September 29 is World Rivers Day – how are you celebrating your local waterways? Andrew, Community Program Manager at MEC, has some ideas for helping out (and having fun in) freshwater near you.
I grew up near Lynn Creek in North Vancouver, and as a camp leader I took countless kids there to swim in its ice cold waters on hot summer days. I worked with my local Streamkeepers, and released Coho salmon into the stream to watch them come back years later. I waded in its peaceful waters, and discovered that it’s also a pretty awesome place to have quite the romantic date (thank you, Lynn Creek).
In my time spent along this North Van creek, I learned that water is life – whether it’s millions of salmon returning to their home waters to spawn, or the laughs and splashes coming from our friends and family.
Photos: Waterkeeper.ca
So it’s nice to know that there’s a day dedicated to waterways. September 29, World Rivers Day, is the perfect time for me, and other Canadians, to reflect on all ways we love water: in summer, we swim and in winter, we flow through its more powdery form. As outsiders, we’re all tied to water – we paddle down rapids, float across glassy lakes, or tuck into our sleeping bags beside a river we used to fill up our water bottles.
But sometimes, water isn’t as healthy as we think it is. Blue-green algae blooms can choke our lakes, and pollution can force us to boil our drinking water. Water from our wells can catch fire in regions where natural gas fracking occur. Overused rivers can trickle instead of flow, which in turn can cause countless insects and fish to suffer, not to mention our paddling season.
Our water, it seems, needs our help.
So with World Rivers Day upon us, here are a few ways you can celebrate water and help your local waterways:
1. Get to know your home waters
Curious if your home waters are healthy? WWF Canada can help you out with their recently released Freshwater Health Assessments.
2. Find a spot to swim
Want to know where to swim? Waterkeepers have a comprehensive Swim Guide to help you find a healthy local swimming hole.
3. Reach out to Waterkeepers
Want to help protect the water in your community? Check out one of these Waterkeepers dedicated to your home waters and ask them how you can help:
- British Columbia: Fraser Riverkeeper
- New Brunswick: Fundy Baykeeper
- Ontario: Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
- Alberta/Saskatchewan: North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper
- Ontario/Quebec: Ottawa Riverkeeper