A great way to celebrate a milestone birthday is to stand up for an important cause.
Nora Boyd, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, observed her 40th trip around the sun by taking part in the first day of the Women’s Water Walk. This walking protest and prayer event is being held September 19 through October 4, and traces 108 miles of the route for the proposed Constitution Pipeline. Participants of all ages and genders are welcome to take part.
“This pipeline was rejected by New York State 10 years ago, but it’s back on the table now,” said Boyd. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation estimates that the pipeline would impact over 300 streams, including at least 87 that support trout or trout spawning, over 80 acres of freshwater wetlands, and approximately 500 acres of forest area.
Boyd noted that event organizers have rooted the walk “in prayer and positive action.” Participants will sing as they walk and will gather daily to discuss community solutions, actions and legal frameworks to protect our land and water, “focusing not only on what we seek to stop, but also on what we are trying to build.”
The Constitution Pipeline is a fracked gas mega-pipeline proposed by the Oklahoma-based Williams Company, which would run from northeast Pennsylvania to upstate New York and New England. Rejected in 2016 by New York State as a danger to water sources, its supporters are now seeking federal authorization. Construction could begin as early as October.
The walk began in Oquaga Creek State Park, N.Y. with a two-hour opening ceremony led by Indigenous elders. Close to 200 walkers have registered to take part at some point along the route. The event ends October 4 at Lily Park in Schoharie County. (Get details here.)
She said offerings will be made at the many rivers, lakes and waterways along the path. Samples of water from various sources will be collected and presented to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to symbolize the damage the pipeline could cause.
“This pipeline would be a disaster for the land and water it would directly impact, and a disaster more broadly with regard to the climate crisis,” said Boyd.
