Bd - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 2, 2000

KEITH FREEMAN

TERRACE STANDARD.

SPORTS

638-7283

EENA, ANGLER
ROB BROWN

Oil woes part three

Last week i wrote ofhow industrial development had com-
promised the environment and, as a result, the resplendent
fishing that was once to be had in Burrard Infet. This week
I discuss this issue in greater depth.

e wretched state of a large part of Burrard Inlet
isn’t due to oil pollution alone. I don’t even know if
the excrement from the oil refineries and ships are

the largest source of marine pollution there. Even when we
were kids, condoms floated around in the water like jelly-
fish, suggesting that sewage was probably a large polluter.

Still, the fate and state of Burrard Inlet can help us
appreciate the beating we're inflicting on the seas, or as
scientists like to say, the anthropogenic impact on the
hydrosphere. What happened there can also give us a feel
for the variety and complexity of the problems flowing
from marine pollution.

First, we need to realize that the ecological riches of the
sea are not evenly distributed. The continental shelves, are
to the sea what litioral zones are to lakes. They are edges,
the places where life is generated and concentrated, and’
therefore, the places where natural resources are abundant
and most easily exploited.

‘This zone and the narrow strip of land adjoining it have
been the focus of activities that have, to a large extent,
ensured the emergence and progress of the world’s econo-
my and, in a broader context, the origin and development
of civilization itself. This is the reason that 80% of the
Earth’s population and 50% of all large cilies are located
in the coastal area.

and it can only be fully assessed within the framework of
all other impacts of human activity on the hydrosphere.

Underestimating the striking complexity of man’s
impact on the water ecosystems by focusing on some sin-
ele aspect of human activity leads to a distorted picture of
the consequences of that activity. It’s necessary to consid-
er how the simultaneous impacts of several factors can cre-
ate a situation where their consequences can exceed the
effects caused by each factor separately.

In Burrard Inlet there is oil, there is sewage, there is a
thermal plant, as well as many other industries, There are
also railroads, piers, warchouses and other structures that
have claimed large tracts of, and impacted upon, the
marine habitat..

We need to examine the impacts on the hydrosphere in
a holistic way. After doing this, we have to appreciate that
the effects of these activities is greater along the shelf zone
and greatest in the bays and in a sheltered coastal area, like
Burzard Inlet.

At present, the anthropogenic disturbances of the shelf
zone are found on a global scale. In many areas they have
reached critical limits. This is the price we are paying for
unjustifiably, rapid economic growth and short sighted
environmental policy.

The first obvicus'symptoms of the anthropogenic press
on the coastal zone and continental shelf appeared about
30 to 60 years ago. Now, man’s impact has become so
intense, diverse, and dynamic that the decision makers are
finally starting to realize its danger. Offshore oil and gas
production is part of this heterogeneous mosaic of human
activities presently occurring in the shelf zone.

Clearly the latter activity can’t be separated fram the
test of the monolithic, corporate driven industry to which
it belongs, and whose impact on the bicsphere is global.

Oil spills and well blowouts, as devestating as they are,
are not the most devastating spinoff of the oil and gas
industry. Burrard Inlet has, as far as [can tell, never been a
victim of a large oil spill, but has been and is being conta-
minated by the slow relentless drip of oil, oil byproducts
and other pollutants. Crude oil is a shape changer built of
a complex suite of chemicals that assaults from all angles
and manifests itself to us in all kinds of forms.

The byproducts of exploration--the drilling muds, the
drill cuttings, the seismic explorations, the physical impact
of fisheries, the vast suite of chemicals and gases released
into the environment in the exploratory process have their
greatest impact on site and, in many cases, rapidly dissi-
pate (though a significant amount of recent research is dis-
puting widely held notions about the reach of these
impacts and suggests there is still not enough research into
the question). It is a grave mistake to examine any aspect
of the oil industry in isolation.

Man made systems are caricatures of natural systems.
We accept that everything in the natural word is intercon-
nected in an infinitely complex fabric whose subtle weave
we are just starting to appreciate,

Manmade systems share that same quality of intercon-
nectedness, The oil industry is large, unwieldy and com-
plex, and it is all of a piece, You can no more examine
hydrocarbon exploration in Hecate Strait in isolation af the
oil industry and all its manifestations, any more than you
can try to understand the working of the litle finger with-
oul knowing anything of the neuromuscular system,

Pollution is the leading factor when it comes to ani
ships man inflicts upon the sea, but it’s not the only one”

Baseball defeats weather

THE SUN finally shone for
Prince George as they de-
feated Cowichan Valley,
and won the Junior Babe
Ruth Baseball Champion-

ships at Rotary Park on

Friday night.

The weather didn’t co-
operate through most of
the tournament — the pre-
mier event for boys base-
ball in B.C. but that
didn’t keep fans away from
the hard-hitting action on
the field.

The bleachers were
jammed, especiaily for
Terrace’s heart-stopping
comeback win over Fraser
Valley on Thursday.

The Terrace team got
off to a great start, handing
Quesnel a 3-2 defeat.
Three straight losses to
Cowichan Valley, West

Standings Page B12

Kootenay and Prince
George though meant that
Terrace was forced into a
showdown with Fraser
Valley for the final playoff
spot Thursday.

A win would give them
a chance to enter the fi-
nals, a loss would mean
they’d join Quesnel on the
sidelines.

Things locked gocd for
Terrace early, as they got
three runs to take the lead,
which they held through
most of the game. Jordan
Cowman, on the mound for
his second game, rose to
the occassion early, strik-
ing oul several batters, and
getting solid sun.support....

Terrace’s play began to
falter in.the bottom of the
sixth as a series of defen-
sive errors led to four Fra-
ser Valley runs. Ferrace
was going to have to mus-

_ third on, a wild pitch...

THE TERRACE team celebrates after beating F Fraser ; Valley on Thursday, With the win, they entered the
Junior Babe Ruth League Provincial playoffs, where they placed fourth. The game against Fraser Valley
was one of the most exciting of the tournament, which toak place last week at Rotary Park.

s

ter up all their strength to
pull this one out. Kyle
Carey singled and stole

“second, and within min-

ules Terrace was knocking
on the door, loading the
bases, Carey scored from

With Matt Kelly at the °

plaié, another wild“ piteh,

was tossed away, and
Cody Latimer crossed
home, putting Terrace
ahead again, to the honks

eA Fama cas PUP.

of car horns and cheers
from the rain-soaked blea-
chers.

Terrace held on in the
bottom of the seventh,
lightening up defensively
and shutting out Fraser

“Valley::.Cowman: pitched :

the complete: game:
On Friday, Terrace was
in tough against favourite
Prince George in the semi-
finals.

During the round robin,

TERRACE'S BRAD Thiessen swings and misses in Babe Auth Provincials Ac-
tion last week at Rotary Field, His Terrace team playted well enough to ear a
playoff berth, but ware no match for teams like Prince George. Despite the
fourth place finish, local organizers say that future teams can be even more
compeititive with the right training, coaching Programs and league Play Intro-

duced,

the Prince George team
had gone unbeaten in all
five games, with an in-
credible 46 runs scored
and only 10 runs against.
Terrace on the other
hand scored 12 and gave
‘up ST runs iit five“ games.” :

ofrmus Ta their only rund: robin

-mecting, Prince George
shut out Terrace 11-0. The
playoff match up wasn’t as
lopsided, as Terrace man-

Terrace could
have baseball

winners soon

THE FUTURE for base-
ball in Terrace looks
bright in the aftermath of
the Junior Babe Ruth Lea-
gue Championships for
14 year olds.

Both event organizer -

Greg Cowman, and Ter-
race coach Roger Harris
agree that with the right
type of player develop-
ment, Terrace could have
some contenders down the
road.

“There was no expecta-
tion of beating Prince
George right now,” Harris
said. “Throwing was one of
the big differences that se-
perated the teams.”

Harris said that training
needs to be available for
young players here, but
said that the team’s fourth
place performance at the
Babe Ruth provincials is a
good sign.

“The fact that we’re [at
the championships] is a
sign that the quality is
moving up,” he said. “I'd
say we're ecstatic with the
performance.”

Cowman said that both
the history of baseball in
Prince George and their
population base were fac-
tors in their championship
performance.

Terrace Minor Baseball
is looking at adding some
more leagues to create
more interest and a bigger
pool of developing players.

“What we're looking
towards developing is a

senior level, so that the -

young people can look
up,” Cowman sald. “But
we're really proud of how
our boys did.”

The players seemed
equally satisfied by the
team’s showing..

“We “made history
here,” said ‘pitcher Kyle
Carey,
games.”

“We won two .

aged two runs, in a 12-2
loss.

With the win, Prince

George advanced to the fi-
nals and Terrace would
play for third against West
Kootenay, a game they
ost. “
» The finals. went. Prince
George’ S' way as they
coasted to a 10-3 victory
over Cowichan Valley, be-
coming Babe Ruth League
Champions.

Soccer
volunteers
and teams

sought

INTERESTED IN
playing some soccer
over the Labour Day
Weekend? How about
helping with a fun, ac-
lion-packed event?

Mui Luc, of Artistic
Hair Studio women’s
soccer team is organiz-
ing a tournament here
and inviting women’s
teams from across the
province and western
Canada to take part,

Cash and prizes will
be offered to top
teams. It’s haped that
this year’s tournament
will be the start of a
major annual event
here in Terrace.

Volunteers are nee-—
ded for the event, and
proceeds will go to-
ward women's soccer
here, and towards fu-
ture soccer competi-
tion,

All games are slated
io be played in Thorn-

Last year, the tour-
Nament drew four
teams, but organizers
have higher expecta-
tions this year.

“It’s guaranteed
Soccer, soccer and
more soccer,” said
Lue.

For more informa-
tion, or if you’re into
supporting women’s
soccer in the northwest
on a volunteer basis
contact tournament or-
ganizer Mui Luc as
soon. as’ possible. at
638-8928, or fax her at
638-8958,