The first time I stood at a public hearing in a small Alberta town, I noticed something odd: the room was split evenly between people clutching spreadsheets and people clutching handwritten notes. I realized I was doing both at once — cross-referencing emissions data on my phone while scribbling down a rancher's exact words about well pad noise. That's when I understood I wasn't just documenting the opposition to oil and gas expansion; I was analyzing it while living inside it.

Two Instincts, One Notebook

I track regulatory filings the way some people track weather patterns, then I drive out to see what those filings actually mean for a creek or a grazing lease. The gap between policy language and lived experience is where most of my writing happens.

What Shapes My Approach

• Reading environmental assessments alongside talking to the neighbours those assessments describe
• Testing claims against publicly available monitoring data before repeating them
• Sharing findings in plain language, whether you're new to this fight or you've been at it for years
• Returning to the same sites repeatedly to see what changes and what doesn't

None of this works from a desk alone. The authenticity comes from muddy boots, awkward questions at town halls, and admitting when my first assumption was wrong. If you're curious where the next piece of this story leads, come find me at /contact — I'd genuinely like to hear what you're seeing in your own backyard.