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Hi, I’m Arik Ligeti, The Narwhal’s new Audience Engagement Editor. It has been quite a week.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended all of our lives, with no end in sight. That’s why, now more than ever, we need to come together as a community.

For us at The Narwhal, that means doing our best to keep you informed and connected even as social distancing measures keep you physically separated from friends and loved ones.

How will we navigate our coverage in the days, weeks and months ahead? On COVID-19, our efforts will be threefold: share informative pieces from around the web, provide our own analysis and reporting as it aligns with our focus on the natural world and share some of our best content from the past year to help offer a respite from the flood of virus news.

But that doesn’t mean we will stop pursuing other in-depth reporting. As Managing Editor Carol Linnitt writes: “Crises and disasters have long been used to benefit private interests and at The Narwhal we believe our responsibility to our readership means remembering this, even as we brace for the worst impact of the pandemic.”

Already, we’re seeing signs that a looming recession could send the number of orphaned oil and gas wells in B.C. and Alberta shooting higher as more companies file for bankruptcy. That’s cold comfort for Arthur and Laurel Hadland, who have already been waiting nearly two years for outstanding rental payments after the company that owned wells on their father’s property fell into receivership. They’re far from the only landowners affected, Sarah Cox reports.

Meanwhile, our Editor-in-Chief Emma Gilchrist wrote about how COVID-19 is, at its essence, about humanity’s ever-encroaching relationship with the natural world.

At a time of social distancing, we’d love to hear from you. Have you found comfort in spending time outdoors? Are there stories connected to the COVID-19 crisis you’d like us to pursue? Reach out by replying to this email.

Thanks for reading — and be well.

Arik Ligeti Audience Engagement Editor

P.S. Here’s a bit of positive news: Across Canada, thousands of retired nurses and doctors have stepped up to help in the fight against the virus.

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What the coronavirus pandemic tells us about our relationship with the natural world

By Emma Gilchrist

COVID-19 is fundamentally a story of humanity’s ever-encroaching relationship with all other living things on this planet. Read more.

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When there’s only one story: how The Narwhal is thinking about its role during the COVID-19 pandemic

By Carol Linnitt

The role of journalism is more important now than ever. Our team will prioritize sharing the best health and science coverage while we keep our heads down to ensure untold stories see the light of day. Read more.

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‘A limbo situation’: B.C. landowners owed more than half a million dollars after oil and gas company goes bankrupt

By Sarah Cox

Three dozen landowners in the Peace region are left with orphan oil and gas wells on their properties from bankrupt Calgary-based Ranch Energy — a problem that could worsen as more companies become insolvent due to the economic fallout from novel coronavirus COVID-19. Read more.

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Narwhal deep dives

Looking for a break from coronavirus news? Here are a few of our favourite stories from from the past year.

Thaidene Nëné heralds a new era of parks

By Jimmy Thomson

For decades, establishing a park in Canada meant removing Indigenous people from their traditional territories. In Canada’s newest national park — Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve — the Łutsel K’e Dene will hunt and fish, work as guardians of the territory and show off their land to tourists. Read more.

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‘Serengeti of the north’: the Kaska Dena’s visionary plan to protect a huge swath of B.C. wilderness

By Sarah Cox

The First Nations that have lived in the north for thousands of years are out to prove that a conservation economy and extractive economy can thrive side by side — but first they need the B.C. government to get on board. Read more.

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What we’re reading

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