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Joseph Vaile: Water is life wherever you live Opposition to the Pacific Connector gas pipeline proposed to run through Southern Oregon included a protest at the state Capitol in Salem. submitted photo Wednesday Dec 7, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Joseph Vaile The protest in North Dakota over the construction of an oil pipeline under the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Reservation has been gathering momentum for months. Episodes of violence between protesters and law enforcement in recent weeks put it in the spotlight. Then came Sunday's decision to halt the construction. At least for now. Why has the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota garnered global attention? Why, here in Southern Oregon, thousands of miles away, have we held rallies supporting Water Protectors and the effort to block this project? I can't help but be drawn to what's happening at Standing Rock. There is the human connection: I care about the fate of the water and landscapes in my own region, so I understand why we need to protect what we hold sacred. Most important, the shameful legacy of brutal taking of land and life of the First Nations people must end. There is also the knowledge that what happens in North Dakota is not just happening to the Sioux and the Lakota. The green light for the pipeline is a green light for the continuation of the fossil fuel culture, more greenhouse gases, and worsening climate change. We are faced with our own pipeline issues in Southern Oregon, with the Pacific Connector gas pipeline proposed to cross our region and the Rogue River. The fate of one section of oil pipeline in North Dakota is not just a local concern, but also a crystal clear example of the direction we are headed as a society. I remember first learning about the concept of interconnectedness. It was an eye-opener for me, having no real understanding as a kid about the delicate "web of life." Today, I think about interconnectedness on a regular basis. Issues like the decline of our salmon runs occur in a greater context — salmon relate to water quality, to other aquatic life and eventually to all of humanity. As John Muir famously said: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." As the water protectors at Standing Rock say, "Water is Life." After all, the average adult human body is 60 percent water, and the surface of our planet is 71 percent water. The First Nations speak to the importance of water to health and life. If the pipeline were to burst, the impact to their water and their way of life would be immeasurable. With 3,300 oil or liquified natural gas leaks or ruptures in the U.S. since 2010, this fear is not unfounded. All pipelines leak at some point. It gives me great pleasure to see even the short-term victory to stop the pipeline, but I know there must be a complete overhaul in how we meet our energy demands. While I stand with the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, I am aware that I am part of the problem. I am responsible for the demand for oil and the infrastructure to provide it. I drive a car, use gas on my stove and other petroleum-based products. In addition to demanding change from our government and from the large corporations that wield great power, it is also up to us to create a new economy by investing in a new model every time we make a decision. We can use less, invest in renewable energy systems and buy products from local sources. But now that we have an incoming administration that appears quite cozy with the oil industry, we will need to demand that our elected leaders follow our lead. Water is our great connector and what may happen in the Missouri River, under which the pipeline would be routed, does not stay isolated. We are all connected to it, eventually ... I think that's why so many of us are standing with Standing Rock. When you boil it down to its essence, we humans, who emerge from and are made up of mostly water, all understand that Water is Life. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks.