Watermark Project

Moore's Beach, ON - Terry L Brown

2026-01-22T20:41:57Z

Get Out and Dive In, Terry aka The Amphibiographer

Since minnows nibbled my toes as a toddler, I have been a lover of fish and aquatic critters. This took place in the warm, sandy shallows of the Ottawa River at Moore’s Beach, just south of my hometown of Pembroke, Ontario. Moms would take kids to this beach because even adults could walk out for half a kilometre and still only be up to their knees in water. A perfectly safe place for preschoolers and older kids to play in the water with minimal supervision. I remember sitting down in the very warm water in bright August sunshine, pine-clad shoreline along the river, the far bank seemingly a province away, which it actually was since it was Quebec on that side of the river. Sitting still for a short time invited tiny minnows to come and nibble on the skin and hair on my legs! Tickling and delighting me with their vigorous yet painless nibbling. I was enamoured of the little wriggling fishes, fascinated with their lives and the waters they lived in!

Adding to my fascination was the night I was awakened from sleep so my Dad could show me a huge sturgeon he had just caught in the Ottawa River. Before me was a living dinosaur-like creature, armoured plates and projections bristling from a huge body, whiskers wiggling beneath his chin!! This wonder was also shark-shaped, and being an avid fan of Jacques Cousteau films and Sea Hunt I was totally enthralled by this improbable and fascinating fish. I later went on to video them underwater in the Ottawa and Petawawa Rivers.

Thus was born a fascination and passion for exploring and connecting with the aquatic realms of our watery planet, which I continue to this day! And a passion for sharing my explorations to inspire others to do the same. “Be There, Be Aware, With Care!”
https://amphibiographer.tv/

The Mackenzie River - Chloe Flood

2026-01-07T18:42:04Z

When in relations with why I wanted to cover the Mackenzie river, it was solely because a friend sharing the same name as this river. However, there are other aspects that made me want to go over it, and it is because I find it to be very beautiful, grand, and quite interesting to be learned about. My relationship with water is a story on its own, more so drinking water. When I was a lot younger, I barely knew the significance of water and only saw it as something my mom would force me to drink. I used to primarily drink many sugary beverages, such as mango juice, slushies, chocolate milk, milkshakes, and soda. These options are clearly all unhealthy and lack the nutrition and importance water did, however, I had thought that water had a boring flavour and refused to drink a lot every day.

As time went on, I realized many complications that occurred from not drinking water. I experienced fainting, vomiting, exhaustion, headaches, tummy aches, bladder pain, and many others. There was a point in time where I finally took notice of my health and worried about many complications, so I began to drink water more often. I never realized how refreshing water was and how that refreshing feeling outweighed other beverages.

Drinking water has helped me gain more energy, recover from panic attacks, helped improve my health when I was sick, helped me cool down, and many other outstanding things. I have grown to realize how amazing water truly was! Not just for taking bubble baths or swimming in pools, but for drinking and improving health. And now, water is my favourite beverage. There isn’t anything else like it

La Laguna de San Diego in Caldas, Colombia - Carolina Lopez

2025-12-13T06:25:07Z

Long before San Diego became the town that it is now, its hills were alive with the sounds of the wind, water, and earth. Beneath this magical land, a fire stirred. As the fire roamed, it shaped valleys and hills along the way, until one day, it had enough, but it had already left a deep hollow in the earth. There, from on top of the hill sat a Guardian Spirit watching, and it hurt him to see it; his tears filled the hollow, and a lagoon was born. Its waters were warm, deep, and reflected the clouds, the sun, and the moon. This was La Laguna de San Diego, a hidden jewel whose Guardian Spirit’s eyes watched all who came near.

The Guardian Spirit watched the lagoon with care. It filled it with fish, and around it with nature and wildlife. He spoke to the waters with respect, for they “Feel everything.” The land began to thrive. Early settlers, guided by stories from their elders, learned to fish, leaving some fish so the lagoon could replenish itself. Children were taught to watch the water, to listen to the waves, and to understand that the lagoon was alive and it depended on us to survive.

For centuries, the people of San Diego lived in harmony with the lagoon. Fishermen cast their nets and caught fish to feed their families. Children played in the water, and travellers came to explore the beauty. The Spirit watched and was pleased with the balance that was maintained. The people spoke Spanish, but the lagoon and the Spirit understood them by the care they took of the land. The name of the community itself—San Diego—came to be intertwined with the lagoon, showing the connection between the land, the water, and the people who relied on it.

One year, the lagoon became ill. The fish that lived in abundance for generations began to die. The lagoon had to be closed down. The people panicked and wondered what had gone wrong. The elders whispered that a sickness had entered the water because The Guardian was not happy with how the people were treating the lagoon. Local authorities later confirmed what they suspected. The fish had been infected by a virus, the Tilapia Lake Virus, a silent predator that could strike swiftly and without mercy.

The Guardian Spirit had retreated in sorrow, reminding the people that the lagoon was fragile. The fish had become victims of an imbalance that humans could not control. The villagers were forced to stop catching fish, to stop using their nets, and to allow the lagoon to rest. At this time, they reflected. They realized that the lagoon was not just a body of water, but a living entity that demanded respect.

Days turned into weeks, and the lagoon began to recover. The Guardian Spirit calmed the waters. Authorities and scientists monitored the lagoon, community members, young and old, returned to the shores, but now with a deeper understanding. They knew that the lagoon was to be treated as a partner rather than a resource to dominate. From that day forward, every ripple in the lagoon reminded the people of their responsibility.

The story of La Laguna de San Diego and its Guardian Spirit spread to other regions. Visitors and children alike learned that water, land, and life were intertwined. The Spirit became a symbol teaching that even the smallest misstep could ripple through the ecosystem. Fishing, recreation, and tourism continued, but always with respect, reflection, and sustainable practice. The lagoon never forgot the lessons imparted to it by the people of San Diego and their ancestors.

The moral of the story is that the Guardian Spirit teaches us that all life is interconnected. Natural resources are not ours to control it is a shared existence. Respect and patience ensure that both humans and nature can thrive together. When balance is lost, consequences follow, but understanding, reflection, and humility can restore harmony. The lagoon reminds the people of San Diego, and all who hear its story, that it is not just about taking, but about listening and learning, and honoring the spirits of the land.

Lake Winnipeg - ERFAN SAIDI

2025-12-13T02:33:20Z

Title: What Once Held Me Steady Is Now Asking for Care

My Water Narrative

At first, in 2003, shortly after immigrating to Canada, I found myself nearby the shores of Lake Winnipeg, just north of the city. Along the shore, the lake stretched wide and steady, and in the foreground the water appeared cold, calm, and unwavering. During that time, everything in my life felt uncertain—language, culture, belonging—but the lake offered something solid. The sharp wind cut through my thoughts, slowing them, while the open shoreline created space for reflection. The water did not demand anything from me; it simply existed. That quiet presence grounded me during a period of displacement and emotional instability. Even then, without fully realizing it, Lake Winnipeg became part of my internal sense of safety and balance.

Earlier in my life, before Canada, water played a similar role. I grew up in Iran’s Gilan province, near the Caspian Sea, where water shaped daily life, culture, and spirituality. Previously, swimming, fishing, boating, and observing wildlife were ordinary experiences, deeply woven into memory and identity. When I encountered Lake Winnipeg again years later, those memories resurfaced. Meanwhile, although the two waterbodies are thousands of kilometers apart, they share similar stories of environmental stress and neglect. At the same time, standing beside Lake Winnipeg created continuity between past and present, reminding me that water carries memory across borders and generations. When water degrades, it is not only ecosystems that are harmed, but also culture, identity, and inherited ways of understanding the world.

Beyond the shoreline, Lake Winnipeg is not only personal—it is communal. Within the community, it is one of Canada’s largest freshwater lakes and central to Manitoba’s ecology, food systems, and recreation. Surrounding the lake are towns, farms, beaches, and Indigenous communities whose lives are deeply connected to its health. Nearby, families fish, swim, and gather, while across the region the lake supports tourism and local economies. However, this shared space is increasingly contested. Harmful algal blooms, driven by nutrient pollution, have become a recurring threat, making parts of the lake unsafe for swimming and fishing. These conditions directly affect community health, food security, and cultural practices, particularly for Indigenous Nations with longstanding relationships to the water.

Interlocking responsibilities among governments, industries, and communities have allowed accountability to weaken. Lake Winnipeg’s shallow depth makes it highly vulnerable, connected to overlapping agricultural drainage systems that accelerate nutrient runoff. As a result of prioritizing agricultural productivity, fertilizers and wastewater enter the lake faster than it can recover. These environmental pressures are also connected to policy decisions—weak enforcement of runoff regulations, inadequate wastewater infrastructure, and financial incentives that favor short-term economic gain over long-term ecological health. Water is treated as a resource to be managed rather than a living system that sustains life.

Moreover, learning that Lake Winnipeg lies on Treaty 1, 2, 4, and 5 lands fundamentally reshaped my understanding of responsibility. Historically, Indigenous Nations have maintained water teachings grounded in reciprocity, respect, and relational accountability. As long as colonial governance systems continue to marginalize Indigenous water laws, pollution and neglect persist. Consequently, Indigenous communities face disproportionate impacts: unsafe drinking water, declining fisheries, and disrupted cultural and spiritual practices. These realities reflect environmental injustice rooted in ongoing colonial structures.

Eventually, the causes of Lake Winnipeg’s degradation extend far beyond local choices. Industrial agriculture, economic growth models, and colonial governance systems operate at national and global scales. Climate change intensifies these pressures by increasing rainfall, runoff, and water temperatures, worsening algal blooms. In the future, awareness alone will not be enough. Protecting Lake Winnipeg requires systemic change—policy reform, Indigenous-directed water governance, and collective responsibility that values ecological sustainability over extraction and convenience.

To end with, Lake Winnipeg stands at a crossroads. If current patterns continue, the lake will face ongoing ecological collapse, loss of biodiversity, and deepening social injustice. Unless meaningful action is taken, future generations may inherit a waterbody remembered more for warning signs than for life. Yet if protected—through respect for Treaty obligations, Indigenous leadership, and long-term ecological planning—the lake can recover. What once steadied me during uncertainty now asks for care in return. Water remembers how we treat it—and it will reflect those choices back to us.

TOBERMORY, The Grotto - Noah Park

2025-12-13T00:45:15Z

It was a big deal when I was twelve years old and going on my first five hour road trip with my friends. I was a bit nervous to start the trip, which was planned through my church youth group for no particular reason. It felt completely unreal when we got on the highway, and the road trip began. Everyone was super loud, laughing, and enjoying the trip. My friends and I were getting a little rowdy, and it looked like we were going to have a great time. I remembered when we got to Tobermory, the first thing we saw was the water. I had never seen water like the water we were looking at. It was bright and crystal blue and did not feel like we were in Canada. I remembered it felt super surreal.

Swimming really excited me, but I was also scared. I could especially see shadows under the water, which made the idea of swimming into caves feel even creepier. I also noticed small fish moving about, which made everything even more unfamiliar. I had to hype myself up to swim in the caves, but it was much easier to do with my friends there, too. I felt fear for the first few moments of swimming, but it quickly turned into excitement after. Looking back, everything we did that day depended on that water. None of those moments would have been possible without Georgian Bay.

One part of the trip I'll never forget was when a few of us decided to swim around part of the island, just for fun. It was not planned, but that just sort of happened. One of my friends wore slides, cramping about halfway through. I stayed with him to help float and to swim the rest of the way. It was tiring, but at that age, moments like that really mattered. That experience was a turning point to view us differently. It was no longer just a group of friends, but more like a family. That group brings nostalgia every time we talk about the trip.

Lake Ontario - Daneilia Shirley

2025-12-12T21:46:46Z

Since my family enjoyed going to Woodbine, as a child I was able to go on walks in the sand beside the shoreline with family, pick up the different shells and stones, get my tiny feet wet by sticking my feet into the water; when sticking my feet in the water I would always get cold water shocks because they water was always so cold, I would make sand castles with the sand and I also would watch the water covering my foot prints that I have created just by sampling walking near the shoreline. Then and now, I always noticed that there was always a type of plastic or garbage in the water or even simply in the sand of the beach. I realized how easy it is for a little mistake like leaving a plastic drinking cup in the sand could become something big, which could affect the body of water by all the waste getting stuck in the body of water. Human actions play a big part in how clean or dirty these bodies of water are. If humans constantly leave waste around and it ends up in the water, then in a matter of time, all the waste will start piling up over time. I feel as though if we people can own up to their actions and try to change the world by not littering and putting their garbage in the right places, like the garbage or recycling bin, then it would definitely limit the chances of the body of water getting affected/or exposed to a lot of plastic and garbage in the water

The Scarborough Bluffs - Sara Mckechnie

2025-12-12T21:43:29Z

One of my strongest memories of the Scarborough Bluffs is standing near the edge during sunset and looking out at Lake Ontario. The sky was orange and pink, and the water looked calm like glass. It was a peaceful moment that made me feel connected to the lake. Visiting the Bluffs became a family tradition with my grandparents. My grandfather loves photography and always took me there to take pictures. These memories made the Bluffs an important place in my life.

Churchill River at Muskrat Falls - Joseph Landaverde

2025-12-12T17:23:33Z

At a personal level, I feel connected to the Churchill River at Muskrat Falls because learning about it changed how I understand water and sustainability. Before studying this waterbody, I mostly viewed hydroelectric dams as positive solutions to climate change. But hearing real testimonies from Innu community members made me realize that water is also tied to identity, mental health, and daily life. One community member shared, “For my mental state it helps me a lot when I’m out on the land” (McKenzie-Sutter, 2018). This showed me that the Churchill River is not just a technical site; it is a source of peace, memory, and connection. This changed the way I thought and helped me see that protecting water means protecting the people who rely on it.

At a community level, the Churchill River at Muskrat Falls is located in Labrador, within the unceded traditional territory of the Innu Nation, which includes the Mushau Innu First Nation and Sheshatiu Innu First Nation. It is not on Treaty land because the Innu were never part of Canada's numbered treaty. Instead, the region is recognized through modern land claim negotiations. (Innu Nation, n.d.). The community's biggest challenge is currently the risk of methylmercury contamination from the hydroelectric project. Innu leaders describe the importance of the river by saying that “Lake Melville downstream is our highway essential for food travel and survival” (McKenzie-Sutter, 2018). Another Innut hunter said, “Ninety-five percent of my food is what I eat off of the land” (Amnesty International, 2016). This shows how the contamination of methylmercury causes multiple issues that complicate the culture, safety, and food security for their community.

On a regional and systematic level, there are warnings that methylmercury in the river will rise. From a Harvard study, “methylmercury concentrations in locally caught fish, birds and seals … likely will increase up to 10-fold” once the reservoir is fully flooded (The Canadian Press, 2016). This is an incredibly serious issue because Indigenous communities rely on this water and the food for nutrition, for living, and for culture. The provincial government introduced mitigation plans, but many Indigenous leaders argue the problem is not fully addressed. For example, the NunatuKavut Community Council expressed that they were “extremely disappointed … that the wetland capping … did not proceed” and that there has been “little or no movement” on follow-up mitigation and monitoring efforts, indicating ongoing inaction. (NunatuKavut Community Council, 2021). Overall, learning about the Church Hill River at Muskrat Falls showed that water is one of the most important aspects in everybody's life. To see how the simplest change can affect a
whole community that impacts food, culture, and health. The more you zoom in on this issue, the more you realize how impactful it is in harming the environment. From a broader view, you only see a little issue and don't think it's a major problem, but the more you get closer to it and start to gain appreciation for it and researching, you see more and more of the damage and problems that aren't being shown from a farther viewpoint.

Lake Ontario - Ginner Itriago

2025-12-11T23:52:16Z

I still remember that first day, which changed the way I saw the ocean forever. The day started pretty normal, I parked at the CBYC parking lot at Bluffers Park and decided to go for a walk while I waited for my dad. I walked near the south docs and watched the open water of Lake Ontario. The water was so still near the boats, it amazed me how it behaved that way. Near a creek, which led to the lake, there were these two guys fishing. I never fished before and never paid attention to it since it wasn’t something that sparked interest in me. However, when I watched the fish and saw one of their rods start bending and both guys getting excited, everything changed. Seeing how happy and excited they were to catch a fish caught my attention. One of the guys saw me watching them and called me over to try it out. I wasn’t sure at first, but I decided to try it out. It felt so cool feeling the fish pull on the line and being able to reel it in. I was nervous at first that I would make a mistake, but when I caught my first fish, all those feelings were gone. I was proud of myself, although it wasn’t a difficult task, I felt happy, and that’s a moment I’ll never forget.

Before that day, my life was very different. I had quit soccer earlier that summer because I no longer loved the sport. Soccer was a big part of my life and my identity, so once I quit, I felt like my life was bland and I had nothing exciting to show. The things I spent my time doing were unfulfilling and boring. I would wake up, eat, work and repeat. This made me feel stranded and lost. But then, something unexpected happened. My dad had gone to a boat show and loved it so much he bought a blue. Without planning beforehand, we now had to look for a marina when the boat got delivered. After some time, we chose CYBC at Bluffers Park. Since that day I reeled in my first fish, fishing became my new summer hobby, and it was even better having a boat. What started as a random experience while waiting for my dad turned into something that brought me happiness. Bluffers Park is now an important place to me and my dad.

The community is kind, energetic, and really welcoming. It was interesting when the people told me many people called the water “Bluffers”, but the head owner of the CBYC called it the “Big Lake”. Since my dad’s boat is on the same dock as the owner's, I have gotten to know him well, and he even invited me to dinner on his boat before. Many community members live on their boats all year round at the marina. During the winter, there are special devices placed around the boats that prevent the water from freezing. I have seen these in action, and it’s cool how theology can help people continue living on the water all year round. Many people at CBYC speak English, but I also speak Spanish and have met people who speak Spanish too. However, life on the water isn’t perfect, as there are global problems that happen.

A big problem is water contamination (Government of Ontario, 2018). Water is polluted, and people are unable to swim and enjoy the water freely. This is after not only the animals that live in the water, but also the health of people who are near the water a lot, like those who live on their boats. I usually hear that the marina is a safe place to swim as long as no water is swallowed, but this still shows that the water is polluted and not safe for humans (Government of Ontario, 2018). It’s important for everyone in our community to take care of things that matter to us, like water. Fishing is now something I have a passion for, and knowing that water can be contaminated makes me realize how important it is to try to stop that. Knowing that Lake Ontario is located on Indigenous Treaty land shows me that this water should be respected and well cared for (Our Home and Native Land, 2025). The water isn’t just a spot for fun and relaxation, but it’s a part of history and culture, so it deserves to be protected.

Looking back, it’s crazy to think how a small moment became so important to me, changing my life. Fishing gave me motivation again and helped me feel excited for the rest of my summer. Bluffers Park is now more to me than just a marina. It’s a place for change, meeting new people, developing new hobbies, and life in the water. To me, water is more than something I drink; it’s now something that shapes my life and identity the way soccer did once. I hope that in the future, Lake Ontario is still protected so that others can also enjoy it and experience the same joy I found in it.

References
Map of Ontario treaties and reserves | ontario.ca. (2018, April 24). Ontario.ca. Retrieved December 9, 2025, from https://www.ontario.ca/page/map-ontario-treaties-and-reserves

Our home on native land. (n.d.). Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. Retrieved December 9, 2025, from https://native-land.ca/maps/native-land

Cavello Bay, Bermuda - David Lomath

2025-10-30T16:14:55Z

In 1970, I courted a young lady, Rosalind was her name; she came to me by courtesy of my dad, who was courting her mother, Freda, as my real mother had passed away some six years earlier. I met Rosalind when picking up my dad one night to take him home, as he did not drive. We hit it off straight away and began to go out together. As a consequence of her mother's divorce, her father had decided to relocate to the Island of Bermuda as he had landed a plum job on the Island as the chief Auditor for Bermuda, working for the British Government.

Rosalind loved her dad, and after a couple of years, she asked me if I would take her out there to see him. So we saved up our pennies and after 18 months we had enough to put a sizeable deposit on a 2 week package holiday which we duly booked and committed to paying the balance weekly before we went, and so after two and a half years, we set off on our adventure of a lifetime.
Both of us, equipped with the latest stylish wardrobe in our suitcases, hit the tarmac on British Airways on the 17th of June 1970, bound for Hamilton, Bermuda.

On landing, it was 35 degrees, and very pleasantly warm. Rosalind's Dad was there to meet us at the Airport, and he was a very nice man and treated me with a great deal of respect. He took us to our hotel, the Buena Vista on Harbour Road in Paget. This hotel is no longer there, as the original owner grew too old to run it and could not afford the upkeep costs, so it was eventually sold to a company for housing its workforce but was never treated kindly and became run down, so sad. However, during our stay, we decided to splash out on hiring a fast motor boat to tour the beauty spots of Cambridge beaches and Flatts, and the area around Hamilton Harbour, this we did from Bermuda Boat Rentals at Cavello Bay.

Cavello Bay sits on the edge of The Great Sound, a body of water that had to be crossed in order to get to the Capital Town of Hamilton (Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda, but it sure ain’t big enough to be called a city). Within the Great Sound, there are many small islets that form a kind of gateway through which the huge cruise liners have to pass in order to drop their thousands of visitors at Hamilton Harbour. We were told in no uncertain terms to avoid the main gap in this island chain and to take the long way round. This we intended to do notwithstanding the calamity which was about to beset us. We were taught briefly how to operate the boat and were pointed in the right direction, which ultimately was no use at all. Thinking that with a boat as fast as the one we had hired that in a few minutes we would be in the shady boulevards of Hamilton we set off across the Great Sound. Hamilton just happens to be on the other side of the Great Sound to Cavello Bay, so it was at some point in our journey necessary to cross the main shipping lanes, again no problem, we had a very fast boat, so should be able to outrun anything bearing down on us (oh yeah).

The first ten minutes went very well until we were bang in the middle of the Great Sound, at which point, although our engine was working perfectly, we suddenly had no forward propulsion and were therefore dead in the water. Ok, no problem, I can row it - slight problem, only one oar for a boat that is ten feet wide and 25 feet long, not easy, only going to go round in circles. We are adrift in the shipping lane, no propulsion, no food, Rosalind in a bikini, me in trunks with a shirt on and a rudder which was useless unless you were going forward. So I went into emergency mode, waving my shirt at every passing boat on the water, getting more sunburnt with every wave of my shirt. We were out there for over an hour, hoping against hope that we would not drift into the path of one of the large vessels, which would probably not see us until it was too late.

After much frantic waving, we managed to attract the attention of a local fishing boat who came alongside to help, we showed him that although our engine was working that the propellor was not going round and he said it looks like the shear pin has broken, this is a pin which connects across the engine shaft and the propellor and makes the propellor spin round driving the boat forward.
The fisherman fortunately was going inshore with his catch and offered to tow us back in to Cavello Bay, we gratefully accepted the lift albeit disappointed that our main trip would end this way, it took us nearly two hours to get back into Cavello Bay as we were against the wind, tide and Current, this also had not been explained to us by the boat hirers, it was a very leisurely trip back.
The boat company did offer to give us another boat for the next day, but we politely refused, preferring to get our money back and not to take the risk of being cast adrift again.

We did end up having the holiday of a lifetime, most of which was paid for by the British Government, which, as we did not remain together after we got back to England, would likely never be repeated.

But there is a very good moral to this story, it is not always good to have a fast boat, perhaps one with less speed will get you to where you want to go without breaking the shear pin, a 5 millimetre steel shaft which makes the propellor turn round, the failure of which was all it took to cast us adrift in middle of the main shipping lane of the Great Sound of Bermuda.