Take a Bow: river can stand a few more friends

January 6, 2002
Source: Canada.com
Original story - link verified on January 6, 2002

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presence in Banff may look like just an excuse for a celebrity ski weekend, but its true purpose, to introduce a new chapter of the Waterkeeper Alliance to protect the Bow River, is something Calgarians should welcome. The environmental group uses the courts to take on polluters, which is not an entirely new concept. The Alberta River Conservation Foundation was founded in 1996 for this purpose. One high-profile case involved Western Feedlot's accidental dumping of 30 million litres of manure into West Arrowwood Creek, which connects with the Bow River south of Gleichen. Drawing attention to these lapses in industrial practice is valuable work, but the ARCF has slipped below the radar screen in recent years. The Waterkeepers' Bow Valley initiative should be able to pick up where ARCF left off, and build on initiatives underway elsewhere in Canada.

Related stories: Celebrity ski