ORCA FOOTPRINTS Upstream Downstream exploring Watershed Connections ROWENA RAE Orca Book Publishers
Introduction Ask me for my mailing address and I’ll give you a house number and street name a city province and country Ask me for my watershed address and I’ll tell you Douglas Creek Pacific Ocean This little creek drains 1,295 acres 524 hectares of land in my neighborhood and then flows straight into the Pacific Ocean I haven’t always had such a straightforward watershed address Years ago I lived in the city of Ottawa Ontario and had this address Rideau River Ottawa River St Lawrence River Atlantic Ocean What’s your watershed address If you shrug your shoulders shoulders in answer you aren’t alone Many people have no idea what their watershed address is but it’s really a good thing to know Here’s why First where does your drinking water come from From a watershed near you Where does your home’s gray water washing water and black water toilet water end up In a watershed near you Second what happens when a forest gets cut down to build houses or when a road gets paved It changes the land in a watershed A watershed isn’t just the water in an area it’s all Me at Douglas Creek near my home TRAVIS COMMANDEUR 8 8
Children enjoying a swim in an Indonesian river TI-JA GETTY IMAGES the land and everything on the land too How the land is used can make a big difference to the health of a watershed And a watershed’s health can translate into how much water people and animals have for daily living and how clean that water is Third watersheds the world over are stressed out thanks mainly to us humans We’ve built huge cities dammed and diverted rivers cut down vast forests drained wetlands to create farmland and even meddled with the planet’s climate Each of these actions and lots of others has an effect on one or more watersheds and all the animals plants and people that live there Once I knew I had a watershed address I wanted to learn more about what’s happening in watersheds near and far There are amazing things going on some worrying some inspiring Interested in finding out more Come for a walk with me through the world’s watersheds 9 9
