New ECE video for 2011 - Deep Runs the Canyon

This third installment from the West Kootenay, BC based Endangered Creeks Expedition (ECE) attempts to capture the most compelling of all whitewater paddling landscapes, the canyon. In BC, run-of-river power projects tend to threaten canyons which often lie downstream of major points of diversion or dam construction. Left to the wind, these unique places can suffer irreversible damage through altered seasonal flows, debris build-up and water warming trends. With their turbulent depths pumping cool air in the height of the summer, a canyon's micro-climate sustains diverse forms of vegetation, insect and animal life. Interfere with this flux and you alter a system that's been operating far longer than a forty year power purchase agreement.

Motivated by the potential of losing these areas to destructive run-of-river developments, members of the ECE set out to document some of the most remote sites in the West Kootenay region. Similar to previous ECE films, Deep Runs the Canyon exposes awe inspiring scenic beauty while being challenged by dynamic flow obstructions and ever-pressing logistical access issues. Using whitewater kayaks as their vehicles, the ECE collective once again reaches new depths in their quest to contribute to the defense of BC's least explored environments.

Background:
Currently, the BC Government is poised to transfer ownership rights to over 700 of our wild and scenic waterways. This could mean the building of hundreds of independent power projects in watersheds throughout the province, without any adequate review of the environmental or community impacts. This will result in incalculable damage to wild and scenic rivers through road building, habitat destruction, water-diversion and a maze of new power transmission lines.

An advance video teaser edit from this project is available here: http://www.daintydeathy.com/films.html