Voices from the Animas
Perrin Kileen
10/11/15
Humanities
Animas River Spill Reflection
The purpose of this project was to further investigate the river spill. To do this we asked the community of Durango and Silverton to participate in student conducted interviews. After gathering the interviews we were asked to post them to storycorps. This would allow further generations to access this piece of our history and even learn from it. Storycorps mission is “to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives.” By conducting these interviews we were able to raise awareness for the situation at the same time. We were able to gain perspective and knowledge on the impacts of the spill. Some of these impacts include economical, ecological, and agriculturally.
I was able to gain insight and knowledge of how the spill directly affected the ecosystem, people and economy. The ecosystem around Silverton and the abandoned mines has been struggling with pollution, the spill was a wake up call that brought attention to the area. The mines no longer produce income or resources, yet remain untouched since closing down. This has allowed for the buildup of toxic water within the mines. When the Gold King mine was breached by the EPA around 3 million gallons of this waste gushed out into cement creek which joined the Animas. This immediately halted tourism in surrounding towns such as Silverton and Durango. When we traveled to Silverton to interview locals I was able to talk to two business owners. They both explained that the spill had a direct impact on their business. Besides negative economic impacts, recreation also came to a halt. In Durango, rafting and fishing were stopped due to the toxic water. This not only affected locals, but it also stopped business for rafting companies such as Mild to Wild. The project was able to teach me about these impacts and help me to dive deeper into how these affected people.
If I could conduct the interviews again I would change a couple things. First, I would set up a booth or an area where I could sit down with the people I was interviewing. This would allow for better sound quality and a stronger connection between us. I would also prepare my questions better and practice with other students. By doing this the interview would flow better and feel more natural. When interviewing the second business owner I was able to gain insight how how the spill affected Silverton. I found out that Silverton’s drinking water was not affected by the spill and the media had wrongly stated otherwise. I also was able to see the perspective that some people did not want help from the government and that the locals should handle the issue. This gave me knowledge as a student and also exposed to a strong feeling of independence.
The exhibition helped me learn the skill of explaining an event such as this in an educated, professional manner. I was able to teach the importance of awareness about the environment and what impacts we can have as individuals. I saw multiple perspectives on how this was caused and what we can do to prevent such disasters. I debated with multiple people on what the right steps to take are. The listening event showed me just how many people had been affected by the spill, but also how many people were working to improve and learn from the event. It helped me understand why we were conducting the research and interviews. They helped us work to improve as a community.
This project taught me how to interact with people who had varying opinions, even when those opinions conflicted with my own. I was able to respectfully agree or disagree with statements people made. Even when conducting my interview there was things I disagreed with, but I did not say anything because I had to respect the individual’s opinion. This helped me grow as a person and improve skills I was previously lacking in. In the end, the project taught me better listening and debating skills.
10/11/15
Humanities
Animas River Spill Reflection
The purpose of this project was to further investigate the river spill. To do this we asked the community of Durango and Silverton to participate in student conducted interviews. After gathering the interviews we were asked to post them to storycorps. This would allow further generations to access this piece of our history and even learn from it. Storycorps mission is “to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives.” By conducting these interviews we were able to raise awareness for the situation at the same time. We were able to gain perspective and knowledge on the impacts of the spill. Some of these impacts include economical, ecological, and agriculturally.
I was able to gain insight and knowledge of how the spill directly affected the ecosystem, people and economy. The ecosystem around Silverton and the abandoned mines has been struggling with pollution, the spill was a wake up call that brought attention to the area. The mines no longer produce income or resources, yet remain untouched since closing down. This has allowed for the buildup of toxic water within the mines. When the Gold King mine was breached by the EPA around 3 million gallons of this waste gushed out into cement creek which joined the Animas. This immediately halted tourism in surrounding towns such as Silverton and Durango. When we traveled to Silverton to interview locals I was able to talk to two business owners. They both explained that the spill had a direct impact on their business. Besides negative economic impacts, recreation also came to a halt. In Durango, rafting and fishing were stopped due to the toxic water. This not only affected locals, but it also stopped business for rafting companies such as Mild to Wild. The project was able to teach me about these impacts and help me to dive deeper into how these affected people.
If I could conduct the interviews again I would change a couple things. First, I would set up a booth or an area where I could sit down with the people I was interviewing. This would allow for better sound quality and a stronger connection between us. I would also prepare my questions better and practice with other students. By doing this the interview would flow better and feel more natural. When interviewing the second business owner I was able to gain insight how how the spill affected Silverton. I found out that Silverton’s drinking water was not affected by the spill and the media had wrongly stated otherwise. I also was able to see the perspective that some people did not want help from the government and that the locals should handle the issue. This gave me knowledge as a student and also exposed to a strong feeling of independence.
The exhibition helped me learn the skill of explaining an event such as this in an educated, professional manner. I was able to teach the importance of awareness about the environment and what impacts we can have as individuals. I saw multiple perspectives on how this was caused and what we can do to prevent such disasters. I debated with multiple people on what the right steps to take are. The listening event showed me just how many people had been affected by the spill, but also how many people were working to improve and learn from the event. It helped me understand why we were conducting the research and interviews. They helped us work to improve as a community.
This project taught me how to interact with people who had varying opinions, even when those opinions conflicted with my own. I was able to respectfully agree or disagree with statements people made. Even when conducting my interview there was things I disagreed with, but I did not say anything because I had to respect the individual’s opinion. This helped me grow as a person and improve skills I was previously lacking in. In the end, the project taught me better listening and debating skills.