| PRAIRIE
OVERVIEW The
wonder of water
The United Nations has proclaimed
2003 the International Year of Fresh Water. Canadians are
making plans to use the UN Year of Fresh Water to launch a
two-year celebration of the importance of water to our cultural
and ecological heritage.
Water is one of the most amazing
and important substances on Earth. Its abundance is what makes
our planet unique and gives it life. In 2003 and 2004, Canadians
will be celebrating how water shapes the land upon which we
live and how it defines us as a nation.
Sponsored by Environment Canada,
Parks Canada, and many others, the two-year Wonder of Water
initiative will engage Canadians and their guests in the understanding
and appreciation of how community social well-being and economic
vitality are sustained by water, the part it plays in creating
a healthy environment and in fashioning spectacular landscapes.
Further information on the Wonder of Water is available at:
www.wonderofwater.ca.
Publisher’s Perspective
This publication is a primer about
water issues on the prairies. It is designed so that common
water issues and concepts applicable throughout the prairie
provinces are identified and discussed in the first portion
of the publication. The remaining part of this three-series
publication addresses province specific issues.
The publisher acknowledges that
there are some troubling issues with respect to water and
its management in the Prairie region of Canada. There is a
growing concern that the planet’s climate is changing
and that these changes, on balance are likely to be more negative
than positive for the Prairie region and that some of the
consequences of climate change are its impacts on water.
Keewatin Publications would like
to acknowledge the support and participation of many organizations
and individuals in producing this publication. Our sponsors
are identified on the back cover. They care and seek to be
a part of the solution to water issues. Environment Canada,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Prairie Farm Rehabilitation
Administration (PFRA), and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have
been sponsors for the entire series and have an interest in
ensuring the public understands the big picture of how we
collectively manage this precious resource. |
