Marathon - All Year Long

December 1995 - January 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

Behind the scenes at Georgia Strait Alliance

by Laurie McBride

Since we formed five years ago, Georgia Strait Alliance has fought tirelessly to protect, preserve and restore the ecological well-being of Georgia Strait and its adjoining waters. We've made some inroads, but our job is far from over.

Our membership is made up of concerned individuals, who bring a wealth of experience and understanding of local issues around the Strait, and groups representing environmental, labour, native, community and recreational interests. One thing draws us all together: our love of Georgia Strait.

Paddlers will know us best for the event which launched GSA in 1990 -- the Save the Strait Marathon, which has, over the years, involved hundreds of paddlers, swimmers and somewhat eccentric boat builders in a weekend-long celebration of the Strait.

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, GSA has become much more than the Marathon.

We tackle a number of separate but inter-related issues, such as industrial, municipal and domestic toxic discharges, fish farms, oil spill prevention, habitat degradation and growth and development.

Our activities include policy work, advocacy, public education and organizing activities and events to increase public awareness of the threats to the marine ecosystem and increase public involvement in decision-making and stewardship.

Although our head office is in Nanaimo, our work spreads much further afield.

In 1993 we opened a Vancouver campaign office, which success-fully raised public awareness of the scandalously inadequate sewage treatment in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (the single biggest source of pollution to Georgia Strait). Our Vancouver campaigner also played a pivotal role in building a coalition of environmental, health, labour and native groups to defeat the GVRD's plan to introduce chloramine as a water disinfectant.

Over the past year we have focused our outreach efforts on the Comox Valley, one of the fastest growing regions on Vancouver Island. As a result of our high-profile role in facilitating community discussions about water quality problems, we have gained the respect of that community and significantly increased our membership there.

A real highlight of our work in the Comox Valley was the enthusiastic response we received from young people, when we proposed a Voyager canoe paddle from Comox to Parksville for this year's Marathon. Twenty-five young people took part in this undertaking and shared the experience of a lifetime.

We see engaging youth in environmental work as vital. Young people will inherit the mess others have made and their voices must be heard. Some of our youth initiatives for 1996 include hosting a series of four youth empowerment workshops, designed by young people for young people to help them develop leadership skills.We also support special youth projects such as the upcoming LIFE-boat Flotilla, in March '96, which will get 300 young people out on the water, learning about the precious marine ecosystems of Georgia Strait.

Forming alliances

An alliance ourselves, we have always believed in working co-operatively with others by building coalitions. As mentioned, GSA played a key role in building the coalition of groups and concerned citizens which defeated the GVRD's chloramine proposal. Similar work with citizens and other groups in the Lower Mainland resulted in a Delta cement manufacturer's decision to shelve plans to burn hazardous waste in its kiln.

Our Toxics campaign is currently uniting environmentalists, fishing, labour, health, women's groups and others to raise awareness of the threats to human and environmental health posed by persistent organic pollutants.

Pollution travels and so do we. Recognizing the fact that local initiatives alone cannot solve our problems, GSA also works closely with groups in Washington state. We serve on the steering committee of the Zero Toxics Alliance, a transboundary coalition of groups pressing for an end to the manufacture, use and discharge of persistent, bioaccumulative toxic substances.

Other transboundary initiatives include the Sound & Straits Coalition, which GSA co-facilitates with the Seattle-based People for Puget Sound. This coalition works on cross-border issues, including oil spills and sewage discharge. GSA and People for Puget Sound jointly produced the 1995 Transboundary Sewage Report, which gave failing grades to many coastal communities in BC and Washington.

Need to know?

We pride ourselves on the quality of the resource material we produce. These resources include videos (widely shown on community cable stations), reports and factsheets on a variety of issues affecting the Strait. One video, Waterwise, has played an instrumental role in inspiring many communities to look into innovative, ecologically-sound, alternative sewage treatment technologies.

We also carry out an enormously popular program of intertidal quadrat studies which have introduced school children throughout the region to the many creatures with whom we share our beaches. Recently we launched ourselves into cyberspace with a home page on the World Wide Web, containing GSA factsheets, speeches, briefings, news and action alerts, as well as links to other home pages, including WaveLength's. You can visit us at http://www.georgiastrait.org/

Major issues for the coming year

GSA will attack two major challenges in 1996

As wild salmon stocks struggle for survival, fish farms are being offered as the answer, ignoring the many negative impacts this industry has on the environment and on wild Pacific salmon. GSA is committed to raising awareness of this issue and ensuring there is a comprehensive, public environmental review of the salmon farming industry in BC to replace the limited review currently proposed by the government. We will be lobbying for a moratorium on new licenses and expansion of existing fish farms until a full review takes place. Farmed salmon also pose threats to human health and we will make sure both consumers and vendors are aware of these risks.

We will also be working to raise awareness of the threats posed to human and wildlife health by toxics. In addition to contributing to the growing cancer epidemic, some toxic chemicals have now been linked to reproductive, immune system and developmental malfunctions in humans and wildlife. In addition to co-sponsoring a major forum on women's health and the environment, we will offer speakers to schools or community groups. Our goal is to make BC a toxics-free zone.

Join us!

As you can see, Georgia Strait Alliance's work is a year-round, marathon undertaking. The issues are enormous and time really is in short supply if we are to end and reverse the degradation of our beloved strait.

GSA has established a solid track record with all levels of government, which gives us credibility when we press for needed change. Everyone who has ever enjoyed the beauty of Georgia Strait, everyone who is concerned about the future of its fragile ecosystem, everyone whose quality of life is threatened by toxic pollution and unsustainable growth and development should add their voice by becoming members and getting involved.

Laurie MacBride is the Executive Director of Georgia Strait Alliance