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When Entrusted to my Care was first published in 1966, Grand MacEwan raised conservation issues not yet discovered by the media and public. These concerns included dwindling natural resources, water conservation, air quality, industrial wastes, animal rights, soil fertility, and too rapid development. Entrusted To My Care
Copyright 1966 Western Producer Prairie Books
243 pages,
ISBN 0-88833-175-4.

Macoull thought he saw about 150,000,000 acres of productive western soil suited to wheat and "another 100,000,000 acres could be added if the raising of barley be taken into account." Actually, the western wheat crop has exceeded 28,000,000 acres seeded on only one occasion and it is difficult to understand where Macoun thought he saw more than five times this amount of wheat land capable of producing with "no limit." In assessing fertility reserves, he was almost as optimistic as in estimating acreage.

Nor was Macoun alone in that blissful optimism. A report published in 1891 told of enough land between Winnipeg and the Rocky Mountains "to sustain by agriculture alone a population of 30 million souls." Judging from the number of residents on western farms in recent years, the prophet of pioneer years would have been nearer correct if he had said "one million" instead of 30 millions. In contrast to the views of a generation ago, the demands for good agricultural lands in Canada already exceed supply.

In the neighboring nation to the South, where land areas were once proclaimed as "illimitable and inexhaustible," leading agriculturists and planners are now very conscious of soil limitations.

Even the oil and gas industry, with a Texas type of optimism, must be reminded periodically that its products being withdrawn from Nature's stores and burned lavishly, are not renewable. Western Canada's proven reserves of 36.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas at the end of 1961 are extremely impressive. Still more impressive is the prospect of finding an ultimate 100 trillion cubic feet. At present rates of consumption, it would take centuries to use it but with the expectation of attracting industry to the areas of production and the sure promise of greatly increased demands for both domestic and export gas, people can reasonably enquire about how the reserves will stand 30 years or 130 years hence.

Some of the earliest assessments of natural gas supplies may be of interest more than significance but they should be noted for what they are considered worth. As early as 1907, the City of Calgary had a gas well from which citizens could expect "unfailing supply." Drilling had been in progress for 14 months at the site on Sarcee Reserve, 12 miles from the city. A newspaper comment on September 10, 1907, told that: "Mr. Dingman, manager of the Natural Gas Company, conducted a party to the well on Saturday. Two autos were used for the expedition ... The trip of 12 miles was made in 45 minutes which is going some when the nature of the road is considered."

The party at the well heard a good deal about the unlimited volume of gas the well was capable of delivering. It made everybody except the dealers in coal and kerosene feel cheerful. But the news of February 14, 1908, told another story: the well was being abandoned and workers were engaged in taking up the casing.

Four years later, natural gas was piped to Calgary from the Bow Island field and the Calgary News-Telegram of January 14, 1911, proclaimed the familiar assurance that "the supply will be inexhaustible." Before many years, however, it was very obvious that the supply was far from being inexhaustible and other fields were being tapped. But gas producers and promoters were still slow in turning to more realistic terms.

True, techniques have advanced dramatically since the first gas was piped into Canadian cities and present estimates are much more reliable. Moreover, it is to be hoped that Canada will find 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. But the total supply will still decline with each year of use and operations should be conducted with the full realization that the day will come when no more gas is available for the furnaces and pipelines.

It's an old story, resources being treated as though supplies would never end. Three thousand years ago, when King Solomon sent 80,000 hewers of wood into the mountains for logs, promoters said the cedars of Lebanon would last forever. There was nothing to fear by cutting freely. But recent estimates place the remaining trees of that highly-prized species at about 400, mostly above the 6,000-foot level of the Lebanon Mountains.

Wells do go dry; soils erode and lose their stores of fertility; pastures since the time of Abraham have suffered periodically from overgrazing; forests decline; certain races of wild animals disappear because of human predations, and air and water become polluted. Matter may be indestructible but resources are not inexhaustible. Nations-wiser and poorer-have seen the errors in wasteful and reckless use when it was too late.


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