Centre for Interspecies Mutual Support in Troubled Times (CIMSITT) hosts: Song for the Birds
Centre for Interspecies Mutual Support in Troubled Times (CIMSITT) hosts: Song for the Birds
Centre for Interspecies Support in Troubled Times (CIMSITT)
Presents Song for the Birds
On February 6th, 2022, Centre for Interspecies Support in Troubled Times (CIMSITT) hosted a prototyping workshop and community meeting at EMMEDIA, Mohkínstsis (Calgary, Alberta), Treaty 7 Territory, the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.
This event is part of an ongoing process of interspecies communication that CIMSITT is dedicated to bringing together different species committed to supporting each other by sharing their knowledge, survival skills, resources, and experience in these troubled times.
The Alberta tar sands produce a toxic mix of water, sand, silt, and petrochemical waste products stored in large lakes the oil and gas industry refers to as “tailings ponds.” As of 2015, there were over 1.18 trillion litres of tailings ponds, and they continue to grow each year (McNeill and Lothian 1).
The sparrows presented a call to action to save their friends, the ducks, from certain death in the tar sands. A gathering of aspen leaves, with the assistance of participants, presented a plan of action to rescue ducks captured in the oil-contaminated surface of the tailings ponds. A discussion followed, and community responses (postcards) were mailed to the Canadian Energy Centre, a.k.a. the Energy War Room.
A CIMSITT volunteer translated the sparrow’s call to English, and a full transcript of the translation will be stored in the CIMSITT archive.
Below you will find documentation of the event by blkarts.ca and Alana Bartol.
Click the play button to watch a short video documenting the workshop.
Visit CIMSITT RESOURCES to learn more about the research and work being done on the Alberta oil sands.
Works Cited
McNeill, J. & N. Lothian. “Review of Directive 085 Tailings Management Plans.” Pembina Institute, 13 Mar. 2017, http://www. pembina.org/reports/tailings-whitepaper-d85.pdf.
CIMSITT is dedicated to bringing together different species who are committed to supporting each other by sharing their knowledge, survival skills, resources, and experience in these troubled times.
The focus of our work currently is to work together to contribute to the ongoing efforts to remediate the Athabasca Tar Sands Tailings Ponds, to work to protect the species threatened and killed in the ponds, and to work together to end the production of future Tailings Ponds.
CIMSITT would like to thank the following people for their dedication, generosity, and support:
Alana Bartol - Remediation Room Project Coordinator/Curator
Alec Brilling - Technical Production and Development
Alex Moon - Technical Assistance
Ursula Sokol - Technical Assistance
Jim Fries - Production Assistance
Jeanne Fries - Production Assistance
Elizabeth DesCamp - Production Assistance
Joe Kelly and EMMEDIA
AND everyone that participated in Song for the Birds
Photos of CIMSITT workshop by blkarts.ca
