Fall 2010 CRYOFRONT Column

CRyOfRONT: News and Views from the Far North

Protecting our northern waters a personal perspective on a global resource

By Ken Johnson, NTWWA Director

Thanks to Jean Soucy, a water professional from the town of Fort Smith, who directed me to the recently published (May 2010) NWT Water Stewardship Strategy for this particular northern view.

My own personal connection with northern waters was firmly established over 20 years ago with the adventure of a lifetime on a two-week paddle down the Nahanni River, which is a major tributary to the Mackenzie River. The trip

had everything to offer, a beautiful maiden (who was my paddling partner), a couple of yahoos in another canoe (Mike and Doug), and a near death experience at Virginia Falls (for Doug not me); all set against the backdrop of a world class river – WOW. This experience galvanized my interest in the north, and in particular northern waters, which has been a ‘passion’ for me for the past 22 years; and I expect it to remain a passion for next 20 years at least.

Stewardship, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, is an ethic that embodies cooperative planning and management of environmental resources with organizations, communities and others to actively engage in the prevention of loss of habitat and facilitate its recovery in the interest of long-term sustainability – that is wordy enough to choke a fish. Another more brain-friendly definition is the responsibility to take care of something owned by someone else.

Now apply this to the a river and its tributaries that is the second longest river in North America at 4,241 kilometres (2,635 mi), drains

A much younger Ken Johnson stands on the largest tufa mound in Canada formed by mineral deposition from a hot springs along the Nahanni River.

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1,805,200 square kilometres (697,000 sq mi) and has a mean discharge of 10,700 cubic metres per second (380,000 cu ft/s), and I would say that you have a very, very big challenge.

The waters of the NWT are not only important to the territory itself, but they are also regarded as a significant resource worldwide. Not surprisingly, the Mackenzie River basin’s natural climate system helps stabilize the earth’s climate.

There could be ecological and water-related implications for the entire continent if the Mackenzie River basin system changes too much. Who would think that protecting our northern waters would have such global implications?

The Vision of the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy is that “the water of the Northwest Territories will remain clean , abundant and productive for all time.” On a local scale, the NWT waters are important for northern ecosystems and the people within those ecosystems.

Watershed values also include community water supply and wastewater treatment means and methods. As northern water professionals, this is where we strategically and importantly fit into the picture as stewards of the water of the north.

The Publication of the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy also coincides with the recent signing of a Forest Products Association agreement, which is part of an ongoing strategic national effort to make Canada’s boreal forest the world’s best protected ecosystem. About 4.4 million of the country’s 5.5 million square kilometres of boreal forest are intact, and two-thirds of that area could be protected. It is believed that our boreal forest is more protected than any other intact forest ecosystem in the world.

An interesting part of the whole stewardship process is the valuation of watersheds, which means understanding and ‘accounting’ for the value. Believe it or not, the market value of the Mackenzie watershed has been assessed at an estimated $42 billion per year or $245 per hectare on average – another WOW! Ken Johnson may be contacted at: ken.johnson@cryofront.com For more information: www.enr.gov.nt.ca

Ken Johnson above Virginia Falls on the Nahanni River.

Ken Johnson and paddling buddy ‘dig water’ on the Nahanni River – a tributary to the Mackenzie River.

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