my little big archive

Stills for the CBC Big Life segment on Wiebo Ludwig.

Wiebo Ludwig was the leader of a Christian community in Alberta named "Trickle Creek Farm" that was comprised of him and his extended family.

The family moved to Trickle Creek in 1985, when they moved there, there was only 1 sour gas well in a 2 mile radius of the farm, in the next 15 years that number grew to 10.

Starting in 1995 Wiebo's farm started experience drastic amounts of animal deaths and miscarriages and stillborns. All of which would happen after a flare at on of the nearby sour gas wells, along with a smell of Sour Gas before each event.

Wiebo believed that the cause of these tragic events were the Sour gas wells, a fact which would later be proven right by a study, linking deformities and miscarriages in the area to the gas wells.

Around the same time, acts of Eco-Terrorism would begin to take place in the surrounding gas wells, with explosions causing damage to the wells and gunshots being fired at offices, none of these events injured anyone. It is now known that Wiebo and his sons were responsible for these. During the time at the farm, they had 4 stillbirths, and numerous animal deaths

Flaring as well as leaks cause Sour Gas, which is highly poisonous to release into the atmosphere. There are much safer alternatives to flaring, however flaring is the cheapest option, and as such is the most frequent.

The Ludwigs had noticed that they themselves had become somewhat ill, and began writing down all incidents correlating with the Sour Gas. At the same time, the Canadian government began constant surveillance of Trickle Creek.

In 2000, Wiebo was convicted of Eco-terrorism. He died in prison in 2012.