Volume 20, 1970 - The Arctic Circle - Home

22FDITO'I"IAL.(.lrisis rn the I'lorthT'hc: sfat,e,:rent renrinfed helov,' is blt li.C. Passnore,Execui,ive uircct,or ot' fi e Carraclian ],'Jildlife FeCerati.on. Copieswel:e sent, on l"etrr,-i;irv -l-3th fo I'rine l''lini sfer Trudeau and toI'iinis{-er of jrrdi.ari Affairs anci I'rort}tern "f)evelopment I{r. Clrrefienta,rrd :-r..-i so to tire- rJirectors of the Ferier:aLiorr anC fo tllc Press.Tl:r: st-aterrr€,nt itas received consicierable support alld has provokedmuch t.liscussion. Ifs text follows:Lcologisis aricl conserva.t-icnist s il-re b,ecorning j-nc reasinglycotr,Cet-i-rr:cj 'rijfh fh,.' damage fo {'rugi}e ecosJ/Stens caused b}t thecuprelt rrrsl'L f, explore anC cieve-i.orr oil anC other nir-neral resourcesi.n t,fre garraclian lio::th. The Canadian I^ilcilife Federa-+,ion believesthe re i:; ;tn rrr"gerif neetL to slov,' 11 e rafe of exploraLi on and,1a.niage unt,j.l research and exl)crimentaLj.on have producedtechni.ques 1'or copinq wifh the s;pecial- probleras of fhe north.Sim-Iar kirrcls of d.alraEe r,vrousttt in rnore soufhcrly climatesri,.iglit, be ex.pecteci to heal naturall.y, in tjrne. Firlt, t,he i'iorfh poses;t,p ent,ireL../ dj +-fspent set, of proirlerns. liere the flow of energywit,hirr t,i:erse rn.fural contilrlloifies; is SO delica.tel:l balancecl thafdisturb.i.rrce cr.cate:; scars wirj clr wj Li pers:i.st for an exLrenrell' lonqt,i-l,re. 'j'Lle prot-,Ir:r;r 1s furthcrr coiriplicafecl by p€rn?it.frost uncieri-yingf1e tunclra to clepths of 12(i0 feet. lJisturbance of surfacevegefalion clestrc)\,,s its insulatinn quali-ties and pennits slumpinqof the iocal t,errai n a. process known as ttlilormokarsttrrnri-rj ch --il t.ers clrainarc patf errls, in,-luces soi.l erosion, forns t.arrj e].sfo the iloV€,i(:t.rl of' :l;'r-ir;ialS anri results in :;erious, protablyi116.rvF.-rrsil,ie clr:r.nf€r iri a.ri. ecoi-ogical baLartce vitiich has takentlrousancls of ye:ars Lti clevelop.Da:nage in fhe: Canedjan tiorth is alread-/ exLerisiver &silrl lcaf r.C l.rrr scierilisf s atterirl jnr,' +,ire 'i\rrrdra Oonlercrnce j-nlilr:ionfon in Octc-rber', L959. Across tt,e Alaskan bourrCary, the"oi I nisl:n ne,.ir Pru'lhoe j'a"\r lr;l.c treeil absolutelrr devastating,Otrv:or-lt;ly, tlie oil t,ccinicp-rt:s developed jn Teruts or itlberba cannots4f1lv trc a.pi'U.t;rr in f , r 1o r'1,1i, but nod-ificatj on of Lhese, orrlevelolxrenL o{' rrev,r technirlues, requires tjme for resca.rch andrjxnerj iricrrt,al,i ort. rk:se;r.t'cir is neetlercl, ,'tlso, to Cei,errnine tlieprt:cise 1:vr,,-i ctf. rlj-st,urbalce wlrj cit nortLiern ecos;y:;1,eins ca.n Lolcrllteurit,t,r,rrl :;rr{'f'erj nr' ltcrrnanent, cl,'ui6 r:c. A linnt,ed rilIiount of suchrr.scarcl j-s :rlrr.rr.ci;r un,1er v&1rt flirouqh g.rant,s prouicled by firei''erleral i,6yp1';p1c11L t,o foltr 1l;1.n;1dirr.t't unive'rsi-ti es, lrrlt thcsesfudies a,re nof cxpecfeci lo Jrroduce si.greif icartf resr-rit,s untilL97L. ]r;. fl,e, nerAlrt,irne, if apprlars tL;at the governmelt is