While doing my morning cruising of the internet I came across an article on CNN’s website.  It was titled Ducks Trapped In Toxic Sludge!  Of course this got my attention, especially since we here in Michigan had a huge duck die off this winter of over 800 ducks near Lake St. Clair.

     As I read this article I couldn’t believe what I was reading.  Syncrude Canada Ltd., a Canadian oil company extracts oil from the oilsands in northern Alberta, Canada, which produces toxic lakes from the oilsands waste.  Evidently the common practice and law is to place noise cannons around these toxic lakes and scare away any birds that might want to land in the ponds or lakes.  This year before the migration started, heavy snows prevented the company from placing the cannons.  On Monday a flock of migrating ducks flew into the waters.  Now there are about 500 ducks mired in the sludge and toxic waters with little help of rescue. 

      Here is a statement released from Alberta’s Premier:

     Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach was visibly angry Tuesday as he questioned why noise-making cannons were not deployed to scare the waterfowl away from the pond filled with oil-sands wastes.

     Now what I want to know is why isn’t there an outcry from Alberta’s Premier to clean up these toxic waters?  Can you imagine if this were to happen here in the United States, think of the outcry from environmentalists as well as sportsmen and outdoorsmen.  One would think that this type of industrialization went out in the 70’s and 80’s.  I typically don’t sound the horn against such things, but when it effects our wildlife population I can’t help but notice.