Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

water stewardship group

Water stewardship group, Gibson Energy team up to combat invasive purple loosestrife plant

Water stewardship group, Gibson Energy team up to combat invasive purple loosestrife plant

Just as leafy spurge looks harmless but is really an invasive species, purple loosestrife is another attractive-looking plant that can do more damage to the local environment. Purple loosestrife is a wetland invasive species that has taken over the river systems in Eastern Canada. While it looks like a beautiful flower, it is extremely aggressive and can wipe out cattails and other native flora. If its seeds spread, they can choke out wetlands. Purple loosestrife is native to Europe and Asia and was brought to North America in the early 19th century. It was likely introduced when its seeds were included in soil used as ballast in European sailing ships and discarded in North America.

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

After a record-breaking summer of heat, drought, and fires, experts in the Columbia Basin are stressing the importance of water monitoring and watershed management to secure our water supplies. “Watersheds are complicated,” said Greg Utzig, a conservation ecologist based in the Columbia Basin. “There are lots of different pieces, and if we are going to understand how these watersheds react to climate disruption, we have to have a better understanding of how the various parts interact. This is where water monitoring comes in, by helping us understand how these systems work and how fast they are changing,”

Water stewardship group: groundwater levels lower this year in Columbia Basin

Water stewardship group: groundwater levels lower this year in Columbia Basin

Non-profit water stewardship organization Living Lakes Canada (LLC) says that the hot, smoky and dry conditions experienced throughout the Columbia Basin over the past summer aren’t the only indicators of accelerated climate change, and that low groundwater levels have also shown a decrease in some aquifers from last year to now. Groundwater data is obtained from aquifers LLC monitors as part of their Columbia Basin Groundwater Monitoring Program. An aquifer is an underground layer of broken rock, gravel, sand or silt that contains groundwater.

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