My Watermark is Ottawa River, Ontario.

I was born (1954) and lived in Deep River ON until I was 10 1/2 years old. My memories of childhood have me swimming at the beach everyday of summer vacation.

In Deep River "the beach" is Lamure Beach. I only just learned that it has a name because I recently saw Lamure Beach on Swim Guide. All my brothers and sisters and friends took swimming lessons at the beach. We walked, without parents, to the beach. Life was simple and fantastic! When my family moved to Toronto in late 1965 a part of my spirit remained at "the beach" in Deep River.

As a society we need to connect our children to the natural environment. Such connected children will invariably grow into environmentally conscious adults. We need clean lakes and rivers to swim, drink, and fish in.