Library of Interesting Reading

Library Resource
of
Interesting Reading

"I'm not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde

It is a paradox that we know so much yet understand so little. We can fly to the moon yet cannot create a self-sustaining biosphere on earth. We can splice genes into plants and animals yet cannot restore a rough fescue grassland once it is destroyed. And we are particularly concerned that the Oil and Gas Industry may damage an important source of clean water for Albertans due to lack of knowledge.

For those who wish to learn more we present a list of interesting and informative books and articles.

Downloads
Printed articles specific to Pekisko
Books worth reading

Why is grass important?

Pekisko Video

Downloads

Canada's Watersheds Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletin January 2006	A demographic basis for an urban-rural dialogue. Paper by Neil Rothwell of Statistics Canada. Urban people expect country people to provide clean wate for free. Download it here. [666 Kb]
Our Drinking Water at Risk Prepared by OGAP, The Oil and Gas Accountability Project.	What EPA and Oil and Gas Industry Don't Want Us To Know About Hydraulic Fracturing. Dated April 2005. (Executive Summary only) This is especially relevent for people in Southwestern Alberta where Compton wants to drill into a formation that will require multiple frac's. Download it here. [121 Kb]

Pekisko in Print

Grizzly Bear Decline Alberta Game Warden December, 2007	Article by Brian Horejsi on the decline in grizzly bear population and the need for intelligent land use planning. View here.
Fighting off another invader National Post August 21, 2004	Article by Kate MacNamara on the threat of Coalbed Methane to the native grasses of the Pekisko Lands. View here.

Recommended Books and Pamphlets

Natural Capitalism By Paul Hawken et al; © 1999 Back Bay Books, New York	An important read for true capitalists who believe that our biological capital is important, and that the market is part of the solution.
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man By John Perkins; © 2004 Penguin Books, New York	Lessons in world politics, power and money. Read this and think about the Alberta Tar Sands and the push for Nuclear Power.
Last Child in the Woods By Richard Louv; © 2005 Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, North Carolina	An extremely important and thought-provoking book. We are raising a generation of urban children who have little or no contact with the natural world. How will they make informed decisions about the ecosystems that give them life when they are adults. It make me think of the movie Silent Running (1972) with Bruce Dern.
An Illustrated Short History of Progress By Ronald Wright; © 2004 House of Anansi Press, Toronto	Anyone who has wondered about Premier Ed Stelmach's statement about not taking the foot off the development accelerator needs to read this book, and especially the section on Rapa Nui. Ronald Wright puts our society and economic system in stark perspective.
When the Rivers Run Dry By Fred Pearce; © 2006 Key Porter Books, Toronto	Fred Pearce describes in detail the use and abuse of water and rivers around the world. This is a must-read book for everyone interested in how we use water in Alberta.
Hell and High Water By Joseph Romm; © 2007 Harper Collins, New York	If you think that the potential of climate change - read global warming - will simply be an inconvenience, this is a sit-up-and-take-notice book that reviews the science of climate change and rising sea levels.
The Upside of Down By Thomas Homer-Dixon; © 2006 Alfred A. Knopf, Toronto	We are not running out of energy, but the cost (in more ways than one) is increasing. The author introduces us to how complex societies can grow beyond their ability to support their energy requirements, and subsequently collapse. Here is a clear portrayal of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our society today.
Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy By David R. Boyd; © 2003 UBC Press, Vancouver	David Boyd presents a clear description of the state of environmental law in Canada. It is a clear diagnosis and a compelling prescription to a sustainable future.
Report on Agriculture 2005 From Statistics Canada June 2006	Canadian Agriculture in 2005: A Tough Year in Review. Download it here. [pdf: 253Kb]
Western Canada's Natural Capital: Toward a New Public Policy Framework By Barry Worbets and Loleen Berdahl; © 2003, Canada West Foundation, Calgary.	A paper presenting an argument for recognizing the value of Natural Capital in public decision making. View here.
The Art of the Commonplace By Wendell Berry © 2002 Counterpoint Press	A book of agrarian essays that presents the author's ideas on the appropriate relationship between people, their community, and the land that feeds and sustains them.
Another Season's Promise By Ingeborg Boyens © 2001 Penguin Books Canada, Toronto	A book on the current reality of farming in Canada and its uncertain future. Is this farming or a new feudalism?
Saboteurs By Andrew Nikiforuk © 2001 Macfarlane Walter & Ross, Toronto	A book on the conflict between a land owner, Wiebo Ludwig, and the Oil and Gas Industry in Northern Alberta. Andrew's website is www.andrewnikiforuk.com
Turning Away From Technology: A New Vision for the 21^st Century Edited by Stephanie Mills © 1997 Stephanie Mills Sierra Club Books, San Francisco	Edited transcripts of the Megatechnology Conferences of 1993 and 1994. The participants confront the question of whether our technology is leading us to the promised land or into a technological catastrophe of utopian thinking. Is it leading to a life we would actually want to live?
The Whaleback By Bob Blaxley © 1997 Rocky Mountain Books	Moving through a Sacred Place. A walking Guide to the Whaleback area of Southwestern Alberta, including maps, pictures, and a list of local plants.

Please let us know using the contact page if there is a book or article you believe we should add to this list. Thank you.