My Watermark is Otonabee River, Ontario.

I have lived for 28 years beside the Otonabee River (from the Ojibway Odonabii-Zibii "River that Beats Like a Heart"). It's the water that comes from my tap everyday and it is where I spend many an hour paddling.

For 18 years I have been doing children's puppet shows about the Otonabee River in the hopes that everyone in the region will appreciate its long natural and human history. Every few years, I put the show into a canoe and paddle up the river going from venue to venue to perform the show.

For the past 3 years, I have also been the On-Water Coordinator of the "Adventure in Understanding" canoe trip from Peterborough to Curve Lake First Nation. We paddle up the river and beyond for 6 days and in the evenings learn from the elders and others about how we can care for the river and land around us. Many of the teachings come from the Ojibway traditions. This is a trip for youth First Nations and non First Nations ages 16 to 18.