So What did our hydrated brains come up with?

Starting on our next trip to the Bow Glacier to measure glacial recession rates, we will start our water monitoring project of our Watershed: starting at the headwaters of the Bow Watershed, to the Churchill System.  We will purchase digital water monitoring equipment to obtain accurate and useful data.  This includes collecting snow data (snow tube). This data will be collected by all three grades in our OES program on ALL outdoor trips.  Alberta Tomorrow is potentially the location that we will share our data.

So now that we have the data, now what?  Each grade 11 student that participates in the caring for our watershed project will determine how to use this data for their specific project.  Each OES 30 student is required to complete a project that improves the health of their community, as part of this project each OES 30 student will lead a team of OES 10 & 20 students for educating students at Centennial HS that is coincides with a particular event ie. Food Day, Earth Day, Environment Week, Water Day, Waste reduction Day.  This specific event that takes place in our school will have unique ideas that promote sustainable living; ie, bath balls, clothing swap, ride your bike to school day, motivational hike.

Challenges:

• funding
• getting people involved

First Steps

• create an OES instagram , passwords, access ect

Bow River Basin Council Workshop

Bow River belongs to South Saskatchewan Watershed that belongs to the Saskatchewan River Basin that is part of the Churchill System

WPAC
http://albertawater.com/

Students created a watershed map with headwaters, water treatment, waste water treatment, the Fish Creek Sub Basin where we got our water sample.

NAVIG8: "Our headwater for our (OES) work on water literacy"

Friday March 11, 2016

Jay White: Water 101
0.0103% of the Water that is available for use
Watershed Map of Alberta
Water use graph (Agricultural, Industry)
Issues: Climate change, Pharmaceuticals, (lycosene loss of wetlands (kidneys), poor management, land use, development, invasive species, contaminants, resource indutsry use
"We poop in our drinking water"
First in Time, First in Right legislation in S. Alberta
We hardly know anything about our ground water
Do we know where a lot of our wetlands

David Hill: Key to Feeding Ourselves and the World
Mean Annual Natural River Discharge
We all live downstream
What does water do for you: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
107L/day
Virtual Water in Our Lives: 1kg of beef 13,620Litres, 4L of milk 3,506L, Potatoes 900L, apple 70L, 1 cotton dirt, 1,700L
Demand of food and nutrition could double & total energy demand could triple during this time period of time
Meat protein demand in China is increasing to 200%
Ab Gov vision to produce sustainable food
http://www.albertaclimaterecords.com/
http://ecowatch.com/2015/09/08/california-becomes-first-state-to-label-monsantos-roundup-as-a-carcinogen/

Water Challenges and Innovation in the Upstream Oil & Gas Sector:  Tara Payment - CAPP
Water is very costly to the industry 85% of supply is in the north/88% of demand is in south
Water Regulation:  Water Licenses

Lee Jackson
ACWA
40% fewer resources with increasing population and fewer resources
"Minimize your footprint, respect the land that feeds you"
   http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=00eee0e6-l
Canadians Highest consumers and pay the least (Denmark and Israel are the best)
Alberta Views: Gender Bending Water:
   https://albertaviews.ab.ca/2014/09/24/gender-bending-water/
Pine Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant (experimental streams only one in the world) ACWA
Reverse Osmosis 10nanometer 220M$ - 440M$
Your drinking water is someone else's waste water
What's in my water and why should I care

Julie Angus
National Geographic "Adventure of the Year"
Amazing story
http://www.angusadventures.com/

We decided on the drive to Canmore that we would give one of our OES bucket hats to the person that inspired and/or influenced us the most.  Immediately after Julie's talk the students wanted to give her the hat, her story is amazing and so inspiring.

"We never exhausted ourselves we tried to sustain our energy level at all times"

Saturday, March 12

Beverly Yee

130 Billion m3 of water flow annually in Alberta/ 9.2m3 of water are allocated (52million Olympic sized pools)

Government’s goal is to be 30% more efficient (Water for Life)

Irrigation report card 48% more efficient

Award Winning Mapping Project of Alberta’s surface water

Lost Creek Fire – Study

Marmot Creek Study

Dr. Patti  Laboucane-Bensen

www.sacredrelationships.ca

Protocol is an offering that demonstrates Respect

2gifts

1.   

2.  Metaphysical:  Natural Law (laws of nature), Wahkohtowin – doctrine of relationships

“Treaty 6 Elders of Saskatchewan” by Cardinal

Our Common Ground:  Humility  Honesty  Harmony  Caring  Respect  Sharing   Freedom

“When we are born, water comes first”  Leo Pard

1876 Indian Act – to eliminate treaty obligations

1884 amended to stop ceremonies (Potlach, Tamanawas Dance, Sundance)

“If we heal ourselves we will heal our water”

Metis leader : “my grandfather told me that there are 4 foodsI must fed people: 1 buffalo tongue, Pemican, Saskatoon Berry Soup, Duck Eggs”