Enbridge, Kinder Morgan, and hope for killer whales
We have something to celebrate. And so do you. In November, the federal government finally rejected the Northern Gateway proposal and vowed to impose a north coast tanker ban. This win was made possible by the combined efforts of First Nations, conservationists, artists, businesses and many others, including you. Collectively, we’ve removed one the most significant threats BC’s coast, its wildlife and its people have ever faced. Thank you.
To get here we played the long game. Our marine mammal and marine bird surveys began in 2004. These were the basis of crucial evidence, scientific publications, popular reports and legal challenges. Constant media engagement kept the public informed while our Art for an Oil-Free Coast initiative and Groundswell documentary inspired thousands to take action to protect BC’s coast.
We remain guided by our mandate to investigate, inform and inspire, and now the entire focus of our oil-free coast campaign shifts to the Salish Sea, Kinder Morgan and Southern Resident killer whales.
Our investigation into the viability of this endangered population tells us that they likely cannot survive with the Trans Mountain project. However, it also tells us that if we increase food supply and reduce disturbance from vessels, we have a chance of stabilizing the population. We’ve put this science to work with viral videos on social media and extensive media coverage that have helped to ensure that the plight of the Southern Residents is not one that can be ignored in Canada or beyond.
Our collective success with Northern Gateway gives us hope for the 80 remaining Southern Resident killer whales. Our tool is science, our method is informed advocacy.
Stopping the Kinder Morgan proposal will take our collective effort and as we gear up for new legal challenges and advocacy here in Canada and in the US, we are asking you to be part of this effort with a donation today.
The 80 remaining Southern Resident killer whales deserve a future lived better than their recent past.
Please help us make it so.
Misty MacDuffee
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
View our Southern Resident Killer Whale and Kinder Morgan video.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
