This Area may soon Disappear, if not for Your Help!


If this place looks familiar … Read on
A proposed HydroElectric development will drastically change High Falls on the Grassy River. The scenic beauty of these rapids and waterfall, only 23 km from downtown Timmins, will be lost forever as the river flow is forced into a large pipe to feed the turbine and generator. The falls, as we now know it, will cease to exist. The preliminary work has already started as an environmental screening process is now happening. Public input will be sought probably in early Spring 2008 or 2009 or 2010 or 2011 or 2012 - Who knows ?

If you want to do something about it or want more information please Email: GrassyRiver@gmail.com

High Falls Background Information Link


Google Map/Panoramio Showing Area of the Proposed Dam

Click for Google MAP

Send Us Your pictures and they will be included on the blog
Email pics to: GrassyRiver@gmail.com

Feb 12, 2008

Letter Writing Campaign

Hi All,

If you want to support the cause to save High Falls it is very important to write to Hatch Energy, the company hired to do the Environmental Assessment, and express your opposition. All letters will become part of the Environmental Assessment record and will carry a lot of weight when the final decision is made.

Letters should be addressed to:


Hatch Energy
4342 Queen Street, P.O. Box 1001
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
L2E 6W1
Attn: Kimberley Arnold, Senior Environmental Scientist
 Thanks for your support
Markus

Posted by Markus at 5:16 p.m.

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousOct 20, 2008, 9:05:00 a.m.

    Dear Marcus,
    brought to this site via your photos on Panaramio and stunned to think that such wonderful scenery may be lost. It is certainly an area of outstanding beauty and I wonder if the people who are planning its destruction truly appreciate this? I am not privy to the plans but looking at the map can imagine the havoc such a huge building operation would rage. And the wildlife? Surely there must be a viable alternative? Or has the fact that once this has gone it has gone forever no sway over decisions such as these? Here in the UK the idea of destroying such a site would not reach first base.... perhaps you simply have too much beautiful and wonderful land, an abundance of marvellous nature that familiarity has bred contempt?
    All the very best for your worthy campaign. Please pass my comments on though I doubt as a non resident I could be much help and suspect I am late anyway. Russ Hamer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarkusOct 21, 2008, 11:38:00 a.m.

    Hi Russ,

    Thanks for taking time to leave us feedback and thanks for the support. I agree with you it makes no sense to destroy such a beautiful place. We do have a number of beautiful places that are still in a pristine state but those numbers are diminishing quickly without people speaking out and voicing their opposition to these kind of projects. So much destruction for so little gain.
    I agree that perhaps familiarity has bred contempt but that's still no excuse, at least not on my watch

    I will definitely pass on your comments

    All the best

    Rivers are for Generations not Generation

    Regards
    Markus

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aaron Otte, U.S. CitizenAug 30, 2009, 6:49:00 a.m.

    It seems traffic has slowed down on this- is the dam going to go in? I sure hope it doesn't. I had one of my very best outdoor experiences on the Grassy.

    What a beautiful, rugged testimony to God's glory! (or, if you're agnostic- "what a beautiful and rugged testament to the forces of geology, weather, and biological evolution!")

    I really hope High Falls continues to flow big and strong and free.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MarkusAug 30, 2009, 7:14:00 a.m.

    Thanks Aaron Otte

    Traffic has slowed a bit on the sight but it's mainly because of a lack of posting on my part - haven't had much time this summer

    It's been very quiet on the high falls development - no one has heard anything from the proponent in a long long time(good news) i even emailed the ministry and they said the same thing
    Although the site appears quiet the group Friend of High Falls are on the ready to resume the fight should things start to move again

    Regards
    Markus

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ken LytleSep 23, 2010, 11:10:00 p.m.

    These Falls were previous only accessible via an old logging road (1930's) that followed the east side of the river. The falls are the last before the Grassy River meets the Mattagami River after it's waters complete a 20 km journey through a beautiful alluvial gorge. The Grassy River System is large and extends 165 km from Canoeshed Lake to the Mattagami River. There is only one major control damn at Peterlong. This system has long been used by area Natives because of it's rich resources, bio diversity!
    Damning these systems for a couple of megawatts, which the province has in mind for similiar small falls, is nothing but a bandade fix, Ontario's projected power needs will enevitably lead to Nuclear power, which they intend to build anyways! Ontario sold are existing dam's because they knew it would cost Millions to upgrade them. If someone want's to to produce power from the water on the Grassy, why not use Peterlong? Another concern is the access to these area's once a private company builds, when Ontario owned Hydro, there was puplic access, know that it's all privatized.....liability has force us all out of any area close to a dam. Is this the heritage, we leave are kids, anywhere a river drops more than 10m...damn it, it's off limits?.....SO!.. what is protecting the environment?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment

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