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A Warrior's Prayer
[This struggle is truly epic as it relates to a human being in the face
of such intense and heavy industrial development.
Because I believe we are gifted immeasurable access to spiritual guidance
and influence, this is an ethereal
endeavor as much as it is physical. Learn more about Blackcloud here, and
how he plays a vital role in the development
of this issue.]
Updates
[find out what is happening on a weekly basis (when I can keep up with
it), and sign up to get e-mail reminders. For
quick summaries of the weeks happenings, visit the
Updates page]
Week 1 - The rig goes up as the first
new well gets underway
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4 - Deer near industry
operations / Divide Creek seep backgrounder - new bubbling noted
Week 5 - Fracing conversation yields
concerns / Walkabout
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10 - Our position on recent
sampling results
Week 11
Week 12 - Elk move in from high
country / Spill
Week 13 - Spill
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16 - Stakeholder meetings in
Denver on proposed rule changes
Week 17 - Rule changes, round two
Week 18
Week 19 - Lawmakers oppose new rules
Week 20 - Walkabout
Week 21 - Garfield Creek Wildlife
area goes on the BLM chopping block - DOW defends wildlife
Week 22 - Elk shut out of historic
calving grounds
Week 23 - Letter to the editor
revealing the truth about industry's rule ratings
Week 24 - EnCana sets up a man camp
Week 25 - County takes on man camp
vs. private property debate
Week 26
Week 27
Week 28 - Here's what happens to
deer, who are often more comfortable around industrial operations than elk
Walkabout / 8-minutes of streaming gas in the pond /
EnCana wants us to sign a mineral lease
Week 29 - Garfield County approves
man camps on private property
Week 30 - Elk leave for the high
country - no calves.... / We sign a lease - EnCana keeps their
grubby mitts off the
land / Discovery of gas venting holes and biofilm /
We raise questions about man camp decision
Week 31 - Tour of "main seep" site
and an opportunity to lean about remediation of on-going contamination
Week 32 - Pipeline "issue"
Week 33
Week 34 - Garfield County
Commissioners slam wildlife / Join me on a fly-over of the gas
patch
Week 35 - More slamming of wildlife
Week 36 - Focus on brown cloud
health effects and "Gunky Eye"
Week 37 - EnCana's 15-month plan
/ Funky emissions
Week 38 - Demotions and final
rulemaking comments to COGCC
Week 39 - More demotions and a
promotion / standing up for wildlife
Week 40 -
Newly discovered Divide Creek Seep
/ Walkabout /
Walkabout part two
Week 41 - COGCC visits site - COGCC
defends prior sampling efforts / News item: man drinks benzene /
Seep
2008 update
Week 42 - DOW fish count /
EnCana expose' from up in the territory /
Seep 2008 update
Week 43 - "What the hell is wrong
with this industry? 101" - chemical disclosure / Focus on
air quality - or lack
thereof / COGCC volley as I try to find answers....
Seep 2008 update
Week 44 -
Seep 2008 Update - Analytical
results from sampling effort raises more questions than it answers; a map
adds perspective and demonstrates relativity of our physical observations to
date
Week 45 -
Seep 2008 Update - Consensus from
the scientific community; Letter to officials requesting ground water
sampling - Pronounced tree die-off for which I am grieving and will write no
more until I find meaning for it
in my heart.... illumination from shadow and a message to share; tree
die-off observations in detail; thank
you's to everyone....
Week 46 - We
wait....
Week 47 - We wait some more, but not
without loudly shifting in our seats
Week 48 - Ambushed by two of
the County Commissioners - but the truth will out.... 180 turnaround by
COGCC
as sampling effort is finally scheduled.
Week 49 - COGCC refuses to look at
impaired frog found at seep site and walks off sampling project -
conversation
taped.... the rescue and recovery of Spots the paralyzed frog.... discover
evidence of broader impacts on
our property and all along a neighbor's - much more expansive than
previously thought....
Week 50 - a prayer for this land
Week 51 - More delays;
Disappearing COGCC documents; Existing rules ignored; Dying vegetation
assessment;
Useless air monitoring results....
Week 52 - Happy anniversary buggers
from hell. Pretty pictures of a harvest untouched by wildlife - because they
are
gone.
Week 53 - Some
sampling has finally occurred; In the News: Corruption at the Denver
Interior Dept.; Rules Watered
Down; Gov. Ritter stands up; Health Warnings against Toxic Emissions;
permits on the rise....
There is a 13-week break in weekly updates (got behind
again!), but the highlights are summarized in a single
block.
Week 67 - COGCC defends its
position on 'science' and continues to refuse to sample the ground water,
gas
accumulating in the creek bed or soils around the Schwartz
well that appear to be leaking thermogenic
methane to the surface environment. Dr. Thyne's long-awaited report on Phase II
Hydrogeologic study is
released by Garfield County! It's a Must See!!
Week 68
(no link)
Week 69 - COGCC sampling results are
finally in. We discover thermogenic (produced formation) gas has been
communicating with the shallow ground water - a clear indicator that the
seep effects we are seeing are due
to drilling activities.
Week 70 - Our hopes for
America's new era of leadership; the revealing truth about toxic air
emissions and EnCana's
"Green Completions"; Smart or Stupid? A running two-cent commentary on
President Obama's leadership.
Week 71 - Trying to learn the truth behind
neighborhood rumors that EnCana has jacked-up an aquifer while drilling;
Launching of Consortium of the Frac'd; Bird Brained vs. Hare Brained
approach to the nation's economic
stimulus; defending a Champion - Tresi Houpt from an ignoramus.
Week 72 - Letter from the EPA promising
better agency coordination; frightening tales from the frac'd; Demotions of
former champions; How Grandmas can teach
Democrats and Republicans a thing or two about economics.
Week 73 - EnCana's rig harasses nesting
Eagles; Elk with nowhere to go; Air Quality holes; Health Study Resources;
In the News - EnCana and others stomping people in their own stomping
grounds.
Week 74 - Prayers for a fellow-forsaken;
Eagles are screwed; New health and citizen advocacy resources; Frac
Attack - The Board Game!; What You Need
to Know - A Practical Guide to Covering Your Ass
Week 75 - New Heroes; In the News:
Health study linking oil and gas activities with smog in Austin, TX.
Week 76 - Ethane and propane found in our
groundwater.
Week 77 - DC lobby trip - shared info,
brought back clarity. (no link yet)
Week 78 - Finally, we manage to inspire
the Garfield County Commissioners to ask the COGCC to reinstate the
moratorium. It only took over a year, at least three incidents of gas and
groundwater mixing and threat of a
lawsuit to get their attention. Texas Cattle caught on video drinking
drilling pit waste.
Week 79 - COGCC and EnCana silent on
drilling impacts - I begin to suspect collusion and a broader cover-up.
Week 80 - A neighbor shares documents that raise serious
questions about data tampering and whether EnCana has
frac'd into the
aquifer.
Week 81 - Bill Barret submits a permit to install an waste
disposal (injection) well in the area.
Week 82 -
EnCana accelerates hydraulic fracturing operations
ahead of Garfield County's environmental -engineering
review.
Week 83
- EnCana Does Earth Day, with a Frac-1, Frac-2
Nine-Well Frac You!
Week 84 - (No link)I received a call this week from the Director of the COGCC informing me that the
COGCC
Commissioners have decided to hold a
2-day hearing on the West Divide Creek issues. This turned out to
be a joke when the COGCC arranged for several industry heavies to dog-pile
Dr. Thyne's proposal that
drilling-related methane appears to be potentially migrating into private
water wells. Listen to the hearing
audio file, and find links to articles reporting major fall-out between the
COGCC and Garfield County a
year later in June, 2010
Week 85 - (No link). Sent a letter to the COGCC Director asking that Bill
Barrett Corp.'s application for a waste
injection well within the hydrogeologic/engineering review and former moratorium area (here) be
included in
the hearing scheduled for July.
(Barrett's application was later unanimously approved by GarCo
Commissioners)
Week 86
- EnCana wraps up frac operations on the F11E pad and
dozes frac sludge under in an unlined pit over a
shallow aquifer already
impacted from drilling operations on the same pad.
Update added June 21, 2010
Week 86 was the last page of updates I made. As EnCana's pace
accelerates, environmental impacts worsen and I strive to muster county,
state and federal regulators standing down, the demands of this site must
take a backseat to constant letter writing, innumerable official appearances
before unmoved agency representatives and candid consultations with a few
agency folks willing to assist but officially hindered. We are pushed along
on a tide of devastation, and it is all I can do to keep up. I am flat-out
exhausted but hope to try and preserve something of our health and home
beneath the unrelenting assault of this industry.
Hydraulic
Fracturing or Fracing Primer
Learn why the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing imperils the
planet's fresh water supply. A fun primer (with graphics) for the
uninitiated.
Technical Weaknesses in Hydraulic Fracture
Modeling and Execution
Informative News Articles Relative to
Hydraulic Fracturing
Mean Energy
- A dispatch from the bull's eye of development
[Hand delivered to a dozen or so
of DC's congressional folk in March 2009]
There has been a lot of ballyhoo from folks touting natural gas as they
beat down the door on the ground floor of what amounts to the new oil. It is
a tempest that sounds something like this... "AMERICA'S NEW CLEAN ENERGY!!!
TONS OF IT!!! GREAT FOR THE ECONOMY!!!! WHOO HOOO - WE NEVER HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT ANYTHING BUT OURSELVES EVER AGAIN!!! MAGIC BULLET!!!" and all that
sort of B.S.
But if you tune your ear beyond the roar of empty shouting, you can hear
the real truth - the whispers of social, economic and environmental upset.
The remnant cry from the totality of destruction rising off every pad where
this industry has left its ugly mark.
When I went to DC to talk to a few congressional folk, I followed in the
footsteps of a fracing company which had been there just before me. They
left their literature and I left mine. Their literature was a multi-page
association-sponsored document outlining all the cases of water
contamination suspected of being caused by or associated with hydraulic
fracturing. Of course, every claim was vehemently refuted, the pristine
reputation of the industry defended. The notorious story of West
Divide Creek was conspicuously left out.
I handed every soul who would listen a packet containing "FRAC ATTACK -
the board game" (in an effort to capture their attention, much like a
colorful balloon captures the attention of a child) a business card
(thinking they might slip it into their wallet, purse or pocket to glance at
before they pick their teeth with it over lunch), and a report titled "MEAN
ENERGY - a dispatch from the bull's eye of development" (hoping maybe
someone would read at least part of it).
Of the dozen or so folks I visited, three seemed to listen - one even
intently. None of the three were congressional representatives, but they
were in an influential position. None of them understood the reality -
including our congressional representative who seemed quite concerned for
industry's interests and content to hedge real issues while looking for a
way to pacify his constituency while protecting industry's pursuit of
profit. This type of response was quite common among all offices. It's no
wonder our country is lost in its own quagmire.
If some politician you hope to educate quickly needs a reality check
(good friggin' luck), you may want to give them this report. It counters
many of the myths associated with what is perceived to be "clean" natural
gas.
Consortium of the Frac'd
[This feature was launched in an effort to help connect
communities adversely affected by drilling activities - particularly
hydraulic fracturing practices. For too long, industry has profited from
their highly perfected technique of "Divide and Conquer", successfully
insulating individuals (and perspectives of truth) from one another. This
is, unfortunately, a work in progress with new communities added regularly.
Fort Morgan
"Field", Colorado
Huerfano County,
Colorado
Parachute, Colorado
Silt, Colorado (linked only through the main Consortium Page)
Rifle, Colorado
Trinidad, Colorado
Aztec, New Mexico
Eunice, New Mexico
Bainbridge, Ohio
Dimock, Pennsylvania
Tioga Junction,
Pennsylvania
Grandview, Texas
Arvada, Wyoming
Pavillion, Wyoming
Clark, Wyoming
Rosebud, Alberta
Vulcan, Alberta
Hearing Documents
Schwartz: View All 3
Hearing Documents:
Schwartz Well / Divide Creek Seep 2004 /
Resulting Moratorium - COGCC Order: 1V-276
Bill Barrett Seeks to Drill Within
Moratorium - CGCCC Order 191-12
COGCC Lifts the Moratorium - COGCC Order
#9 191 23
Dietrich: COGCC Order 1V-297
Amos: COGCC Order 1V-298
What You Need to Know - A Practical
Guide to Covering Your Ass
FRAC ATTACK
The Outrageous and Exciting board game for Landowners, Industry and Everyone
in the Gas Patch!
Timeline of Events 01-07-04 forward
[view a photo chronology of events which have led up to and include the
latest drilling activities in our area. Included are reference maps of the
West Divide Creek Seep area, and a map depicting proposed drilling
activities; as well as a link to referenced documents relative to the seep
maintained by the COGCC and available on their website, which includes:
maps, photos, reports, letters and articles.]
Map - Dipicting West Divide Creek Seep
area
Map - Drilling Area for 40 proposed wells
East Mamm Creek Notice to area
Operators [including map]
[this Notice became active February 09, 2007 and refers to
stipulations for new drilling activity in the East Mamm Creek area.]
List of 817 (as of 11-30-07) documents
maintained on-line by the COGCC relative to the West Divide Creek Seep
Divide Creek Seep
2004 - Main Page
Page 2
Page 3
Divide
Creek Seep 2008 - Main Page
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
[Comprehensive update pages dedicated to tracking the progress of a new
seep discovered on June 28, 2008. Visit this page for photos, video,
perspective maps and other links relative to this event]
COGCC Order and Exhibit
[COGCC Order from 2004 Divide Creek Seep event / and important graphic
exhibit showing fault structures and predictions of pressurized fluid flow]
Larger image of Exhibit
Larger image of Exhibit
- including additional information not readily discernable depicting certain
critical sites relative to seep.
Zoomable image of orange gunky seep
Zoomable image of black seep
Divide Creek Then
[2004 seep event]
Divide creek Now
[at the beginning of the blog and prior to the 2008 seep event]
Why we're nervous
[as if we needed any more reasons - this demonstrates some of the air
emissions in recent years....]
Division of Wildlife 'Electrofishing
Survey' - July 10, 2008
[Division of Wildlife conducts a fish and invertebrate count near the new
seep area and extending for some distance downstream. View photos and
details of the event here.]
Please watch this space or Garfield County's website for
Dr. Geoffrey Thyne's (of Science Based
Solutions) presentation to Garfield County
Re: "Sumary of PI and PII Hydrogeologic Characterization Studies - Mamm Creek
Area, Garfield County, CO" This key
PowerPoint presentation provides an outstanding perspective of the dynamics
at play between the hydrology and the geology of this area in particular as
it specifically relates to drilling operations and risks to water supplies.
Please look for this link at the following address:
http://garfield-county.com/Index.aspx?page=570. The presentation (given
to Garfield County Commissioners and landowners) or report isn't up yet (as
of 12-12-08) but I'll post it as soon as it comes up.
Canary Watch
[My mother's eyes are periodically troubled by what we've long attributed
to drilling operations. We have, thus-far been unable to isolate what type
of drilling activity is involved, however. Health effects of drilling
operations so near residential areas is unknown, but finally - after citizen
complaints, recorded and alleged maladies related to this industry, and
recent congressional testimony, finally - nearly five years after
intense operations moved into the region, a study is apparently being
undertaken. We are tracking her reaction to drilling activities through
"Canary Watch" and reporting them to the COGCC when they occur, so that
we may better define a pattern and isolate the offending cause. Canary
Watch began since resumed drilling the area, with the first 3-day event
occurring on 11-17-07.]
Stand Tall - links to resources
for those wishing to learn more about this industry and help educate their
communities.
Citizen-Generated
Complaint/Report Form - Put it in writing.... (for your benefit and
theirs too)
[Fed up with the tedious process of calling every Tom Dick and Harry to
complaint about an industry 'event'? Well, you can make your life simpler by
copying this form. Submit a complaint/report to COGCC, Garfield County Oil
and Gas Liaison, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment -
whomever. This is a form I created to standardize the process of a
citizen-generated complaint, since different divisions may have different
data collection protocol - and some have no form at all. This way, you can
copy or print the form, pop it into you re-mail or enter the appropriate
information and send it as an attachment saving you and perhaps those who
review it time and effort. It's what I use, and you're welcome to use it
too.]
[get vital information on citizen concerns regarding oil and gas
development. From books and documentary films to emergency call numbers and
citizen advocacy groups, this page has everything you need to stand tall.]
"Citizen's Resource Guide to Oil and Gas
Development in Western Colorado and the Greater Rocky Mountain Region"
[visual aid to understanding federal units]
Federal Unit - Visual Aid
[view letters to officials]
Letter Asking Division of
Wildlife and EnCana for Intervening Aid for Migrating Elk Herd
[worried who to call if you have a spill on your property? Find contact
information on agencies here]
Emergency Contact
Numbers
[a couple of excerpts from COGCC's rules regarding spills and flares.
Also, find instructions for how to find the full set on the COGCC website]
COGCC Rule Excerpts
[Colorado's Governor won a rare opportunity to review and comment on the
BLM's Roan Plateau drilling plan. I sent a letter to Gov. Ritter, asking
that he support best practices and the preservation of this unique habitat.]
Letter sent to Governor
Bill Ritter regarding drilling on the Roan Plateau
2007 - 2008 COGCC RULE-MAKING PROCESS
[through the summer of 2008, citizens and other stakeholders have an
opportunity to comment on proposed rule changes in accordance with House
Bill 1298 and House Bill 1341. We submitted comments outlining many of
our primary concerns.]
Comments sent to Colorado Oil and
Gas Conservation Commission Regarding Rule-Making Proposal
[After the COGCC Draft Rules were shared, stakeholders had an
opportunity to submit any additional comments relative tot he proposed draft
rules. Here is our 16 page "Good / Bad and the Ugly"]
Additional Comments sent to
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Regarding Rule-Making Proposal
Final Rule-Making Comments sent to COGCC via
e-mail (Week 38)
LETTERS TO EDITORS
Following are various letters to the editor in response to on-going issues
of conflict surrounding this industry and its impacts on people and the
environment we are depend on.
Man Camps and use by right on private property
Letter to Editor re: Garfield
County Commissioner's proposed allowance-by-right of man-camps on private
property
Additional E-mailed comments to Garfield
County Commissioners regarding man-camps
Letter to Editor re: Garfield County
Commissioners decision to move forward with man camp allowance by right
(This issue has since been pitched to county attorney, Don DeFord, where I
suspect it will fall away and be forgotten. What was once a good attempt by
the county has apparently gotten too hot to handle and my guess is that
folks will forget about it and it will continue to be one of those things
that industry pushes for an gets by default. We'll see if the issue
resurfaces.)
Wildlife Protections and COGCC proposed rules
Letter to Editor re:
Industry's grumblings about axclusions from the Rule-Makign process (Week
23)
Letter to Editor re: Garfield County
Commissioners egregious stance on proposed wildlife protections
Letter to Editor re: Mesa County Commissioner
Craig Meis' opinion that natural gas pads are beneficial to wildlife
ADDRESS GIVEN TO ATTENDEES OF 2008 WATER WORKSHOP AND IMPACTS OF
INDUSTRY
[address to Western State College - Water Workshop: "Mining Energy
and Water in the West", 2008 attendees / please scroll about 1/3 down the
page on the link below to locate the address]
Address based on my review of film "Rural Impacts!"
and our experiences with the natural gas industry
Image Gallery
[Divide Creek Then - 2004]
[Divide Creek Now - 2007] [but, prior to
June 28, 2008 seep event]
[photos of past emission 'events']
[Summerhawk in the Colors of Autumn]
[view a panorama of Summerhawk
Valley and learn a little about our belonging to it]
[Want to send a Salute to
America's Military? Click here, copy the image and send it on!]
[Bald Eagle Surrounded by Black Emissions]
[Summerhawk in Winter's Rest]
[Summerhawk
Awakens in Spring]
[Gunnison Road Trip - May 2008]
[May, 2008 Summerhawk Walkabout]
[Summerhawk in Summer Splendor 2008 -
Part One (Divide Creek) /
Part Two (Forest)]
[Newly Discovered Seep - June 28, 2008]
[Page 2] [Page
3] [Page
4] [Page
5] [Page
6] [Page
7] [Page
8]
[Full-on
high resolution orange gunky grossness]
[Full-on
high resolution black gunky grossnesss]
[July 03 Walkabout Suprise!]
[July 4th American Flag image to share - Earth Flag
and Prayer Feathers] Scroll toward the bottom - oh, and there's a
goofy caveman picture there too!
[Like a friggin' ant fruitlessly shoving skyward, we
await word with shaky legs and strained feelers]
[Rifle's new Smog Detector inspires the Beijing
Sling toon]
[COGCC investigates West Divide Creek]
[America hedges the Perfect Spin]
[Hydraulic Fracturing]
- What it is. Why it endangers fresh water supplies....
[Walkabout
October 2008]
[Walkabout November
2008]
Video Clips
[Please note: The following videos are categorized relative to their
event and further appear in a generally intuitive chronological sequence.
Video particularly useful in comparing the 2004 seep with the 2008 seep are
noted as such. All videos are posted on YouTube. All are best viewed with a
Quicktime player which can be downloaded free online at
www.apple.com/quicktime/]
Video Relative to 2004
West Divide Creek Seep
Title: Post-Kick
Arbaney Well Flare - The event that started it all
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z9IyJccekY
EnCana had been drilling this well [the Magic or (Majic) 10-2] when it
encountered a massive "kick" or gas pocket. The resulting underground
disturbance shook the ground nearly a mile away and even knocked one home
off its foundation. My mother was on her way into the house when the earth
moved -- like an earthquake.
Title: Divide
Creek Seep 2004 -- Seep in grassy bank area
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdcQDcps5Oo
This video shows gas expressing among dried winter stubble on a bank of West
Divide Creek. This was among the very first video taken immediately after
the seep was discovered. forgive my poor Eliza Thornberry impression as I
attempt to narrate through seasonal allergies.
Title: Divide
Creek Seep 2004 -- characteristics of seep in wetlands
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWqRZiDc3xk
In this clip from April 02, 2004, you'll see characteristics of the seep as
gas vigorously expresses to the surface. Also, Blackcloud demonstrates
combustibility of the gas and shows an area of wetland seeping near the
"main seep" area.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - characteristics of gas expression
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxATqshZX4
This video shows some of the characteristics of gas expressing into divide
creek and along the banks at the "Main Seep" area in May of 2004.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- Combustion of tiny vents on bank
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W42_DVcwllM
The seep you see on this video continues to this day - though much of these
types of expressions are diminished presumably due to remediation of the
offending "Schwartz well" and at least some effort applied to isolated areas
of mitigation (underground sparging).
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - "Mother Vent" bubbling
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LatpZi1b5CA
In this video, you can see the "Mother Vent" blowing bubbles. This single
vent was the only one that anyone discovered that expressed gas to this
degree, though there were some others that came close.
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- Blackcloud demonstrates combustion
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY0jHACJCTc
In this video, Blackcloud demonstrates combustion of what he called the
"Mother Vent".
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - Spring with bacteria and biofilm
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTU4T0lWRYE
In this video, you can see a spring from the "Main Seep" area running with
orange gunk. At the time (May, 16, 2004) we didn't know what this stuff was.
We later learned it was iron-reducing bacteria.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title: Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- Gas expressing in beaver
pond
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np-gAyDN8CA
In this video, you can see how our beaver pond bubbled during the height of
the Divide Creek Seep in 2004. The COGCC tested this pond and found only
"Near Surface Microbial Activity". I bet there was near surface microbial
activity, given the amount of hydrocarbons that were likely present
underground
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- Gas saturation in beaver pond
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pdPl5o7AP8
Blackcloud demonstrates the saturation of bubbles in our beaver pond in June
of 2004. This pond had never bubbled before the seep and it stopped after
the Schwartz well was remediated. The bubbles were flammable -- demonstrated
in another short clip on YouTube.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- Blackcloud burns gas in beaver pond
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKLNFU6wo8k
In this short video clip, Blackcloud demonstrates the combustion of
accumulated gas in our beaver pond only six weeks or so after the seep was
first discovered. This video is part of another: [YouTube Title: Divide
Creek Seep 2004 -- gas saturation in beaver pond].
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 200
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 – Remediation
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAysFesApJw
In this video, you can see the "sparge" system (since removed) and booms
(since removed) set up to volatilize the hydrocarbons from the surface
waters.
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - Algae cages in Divide Creek
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U4vfv9QGN0
In this video, you can see algae cages placed in Divide Creek. You can also
see the iron-reducing bacteria on the banks of the creek and associated
bluish, iridescent sheen of biofilm. The algae cages were a part of an
aquatic study commissioned by EnCana. The results of that study were never
released.
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - Oak canopy die-off
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k38ABNdg4VE
This film shows the kind of die-off our oak forest experienced during the
natural gas seep in 2004. The leaves had these burnt looking spots on them
and overall a lot of leaf die-off occurred. Overall, about 30 percent of the
canopy never recovered. Many cedars were impacted then also and so were many
pine trees.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 - Gas in beaver pond diminishing
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREQQiIsyNc
This film shows the diminishing of gas in our beaver pond after the Schwartz
well as remediated. By the time this clip was filmed, the gas expressing to
the surface had reduced by probably 50 or 60%. It continued reducing until
it finally stopped altogether - which took a while because the silty bottom
of the pond has absorbed like a sponge a lot of gas. By the next Spring,
though, run off cleared out the area and everything appeared to have
returned to normal.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2004 -- view "Main Seep" bank 07-03-2008
(this is an update!)
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUPcqdT4TW8
This video shows the "main seep" area now covered with orange-colored
iron-reducing bacteria and blue biofilm. This bank was clear prior to the
2004 seep, then the Schwartz well (see below) was remediated, and the bank
began to clear up.
KEY VIDEO TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIVITY OF NEW SEEP DISCOVERED JUNE 28, 2008
Video
Relative to 2008 West Divide Creek Seep
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2008 - Black seep early after discovery
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY1ey-9a6ec
This film shows the characteristics of the black seep which expressed along
a depression just in front of and at the base of the North face cliff
(immediately behind which EnCana continues to drill and frac).
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2008 - Black Seep
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIrJMLkx56U
This is what we're calling a black seep. We first discovered it June 28,
2008, near West Divide Creek. It smells like rotten eggs. Around this area
we have also noted a profusion of orange-colored iron-reducing bacteria run
amok bankside.
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2008 -- Biofilm and bacteria in ponded area
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQIuZMMP7E
This footage shows the nasty biofilm and some iron-reducing (orange)
microbial growth associated with the seep discovered in 2008. There are much
better pictures of the orange gunk online at the site given below. As you
can see, it bears many of the same visual characteristics of the seep in
2004 (which continues).
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2008 - Frequent bubbling in pond
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoCUIbfXeMI
This video shows general bubbling in our beaver pond which has been
increasing since last year when EnCana re-entered the Schwartz site to shut
in the old well and drill a bunch of new ones. This clip shows frequent
expressions of gas (just prior to another related clip loaded separately in
which gas expressed continually for 8 minutes).
Title: Divide Creek Seep 2008 --
8-minute expression in beaver pond
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzdgIqJslGU
This video shows a continuous 8-minute expression of gas into the beaver
pond in April of 2008. The expression had been going for some time (judging
by the trail of bubbles on the surface) and it continued on after I ran out
of film.
Title:
Divide Creek Seep 2008 - Gas bubbling in Turkey Point beaver
pond
YouTube Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-_e7djYF1s
This is a short clip of gas bubbling we observed at Turkey Point beaver
pond. The little flickers you see on the surface to the middle-ground, right
hand side are tiny bubbles bursting on the surface. Larger periodic
disruptions are also evident - particularly nearer the bank.
Title: Spots the Super Frog (parts 1
- 5a and 5b)
On August 28th, 2008 a West Divide Creek leopard
frog goes from rescue to release as he overcomes what appears to be
neurological impairment as a result of exposure to a seep impact area....
Spots the Super Frog - Part 1 - The Rescue
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPHlg9L1ycM
Spots the Super Frog - Part 2 - A New
Environment
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ7onOEZ8dQ
Spots the Super Frog Part 3 -
Detoxification
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpfhnLNKB88
Spots the Super Frog - Part 4 -
Revived and Ready to Rock n' Roll!
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fT2nlwQZIw
Spots the Super Frog - Part 5-A and 5-B -
Seizing Freedom!
YouTube Link 5-A (out of the house!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEC-yk8za7w
(sorry for the poor quality - our camcorder pooped out
and these two video clips were camera captured....)
YouTube Link 5-B (into the creek!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-c1HYxYdCs
Title: Divide Creek Seep 2008 - Gas
Bubbling in West Divide Creek
Gas expresses into West Divide Creek from underground in the same area where
a Spots (the partially paralyzed frog - video immediately above) was found
only minutes earlier. This video shows
another, larger and apparently unimpaired frog near the same area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayhBZWaXXBI
For
Fun
Title:
Divide Creek Run-off May 2008 1 of 3
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIRR_OpLGgk
West Divide Creek roars through Summerhawk Valley. As the water courses
along, upstream debris collects in eddies, islands are born from peninsulas,
and the landscape is forever changed as silt banks are deposited on mud
flats, new channels are cut across the lowlands and banks erode and cave in.
Title:
Turkey Point Runoff on Divide Creek 2008 Part 2 of 3
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGECTmjCppE
Spring runoff in Divide Creek 2008
Title:
Divide Creek Runoff May 2008 Part 3 of 3
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tDExMOFl8
Stand at the water's edge as a log floats by....
Title:
Beaver folk enjoy an evening at Turkey Point
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvFZ8hTaPTQ
Watch the beaver folk do their thing as a warm July afternoon draws to a
close. An adult and two juveniles enjoy their evening meal before retiring
for the night, but watch as one youngster skillfully wrangles its snack out
of a snack pile and, later, wrestles it through the reeds.
Title:
Sandpiper goes shopping at Turkey Point beaver pond
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrIQpQTCnU
Sandpiper takes a stroll through the supermarket at Turkey Point beaver pond
and snags a snack or two from either side of the aisle.
Other
General Stuff Pertaining to Drilling Weirdness,
with more of these to come - you know, nasty pits and stuff like that....
Title:
Night lights from
EnCana's natural gas production pad
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWQN3PhRfVY
This video was taken at around 9:15 the evening of June 06, 2008, about an
hour after the emission video. It was taken on EnCana's pad at the Schwartz
site. We came to see if we could see if the emissions were continuing, but
couldn't tell. We decided though to film the lights anyway.
Title:
EnCana Frac Tank Emission June 06 2008
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QbDNKz6x60
Some kind of funky emission from the EnCana frac tank battery set up on the
natural gas pad at the Schwartz site. We observed this event for approx. 20
minutes beginning around 8:15pm.
Title:
Suspected Oil and Gas Pipeline Event April 29 2008
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSCAUBxog8o
We found this going on this morning when we walked outside (April 29, 2008).
At first we thought it was a gas well that had blown, so we immediately
called 911.
TOONS!
[Every now and then I go on a tear and this time it's
satire. Who couldn't use a laugh - especially when it's to keep you from
putting your head in an oven? See the "best of Bracken" here....
[P.S. if you want to copy and paste any of the toons from his
segment and share with friends - I'm definitely okay with that - just don't
use them for commercial purposes. If you'd like to run one of these in your
commercial blog, newsletter, big-time newspaper, whatever - in most cases,
I'll be happy to let you use it for free, but send me a quick e-mail
at
projectforsaken@earthlink.net
asking permission to reprint, and please let me know what
publication it will appear in. Chances are, I probably won't have an issue,
but just in case - let's be on the same page. At that point, I'll e-mail you
a print-quality version. Of course, all rights are reserved by the author -
me!
Ant vs. Industry 08-04-08
Beijing Sling 08-07-08
COGCC Investigates West Divide Creek
08-11-08
The Perfect Spin 08-11-08
Rocky Mountain Lab Rats - Rocky Mountain Pad
Rats 08-07-08
Something Smart,
Something Stupid
[A new feature added Week 70, upon President Obama's inauguration]
..."Obama said he wanted to keep his Blackberry so, if he was doing
something stupid, he could get messages from "someone" telling him that he
was doing the "stupid thing"... Well. Here is someone telling him....
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