Report: Alberta Mines Imperil Birds

CHICAGO — About half of America’s migratory birds fly from destinations as far-flung as Chile to nest in Canada’s boreal forest. In Alberta, that forest lies above tar sands that contain oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia’s.

The excavation of the tar sands — projected to pump $2.4 trillion into Canada’s economy between 2010 and 2030 — could reduce the region’s migratory-bird population by almost half, according to a peer-reviewed study released Dec. 2 by U.S. and Canadian environmental groups.


…The report calls for a moratorium on new tar sands development pending further study of environmental impacts or, failing that, measures that include noise reduction and habitat restoration.

The mining of bitumen, a form of crude oil, from the gooey oil sands destroys habitat, drying up and contaminating wetlands where birds nest or rest during migration. Birds also land on tailing ponds, the large reservoirs where toxic runoff is stored, and often sink after becoming covered in oily residue.

“They see what looks like this great lake to spend the night on, and it turns out to be a death trap,” said Doug Stotz, senior conservation ecologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, where the study was released.

Washington Post