BREAKING NEWS WORKER DIES AFTER EQUIPMENT SINKS IN MUSKEG AT SUNCOR FORT HILLS SITE

Earlier this year in January, Fort McMurray made some national news because a worker died after the equipment driving into muskeg. He was working at Suncor Fort Hills. So let's talk about muskeg a little bit. The word muskeg is of Cree origin, low-lying marsh. Muskeg is a peat-forming ecosystem found in several northern climates, most commonly in Arctic and boreal areas. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bog or peatland, and is a standard term in Canada and Alaska. The term became common in these areas because it is of Cree origin, maskek meaning "low-lying marsh". Muskeg consists of organic material in various states of decomposition, ranging from fairly intact sphagnum moss, to sedge peat, to highly decomposed humus. Pieces of wood can make up five to fifteen percent of the peat soil. The water table tends to be near the surface. The sphagnum moss forming it can hold fifteen to thirty times its own weight in water, which allows the spongy wet muskeg to also form on sloping ground. Muskeg patches are ideal habitats for beavers, pitcher plants, agaric mushrooms and a variety of other organisms... Continued in Wikipedia. The reason I want to talk about it today is because Fort Mac has a ton of it. As you can see, Fort McMurray has roughly 300 worth of ATV trails to explore to in there is muskeg patches. A lot of the time the muskeg patches here in town are actually hidden. You might not even see the muskeg until you hit it. Be careful on those trails. So yeah, if you're out riding the trails in Fort McMurray, please either bring a second person with you so you can get yourself out of a sticky situation or avoid muskeg at all costs or it'll be bad.