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The Sacred Headwaters: The Fight to Save the Stikine, Skeena, and Nass Hardcover – Bargain Price, December 27, 2011


In the rugged northern Rocky Mountains lies a spectacularly beautiful valley, known to the Native peoples as the Sacred Headwaters. There, on the edge of the Spatsizi Wilderness, the Serengeti of North America, three of the continent's most important salmon rivers—the Stikine, the Skeena, and the Nass—are born. Now, against the wishes of the Native inhabitants, the government of British Columbia has opened the Sacred Headwaters to industrial development. Imperial Metals proposes an open-pit copper and gold mine, called the Red Chris mine, processing 30,000 tons of ore a day, and Royal Dutch Shell wants to extract coal bed methane gas from an anthracite deposit across an enormous tenure of close to a million acres.

The splendor of the region is portrayed in this collection of photographs by the International League of Conservation Photographers, and by other professionals who have worked here, including Sarah Leen of the National Geographic. Wade Davis’ compelling text describes the region’s beauty, the threats to it, and the response of the inhabitants. The inescapable message is that no amount of methane gas can compensate for the sacrifice of a place that could be the Sacred Headwaters for all the peoples of the world.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Splayed next to southern Alaska, Canada’s Sacred Headwaters region is a vast panorama of mountains, salmon rivers and canyons criss-crossed with the trails of caribou, grizzlies and mountain goats...as anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis explains, it could become a war zone. Corporations are queuing up to develop the region...Carr Clifton’s haunting photographs evoke what’s at stake."—Nature Magazine


"This visual feast and compelling text describes the Sacred Headwaters -- where the Stikine, Skeena and Nass meet -- which is under threat from industrial development and gas extraction. Stunning photographs from the International League of Conservation Photographers and National Geographic contributors provide an inescapable message of the importance of the area for Canadians and all peoples of the world."—
Vancouver Sun

About the Author

Wade Davis is explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and is the author of numerous books, including One River and The Serpent and the Rainbow. He has lived and worked in the Stikine as a park ranger, guide, and anthropologist since 1978. He and his wife, Gail, own Wolf Creek Lodge, the closest private holding to both the Sacred Headwaters and the proposed site of the Red Chris mine.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. serves as Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and was named one of Time magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for his work in the fight to restore the Hudson River. Kennedy has worked on environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands.

Carr Clifton, landscape photographer and award-winning documentary filmmaker, has spent thirty years exploring endangered, wild landscapes. A native Californian, Clifton began photographing in 1977 and his portfolio showcases landscapes from Arctic Alaska to the Amazon Basin.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0091LXXSK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greystone Books (December 27, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.78 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.66 x 11.61 x 0.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2012
This is a phenomenal indictment of the impact on the wild and native populations of the world hunger for resources. As the song goes: "Take paradise and put up a parking lot." The pictures in the book are so beautiful as to bring me to tears. The anger of the author at the connivance and political bribery that both large energy companies and slash and burn mining companies use is totally justified. The Serengetis of the world are precious and to damage ones not widely known is as sinful as strip mining the Serengeti itself.

Sitting complacently in our mid-North American homes feeling self righteous about stalling the pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta to Norman, OK is not enough. Our neighbor to the north is gutting its environmental laws to bring us filthy oil or ship its minerals to the gaping mouth of developing Asia. The current Canadian prime minister, when it comes to the environment, is a clone of George Bush. And the BC provincial government simply ignores its own law when development is concerned.

This is a great book about an environmental conflict over a wilderness that is in our back yard. As author is well known for, the research that went into it is both thorough and compelling. The picture of Elder Tahltan women in their button blankets being herded into paddy wagons tells us how much they care. Read this book to find out about a real wilderness in our back yard and to become charged to help do something to stop its despoliation.

Charlie Fisher Woodacre, CA
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
Heard Dr Wade at UBC. This is a must read. The photography supporting the excellent text makes for a superb volume.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
"You are dumping your garbage in our grocery store." Through quotes and images Davis does an amazing job illustrating the fight between economic development and the existing culture, making the case that it's not enough to just take, without understanding what you are taking, and whether or not you are actually "paying" for it. Some things cannot be replaced.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018
the story of Tahltan resistance, struggle to protect headwaters of three of Canada's salmon rivers of home
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2014
Excellent book in good condition. Very happy. It is stupid to require more words in the review when fewer words are sufficient. Ignore the last two sentences.
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016
Fantastic book. Well written. Great photographs. Must read for activists and conservationists.
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014
My favorite river in the world. Please help to protect it!
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2013
It is clear that the photographer loves the area and it is definitely on my list as a place to visit but this book just doesn't do justice to what I've heard of the beauty of the area. While some photographers capture the "soul" of an area (e.g. Ansel Adams for Yosemite, Glen Randall for the Rocky Mountains, Alain Briot for the desert Southwest and Clyde Butcher for the Everglades), Wade's photos fall in the category of vacation snapshots and do not give a sense of being there.
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Top reviews from other countries

Caliente P. Cosgrove
5.0 out of 5 stars TO PROTECT ONE OF CANADA'S VITAL RESOURCES - BUY THIS BOOK!!
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2019
I Love this book by Wade Davis, created to save this beautiful and pristine environment in the far north of B.C. from the hands of corporations who only wish to mine for various underground treasures with no regard for the long term and permanent effects upon this vital source for salmon breeding at the headwaters of three major rivers in B.C. This bid to retain the beauty and the vital resources in the survival of B.C. salmon and this lands indigenous peoples way of Life still remains in the balance. If you care, purchase this publication.
MR P VAN DER BURGT
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2016
An excellent book with fantastic photos calling for the preservation of an extraordinarily beautiful part of British Columbia.
Disa Ostrom-Jaye
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated
Reviewed in Canada on January 5, 2022
Exceptionally lovely book, a pure joy to simply look at.
Jo-an Larock
4.0 out of 5 stars the Sacred Headwaters
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2013
This is a very special book, Its the kind you would want to share with others. the photography is spectacular.
pw
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful scenes, script well written
Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2014
At the doctor's office I picked up a 2012 magazine, and it advertised this book. It was serindipity. In the spring of 2013 my brother's ashes were sprinkled on Kanaskan Lake. It was one of his favourite fishing locations. I knew nothing about the area. The photography shows the beauty of the headwaters. My brother died in 2008, and it wasn't until I saw this book that I felt at peace. The land needs to be preserved, not destroyed.