Neil Ever Osborne About Services Portfolios Multimedia Presentations Projects Stock Blog Contact
Road bisecting forest near Stuart River, south of Stuart Lake. British Columbia, Canada.
Tar Sands Pipeline
with ForestEthics, LightHawk, and the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP)

The Scoop:

Concealed under the boreal forests and peat bogs of northeastern Alberta lies the world's largest deposit of bitumen, an unconventional type of petroleum that is refined to produce crude oil. Known as the dirtiest oil, the tar sands have become a highly coveted source of fuel whose extraction methods are radically changing the natural landscape of the province.

Enbridge Inc., the world's biggest oil pipeline construction corporation, wants to bring this crude oil to international markets and have proposed to do so via the Northern Gateway Pipelines project: the construction of two parallel pipelines stretching over 1,000 km between Alberta's tar sands and Kitimat on the British Columbia coastline.

Each day, over 500,000 barrels of crude oil would be sent westbound to a new marine terminal in Kitimat from the tar sands. Traveling in the opposite direction, close to 200,000 barrels per day of natural gas condensate (used to reduce oil viscosity during the refining process) would be delivered eastbound from Kitimat to Alberta. The crude oil would reach international markets by the introduction of oil tankers in Douglas Channel for the first time ever.

Public opinion has been overwhelmingly against the pipelines and oil tankers. Political parties, environmental groups, First Nations, and many individuals are voicing their objection to Enbridge's proposal.

The Issues:

Enbridge Inc. has a long history of pipeline oil spills throughout Canada and the US, including a ruptured pipeline in Michigan less than a year ago that spewed one million gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo river system. The Northern Gateway pipelines would cross sensitive salmon spawning habitat, bisecting more than 1,000 rivers and streams. Once the oil reached Kitimat, it would be loaded into super oil tankers and transported through the difficult-to-navigate routes, whose channels cross the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest temperate rainforest in the world. After reaching the coast, the oil would continue on to international markets, contributing to our global dependence on fossil fuels and the climate change crisis. The pipeline project has been called the defining environmental battle of our time; one that will define Canada's international reputation.

The Assignment:

In order to fully appreciate what is at risk, it is important to take stock of the ecosystems and people who will be affected by the pipelines. ForestEthics has enlisted LightHawk and the International League of Conservation Photographers to fly over the proposed pipeline route, taking aerial photographs and video footage to document the land and communities that would be impacted. By conveying the dramatic beauty of the landscapes and the tenacity of the people, this visual communication project will assist the campaign to stop the pipeline project from becoming a reality.

Aerial photography was made possible by LightHawk.

Tripods in the Sky is an initiative of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and LightHawk that helps partner professional photographers with conservation organizations for the creation of visual materials on a specific region or issue.
Featured Portfolios


Selects Portfolio
Singles

A sampling of single images.


Hybridizing Canids
for Canadian Wildlife Magazine

In Ontario, researchers are investigating the interbreeding of eastern wolves and coyotes — and what that means for wolf conservation.


Black Turtle
with Grupo Tortuguero

Using non-traditional ways, Grupo Tortuguero are changing the conservation landscape in Baja California Sur, Mexico.


Green Sea Turtles
Personal Work

A sampling of work on Green Sea Turtles photographed around the world.



Tar Sand Pipeline
with ForestEthics

Aerial photography over the course of a proposed pipeline from Alberta's tar sands to the British Columbia rugged coastline.


Man and Manatee
with Chassahowitzka Refuge

Within the congregation, I count more than 20 sedentary animals. Plump bodies of gray mass clustered together, limbs touching for warmth.


Snake River Salmon
with Save Our Wild Salmon

Redfish Lake was so named because of the bright red colour of these endangered salmon. Standing at its shores, you can imagine the lake packed with sockeye.


Tortuguero NP
with COTERC

An on-going body of work documenting Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica.