A Beautiful Wasteland
Words by Steve Shannon
Photography by Lindsay Donovan & Steve Shannon
The Columbia River is one of the most dammed rivers in the world. From its headwaters near the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, nearly all of its 1,243 miles are now controlled by a series of 14 dams. In Canada, these dams and reservoirs are used for water storage, to control flooding and store water for downstream power generation. This results in wildly fluctuating reservoir levels, up to 150 vertical feet. At the peak, these reservoirs create beautiful lakes, but as the water supply is used over the winter to heat the Pacific Northwest through hydroelectricity, the reservoirs are slowly drained to completely empty by spring.
It’s during these early spring months that a brief opportunity exists to explore these reservoirs. A once-lush landscape full of flourishing old-growth forest and productive farmland, now reduced to a barren, desolate wasteland. Stumps, old buildings and roads, and an array of unique patterns and textures offer a glimpse into a habitat that has been erased in the name of cheap electricity.
But what is the actual cost of that power? Just three of these Canadian reservoirs cover nearly a quarter-million acres. We’ve cut down entire forests that will never regrow to their former splendor. We’ve destroyed fisheries and pushed several species to the brink of extinction. I hope these photos will not only inspire people to get out and ride, but to think about how we can continue to move toward a future in greater alignment with nature.
