.

00:54:45.487 --> 00:54:47.503
And this is important
because this is a recent

00:54:47.503 --> 00:54:51.641
scientific discourse but it
builds our extensive concerns

00:54:51.641 --> 00:54:55.508
in the scientific and
the public communities

00:54:55.508 --> 00:54:58.303
regarding plastic pollution in general.

00:54:58.303 --> 00:55:01.220
(mysterious music)

00:55:03.780 --> 00:55:06.265
- My name is Marie Noel,
I'm the Research Manager

00:55:06.265 --> 00:55:08.281
of the Ocean Pollution Research Program

00:55:08.281 --> 00:55:09.838
at the Vancouver Aquarium.

00:55:09.838 --> 00:55:12.505
So in 2015, we launched Pollution Tracker

00:55:12.505 --> 00:55:14.521
which is a monitoring program.

00:55:14.521 --> 00:55:17.561
We have collected samples,
sediment and mussel samples

00:55:17.561 --> 00:55:19.844
from 50 sites all along the BC coast,

00:55:19.844 --> 00:55:21.689
so all the way from Haida Gawii

00:55:21.689 --> 00:55:23.844
to the west coast of Vancouver Island,

00:55:23.844 --> 00:55:25.680
east coast of Vancouver Island

00:55:25.680 --> 00:55:28.519
as well as within the region of Vancouver.

00:55:28.519 --> 00:55:32.849
And we look at micro plastics,
so all the micro plastic work

00:55:32.849 --> 00:55:35.863
is being done here in our
lab at the Vancouver Aquarium

00:55:35.863 --> 00:55:38.655
so we're able to extract
micro plastics from sediment

00:55:38.655 --> 00:55:41.766
and mussels and also characterize, measure

00:55:41.766 --> 00:55:44.577
and look at them under the microscopes

00:55:44.577 --> 00:55:48.193
to be able to have a better
understanding of the source,

00:55:48.193 --> 00:55:51.445
transport and fate of those
particles in the ocean.

00:55:51.445 --> 00:55:53.399
So the first step to extract micro plastic

00:55:53.399 --> 00:55:56.513
from any environmental
sample is to clean it up.

00:55:56.513 --> 00:56:00.287
So we have developed a method
based on the oil extraction

00:56:00.287 --> 00:56:03.329
because we know that micro
plastics really like oil.

00:56:03.329 --> 00:56:06.880
So we mixed our
environmental sample with oil

00:56:06.880 --> 00:56:09.578
and then the micro plastics
are gonna be retained

00:56:09.578 --> 00:56:12.865
in the oil layer that
we're then going to filter.

00:56:12.865 --> 00:56:14.935
The second step is to take our filter

00:56:14.935 --> 00:56:16.481
with our micro plastics on it

00:56:16.481 --> 00:56:19.159
and to look at it under the microscope.

00:56:19.159 --> 00:56:22.412
We are then going to count
and measure every single piece

00:56:22.412 --> 00:56:25.143
that we think is a micro
plastic on this filter.

00:56:25.143 --> 00:56:27.756
- So you'll take the
filter and we'll put it

00:56:27.756 --> 00:56:30.497
in this Petri dish with a
lid, and then we'll slide it

00:56:30.497 --> 00:56:33.544
under the dissecting
microscope right here.

00:56:33.544 --> 00:56:37.711
And we'll start out on low
magnification power like this.

00:56:38.593 --> 00:56:41.639
So here's what you're
looking at in the filter

00:56:41.639 --> 00:56:46.121
after a 30 liter filtered water
sample has been extracted.

00:56:46.121 --> 00:56:49.956
And you'll have a lot of this organic

00:56:49.956 --> 00:56:51.428
seawater debris

00:56:51.428 --> 00:56:53.102
that you can see right around here.

00:56:53.102 --> 00:56:55.065
There's a lot of these
little white spheres

00:56:55.065 --> 00:56:58.222
which might look like micro plastic beads

00:56:58.222 --> 00:57:00.004
but it turns out are not.

00:57:00.004 --> 00:57:02.681
I've checked many of them to make sure.

00:57:02.681 --> 00:57:04.089
When you pick them up with tweezers,

00:57:04.089 --> 00:57:06.574
you can tell they're not
plastic because they'll pop

00:57:06.574 --> 00:57:08.940
or they'll distend or something like that

00:57:08.940 --> 00:57:11.374
and plastic doesn't behave that way.

00:57:11.374 --> 00:57:13.252
So you can rule it out.

00:57:13.252 --> 00:57:15.714
But a lot of the other pieces of debris

00:57:15.714 --> 00:57:18.401
that I'm gonna show you
on this particular filter

00:57:18.401 --> 00:57:20.844
definitely are micro plastics.

00:57:20.844 --> 00:57:25.076
We'll have some of these
brightly-colored fibers right here,

00:57:25.076 --> 00:57:27.345
let me focus in on one.

00:57:27.345 --> 00:57:30.654
This shade of blue is a good
sign that it's artificial

00:57:30.654 --> 00:57:33.801
because there are not many
naturally-occurring sources

00:57:33.801 --> 00:57:37.684
of translucent light blue
fibers like that one.

00:57:37.684 --> 00:57:40.296
So that would be something
we'd definitely count

00:57:40.296 --> 00:57:41.864
as a micro plastic.

00:57:41.864 --> 00:57:44.197
And further down right here,

00:57:45.044 --> 00:57:48.062
this black thread right
here, this nice long one,

00:57:48.062 --> 00:57:51.848
that is also showing several signs of

00:57:51.848 --> 00:57:54.025
being a micro plastic fiber.

00:57:54.025 --> 00:57:56.361
Because when I zoom in very closely,

00:57:56.361 --> 00:57:59.529
you'll see that it has a very regular edge

00:57:59.529 --> 00:58:03.827
whereas if it were not plastic,
if it were cotton or wool

00:58:03.827 --> 00:58:05.918
or something else, it would have fraying

00:58:05.918 --> 00:58:09.544
or some type of damage along the outsides.

00:58:09.544 --> 00:58:13.129
But all you see here is a
very regular, sharp edge to it

00:58:13.129 --> 00:58:15.593
and then down in the bottom right there,

00:58:15.593 --> 00:58:17.778
you'll see some spots where debris

00:58:17.778 --> 00:58:21.780
or other biological things
have started to glom onto

00:58:21.780 --> 00:58:25.556
the outsides and create a
bio fill or a bio fouling.

00:58:25.556 --> 00:58:27.625
So that's something that will happen

00:58:27.625 --> 00:58:29.321
to quite a bit of plastic debris

00:58:29.321 --> 00:58:31.933
when it's floating freely
in the water column.

00:58:31.933 --> 00:58:34.057
Maybe up here, it's hard to see for sure

00:58:34.057 --> 00:58:36.358
but that big piece right there

00:58:36.358 --> 00:58:37.742
at the other end of the black thread

00:58:37.742 --> 00:58:41.966
might also be some bio
fouling that's stuck to it.

00:58:41.966 --> 00:58:45.356
As we continue our search, some
of them will jump out at you

00:58:45.356 --> 00:58:47.207
like this blue one right here,

00:58:47.207 --> 00:58:50.116
that one's pretty clearly artificial.

00:58:50.116 --> 00:58:51.660
You can't say plastic right away

00:58:51.660 --> 00:58:53.614
but you can definitely say artificial

00:58:53.614 --> 00:58:56.228
based on that kind of color.

00:58:56.228 --> 00:58:58.264
And then, as I continue to look,

00:58:58.264 --> 00:59:02.382
there's another blue one that
sticks out to me as plastic.

00:59:02.382 --> 00:59:04.654
Because of the way, another way to tell,

00:59:04.654 --> 00:59:08.204
is the plastic fibers
will statically cling

00:59:08.204 --> 00:59:12.024
to the top of the roof, or
the lid of the Petri dish

00:59:12.024 --> 00:59:14.521
and they'll wanna contact both the lid

00:59:14.521 --> 00:59:17.582
and the ground of the
filter at the same time.

00:59:17.582 --> 00:59:22.025
So a lot of times, I
found one earlier up here,

00:59:22.025 --> 00:59:25.525
this one right here, as I focus upwards...

00:59:28.104 --> 00:59:31.156
You'll see that it is stuck to the lid

00:59:31.156 --> 00:59:34.494
and that means a good
sign that it's plastic.

00:59:34.494 --> 00:59:36.724
This is also a good example of one

00:59:36.724 --> 00:59:39.806
that's been bio fouled
quite a bit because of all

00:59:39.806 --> 00:59:44.022
this material that's kind
of stuck along it like that.

00:59:44.022 --> 00:59:47.180
- Once we have counted
all those particles,

00:59:47.180 --> 00:59:50.929
we are going to confirm that
they are indeed micro plastics

00:59:50.929 --> 00:59:53.524
so we are going to bring them to the FTIR,

00:59:53.524 --> 00:59:56.156
Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer,

00:59:56.156 --> 00:59:58.270
which is a machine that's
going to be able to tell you

00:59:58.270 --> 01:00:00.660
if the micro plastics
that we have extracted

01:00:00.660 --> 01:00:02.334
are indeed micro plastics.

01:00:02.334 --> 01:00:04.489
So they're going to be
able to, the infrared

01:00:04.489 --> 01:00:07.271
is going to be able to tell
us if it is polyethylene,

01:00:07.271 --> 01:00:10.484
polyester or PVC or
tell us that it was not

01:00:10.484 --> 01:00:13.514
a micro plastic and that we
have not identified it properly.

01:00:13.514 --> 01:00:15.028
So it's going to be our last step

01:00:15.028 --> 01:00:17.481
to be able to confirm the micro plastics

01:00:17.481 --> 01:00:19.764
that we have in our sample.

01:00:19.764 --> 01:00:21.815
- We and other scientists are finding

01:00:21.815 --> 01:00:24.076
micro plastics everywhere,
we're finding them

01:00:24.076 --> 01:00:27.468
in the Arctic, in the
Antarctic, in the open ocean,

01:00:27.468 --> 01:00:30.401
in the deep water sediments
and also in some creatures

01:00:30.401 --> 01:00:33.665
that we might not have otherwise expected.

01:00:33.665 --> 01:00:36.065
Our own research suggests that zooplankton

01:00:36.065 --> 01:00:38.132
in the north Pacific Ocean are readily

01:00:38.132 --> 01:00:40.802
mistaking plastic for food.

01:00:40.802 --> 01:00:43.440
Such that one in every 20 individuals

01:00:43.440 --> 01:00:46.076
has plastic in its stomach.

01:00:46.076 --> 01:00:48.937
We've found fish with
plastic in its stomach.

01:00:48.937 --> 01:00:51.487
Colleagues of ours have found that mussels

01:00:51.487 --> 01:00:54.417
and clams and oysters are filtering

01:00:54.417 --> 01:00:57.161
micro plastics out of the water column.

01:00:57.161 --> 01:00:59.412
So the more we look, the more we find.

01:00:59.412 --> 01:01:00.724
And the more we find,

01:01:00.724 --> 01:01:02.793
the more troubling the questions become.

01:01:02.793 --> 01:01:05.629
Is this presenting a
risk to those species?

01:01:05.629 --> 01:01:08.700
Or is this presenting
a risk to human health?

01:01:08.700 --> 01:01:10.868
Unfortunately, the world's
oceans are the ultimate

01:01:10.868 --> 01:01:14.290
sink for all of our activities and we find

01:01:14.290 --> 01:01:16.743
many, many different
types of contaminates.

01:01:16.743 --> 01:01:19.679
The major challenge we
face on a worldwide basis

01:01:19.679 --> 01:01:21.961
is figuring out where the priorities are.

01:01:21.961 --> 01:01:24.775
We have well over 250 thousand chemicals

01:01:24.775 --> 01:01:26.953
on the commercial marketplace.

01:01:26.953 --> 01:01:29.737
And what this means is that
many of those contaminates

01:01:29.737 --> 01:01:32.953
enter into bodies of
water, end up in the ocean

01:01:32.953 --> 01:01:35.208
where they may cause harm.

01:01:35.208 --> 01:01:37.407
So the big challenge we face,

01:01:37.407 --> 01:01:39.508
trying to figure out which
one we should focus on,

01:01:39.508 --> 01:01:42.164
which ones are most problematic
to different species

01:01:42.164 --> 01:01:44.297
or to the food web and then using

01:01:44.297 --> 01:01:46.964
the best-available science to

01:01:46.964 --> 01:01:49.812
basically track those things
back to sources so that

01:01:49.812 --> 01:01:52.799
we might ultimately do
something to turn off the tap.

01:01:52.799 --> 01:01:55.716
(mysterious music)

01:02:07.372 --> 01:02:10.967
We're finding high levels of
contaminates in some species

01:02:10.967 --> 01:02:13.884
that we consume as human consumers.

01:02:15.337 --> 01:02:18.732
So when we look at this, we ask ourselves,

01:02:18.732 --> 01:02:21.909
well where are we now and
where would we like to be?

01:02:21.909 --> 01:02:25.451
And I think that we have a
lot of scientific information

01:02:25.451 --> 01:02:29.249
that provides ample
support for some policy

01:02:29.249 --> 01:02:32.082
or practice imperatives that could

01:02:33.173 --> 01:02:35.318
improve water quality
and improve the heath

01:02:35.318 --> 01:02:38.901
of species that we
value in different ways.

01:02:40.149 --> 01:02:42.391
A lot of people look for more research

01:02:42.391 --> 01:02:47.317
as a means to delay a
potentially costly decision.

01:02:47.317 --> 01:02:49.151
And I think there are times when science

01:02:49.151 --> 01:02:50.679
should be put to the test

01:02:50.679 --> 01:02:54.048
and there is a need for more information.

01:02:54.048 --> 01:02:56.131
But there are also times when we have

01:02:56.131 --> 01:02:59.216
sufficient information to act.

01:02:59.216 --> 01:03:01.594
There's also another time
when we've gotta be careful

01:03:01.594 --> 01:03:04.858
about waiting for more
answers more research

01:03:04.858 --> 01:03:07.331
to guide costly decisions.

01:03:07.331 --> 01:03:11.055
And that's when there's a
risk of unacceptable harm.

01:03:11.055 --> 01:03:15.673
At what point do we evoke
the precautionary principle?

01:03:15.673 --> 01:03:17.590
Where the risk is great

01:03:18.601 --> 01:03:21.010
and the need for action

01:03:21.010 --> 01:03:24.260
is maybe more urgent than we have time,

01:03:25.250 --> 01:03:28.740
basically, to wait for
the research findings.

01:03:28.740 --> 01:03:31.983
Sometimes waiting is not a good answer.

01:03:31.983 --> 01:03:34.820
While it's easy to become despondent about

01:03:34.820 --> 01:03:37.818
the news that we hear about
environmental pollution,

01:03:37.818 --> 01:03:41.647
I think it is worth
remembering and looking back

01:03:41.647 --> 01:03:43.492
at some of the success stories.

01:03:43.492 --> 01:03:47.322
We've had some really nasty incidents with

01:03:47.322 --> 01:03:49.444
different types of contaminates
that are out there.

01:03:49.444 --> 01:03:52.002
We know that, historically, dioxins from

01:03:52.002 --> 01:03:55.111
pulp and paper mills led to the release,

01:03:55.111 --> 01:03:57.171
or impact, on a number
of different species

01:03:57.171 --> 01:04:00.502
in the environment and
threats to human health.

01:04:00.502 --> 01:04:03.311
Pulp mill regulations implemented in 1989

01:04:03.311 --> 01:04:06.308
turned off the tap and we've consequently

01:04:06.308 --> 01:04:08.858
seen a great improvement in the quality

01:04:08.858 --> 01:04:11.503
of the Fraser River in this regard.

01:04:11.503 --> 01:04:15.670
DDT was widely used as an
insecticide until 1976 in Canada

01:04:16.890 --> 01:04:19.290
and after that point,
when we saw widespread

01:04:19.290 --> 01:04:21.828
eggshell thinning in fish-eating birds,

01:04:21.828 --> 01:04:24.239
we've seen a recovery,
a remarkable recovery

01:04:24.239 --> 01:04:26.681
of a lot of wildlife populations

01:04:26.681 --> 01:04:29.581
and improved water
quality in this respect.

01:04:29.581 --> 01:04:33.820
With PCBs, used widely
in Canada until 1979,

01:04:33.820 --> 01:04:37.861
we've seen a dramatic
reduction in the concentrations

01:04:37.861 --> 01:04:41.861
of these nasty industrial
chemicals in wildlife.

01:04:42.894 --> 01:04:46.206
So there have been some bad examples

01:04:46.206 --> 01:04:48.037
of ocean pollution

01:04:48.037 --> 01:04:51.326
and water pollution in the
Fraser River in particular.

01:04:51.326 --> 01:04:53.234
Where we've seen improvements,

01:04:53.234 --> 01:04:56.329
we've seen that science
has led to effective policy

01:04:56.329 --> 01:04:58.857
and we've seen a recovery of ecosystems.

01:04:58.857 --> 01:05:03.024
I think that's an important
story to remind ourselves of.

01:05:04.395 --> 01:05:07.219
- [Narrator] More and
more, we are understanding

01:05:07.219 --> 01:05:10.653
that we humans are inextricably linked

01:05:10.653 --> 01:05:12.903
with watersheds and oceans.

01:05:13.981 --> 01:05:16.678
We have to be vigilant about the illusion

01:05:16.678 --> 01:05:19.511
of economic growth without limits.

01:05:22.813 --> 01:05:26.781
Like the watershed guardians
we saw in this documentary,

01:05:26.781 --> 01:05:29.448
isn't it time to ask ourselves

01:05:29.448 --> 01:05:31.517
what are we willing to do

01:05:31.517 --> 01:05:35.144
to create a healthy place for us all?

01:05:35.144 --> 01:05:37.894
(dramatic music)