When no one spoke up, Kane nodded to John who began to hand out what appeared to be a map of the pack’s territory. Two areas were marked off in colour. Elise studied it with interest. What was the significance of the coloured regions? After the maps had been distributed, John began to explain.
“I’ve given each of you a map so that you can see the exact areas in question. The section outlined in red indicates where Northern Oil wants to do its exploratory drilling. It’s close to several underground streams and could possibly result in the contamination of our ground water and thus our wells. In addition, in order to bring in the needed equipment, several large tracts of land would have to be cleared and temporary roads constructed. As you can see, it is a significant area, despite their claims otherwise.
“They’ve offered us a very large sum of money as compensation if we sell outright. Alternatively, they’ve proposed leasing the land, and if no oil is found, they would assist us in replanting. However, should oil be discovered, we’d be bound by the lease for a specified number of years or until the wells ran dry. During that time, there would be inspectors and trucks visiting the area regularly and it would be out of bounds to all of us. I know this isn’t new information, but we wanted to bring it to your attention again, since they’ve upped their offer substantially—it’s noted at the bottom of the page, in footnote number three.”
As people read the amount, gasps could be heard around the room. Elise had difficulty not exclaiming herself. It was a significant amount of money. Again conversation erupted around the room.
“We’d be rich.”
“Look at all the land they’d be clearing.”
“Well, we really don’t use the northern corner that much.”
“I wonder if they’ll raise the offer even more.”
“If we don’t take this, and the courts order us to allow them in, I wonder how much the amount will drop.”
“It’s ridiculous. We’re wolves. Money means nothing. Territory is everything!”
John called for quiet and as they settled, he looked over the crowd. “Yes, it is a sizeable sum, but at our last meeting we decided that our privacy and the need for space were more important. Both Kane and I still feel that these factors take precedence over monetary gain. However, another issue has come to light and it might require us to reassess our stance on Northern Oil. It’s the next item on our agenda.”
Kane took to the podium once again. “On your map, you’ll see an area outlined in yellow near the mouth of the river and around the north side of the lake by the roadway that cuts through our property. As you know, earlier this month we found several large barrels of oil had been left at the base of the bridge and had been slowly leaking into the water for an unknown length of time. We immediately cordoned off that section of land and called in environmental experts to help us assess the damage and coordinate the cleanup. Oil booms were used to contain the spill and most of the oil was skimmed up. Chemical dispersants also helped to break the oil down, to make it less harmful to plant and wild life. Unfortunately, there was a significant loss of fish and water fowl. Tests are being continuously run on the water to ensure it is free of contaminants; hopefully, we’ll soon receive an all-clear so that we can start using it for drinking again. But even as that problem starts to fade, we’re now faced with cleaning the shore line.
“People from the lab were here today, gathering samples and outlining possible steps we might have to take. It was initially thought that it was a surface problem and we could just remove a thin layer of the contaminated topsoil. However, the lab now thinks the oil might have been there much longer than we suspected. It’s possible that it’s leached deeper into the ground than we originally thought. If this is the case, we are looking at yet another very big, very expensive cleanup project.
“On the other side of the map, I’ve outlined some of the steps that have already been taken as well as what still needs to be done. We’ll have to hire trucks and backhoes, then remove a significant layer of soil and gravel and send it away to be cleaned or taken to a toxic dump. Many of the plants are severely damaged and will have to be destroyed and removed. Sorbents will be spread in the final stages, to pick up the remaining oil and then we’ll have to retest to ensure that we’ve got it all. Finally, we’ll have to replace all the soil that was removed and replant the shoreline. If the testing comes back positive for oil having seeped into the ground, the cleanup will require a lot of time, money, and effort.”