BOATERS from the North Shore are expected to be among a flotilla of more than 100 vessels converging in Howe Sound this weekend to draw attention to
environmental threats to the area.
The S.O.S. Save Our Sound mariner's rally being organized by the Future of Howe Sound Society will take place between noon and 2 p.m. on the water near McNab Creek.
The rally is being held to call attention to a number of industrial proposals that the conservation group is worried could have environmental impacts on Howe Sound.
The projects range from a large-scale gravel mine and aggregate processing plant being proposed for a site at McNab Creek, to logging on the north side of Gambier Island and a potential LNG storage and export facility at the site of the former Woodfibre pulp mill. Ruth Simons, the volunteer executive director of the Future of Howe Sound
Society, said the proposals are concerning, especially in combination, because Howe Sound is only now recovering from a past legacy of environmental destruction.
That included acid rock drainage from the former Britannia copper mine site, which continued for 30 years after the mine closed in 1974, plus a chlor-alkali plant at the head of Howe Sound that discharged mercury into the sound up until 1970, and two pulp mills that released vast amounts of toxic dioxin and furan pollution until regulations were tightened in the 1990s.
Studies show Howe Sound still has higher concentrations of pollutants than the Strait of Georgia. After government moved to clean up some of the worst pollution, in recent
years Howe Sound has shown signs of environmental recovery. Sightings of white-sided dolphins and transient killer whales are once again being made in the sound.
Simons said that makes it even more important that potential impacts of future industry on Howe Sound be carefully weighed. She said her group would like to see a comprehensive plan for the sound, so that projects are examined based on cumulative impacts, rather than assessed in isolation.
"A lot of people in North Van and West Van come to Howe Sound for recreation and peace," because it's a relatively close area for boaters, campers and kayakers, said Simons. Many also send their kids to children's camps around Howe Sound. The marine rendezvous on Sunday will feature banners and speakers at the yacht club outstations near the rally. A number of boats are expected to leave from Horseshoe Bay for the event.
