Oil corporations threaten Canadian birds

This video is called Birds and Canada’s Tar Sands: Why America’s Number 1 Source of Oil is Removing Millions of Birds.

From BirdLife:

Danger in the Nursery

18-01-2009

Strip-mining for tar sands, a source of low-grade oil, is damaging forest and wetland habitats in Canada’s boreal forest. A report, Danger in the Nursery, from the Boreal Songbird Initiative, Natural Resources Defense Council and Pembina Institute, warns that over the next 30 to 50 years up to 300,000 hectares of forest and wetland could be directly affected, while habitat fragmentation, pollution and hydrological changes would affect a much larger area.

The report says that almost all the world’s biggest oil companies are involved in tar sands extraction in an area of north eastern Alberta which supports at least 292 species of breeding birds.

Among globally threatened species are Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus and Sprague’s Pipit Anthus spragueii (both Vulnerable), and Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi (Near Threatened). The only wild, migratory population of Whooping Crane Grus americana (Endangered) nests at Wood Buffalo National Park to the north, and migrates over the tar sands region, occasionally stopping over at boreal wetlands.

Many of the most abundant songbirds and waterbirds of the Americas also breed in the “bird nursery” of the boreal forest, and are already suffering declines because of logging, and degradation of their migration staging sites.

Alberta tar sands get the cinematic treatment deserving of a nasty, nasty industry: here.

The world’s last remaining “pristine” forest – the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries – is under increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found: here.

Oil sands pollution in Canada worse than industry and government claim, by Jeremy Hance: here.

Crude Awakening: Audubon Magazine Tells the Tale of Tar Sands and Bird Habitat.

More regulation needed for Canada oil sands: report: here.

The tar sands mining project in Alberta, Canada, is possibly the largest industrial project in human history and critics claim it could also be the most destructive: here.

Annual bird mortality in tar sands tailings ponds exceeds government/industry figures: Study: here.

New Study Links Toxic Pollutants to Alberta Tar Sands: here.

“Building tar sands pipeline to the US is like a heroin addict shoving a dirty needle needle into his arm for his last fix.” Here.

Once on the Fast Track, Tar Sands Pipeline Faces Tougher Scrutiny: here.

Canada’s tar sands “the most destructive practice on earth” approved for the US: here.

Neil Young benefit tour inspires ex-oilsands worker: Proceeds from concerts to Athabascan Chipewyan First Nation’s fight: here.

TAKE ACTION: Stop the first ever tar sands mine in the US. That’s right, the dirtiest oil on earth is coming to Utah: here.

Canadian Rain Forest Edges Oil Pipeline Path: here.

The Premier of Quebec affirms plans to preserve 50% of the boreal forest, home to large numbers of migratory birds: here.

Rusty blackbirds: here.

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