The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council began to lead canoe-based "Healing Journeys" along the Yukon River and its tributaries in 2006. These canoe paddles are the foundation of a program to pursue three central goals:
- to spread messages of environmental stewardship to youth and communities along the rivers we travel,
- to allow Traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples to guide our science, and
- to collect and process scientific data to create a real-time baseline of an entire river system's health.
In partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the YRITWC Healing Journeys have been pathways to an entirely new level of cohesion in river ecology studies and water quality baseline studies. To overcome the challenge of water quality testing a large river system without interference from motor exhaust or propeller cavitation, the YRITWC used canoes to travel at the pace of the river and attached a multi probe data sonde to our vessels. For the first time on the planet, it was therefore possible to take uncontaminated water samples every five minutes and store data about 11 different water parameters providing a profile of the river's water quality in real time. The USGS has stood as a valuable partner in processing these samples and compiling data for interpretation. This scientific data has been a valuable resource for our ability to understand the health and needs of the Yukon River. Goning far beyond the level of detail and inclusion that in situ and grab samples alone might provide, and the observational data of the paddlers has greatly enriched the probe readings, and we already have plans to use additional probes and data loggers to enhance the studies.
While the scientific data component of the Healing Journey takes the pulse of the river, the Healing Journey's other components take several steps further toward a more holistic view of the river system and educational opportunities. The use of canoes as the mode of transportation allows our paddlers to be in touch with the river's communities and local history from an Indigenous perspective throughout the paddle. By stopping in each community facilitate the spread of watershed conservation. Local potlatches offer a valuable opportunity for the us to engage traditional knowledge in guiding our work. In interviews with community elders and leadership, we have an incredible opportunity to listen to the river's history and strive to regain an awareness of the river's ways that no probe can offer. This input has been particularly enlightening considering the rapid advance of climate change in the region. It is clear that the Indigenous perspective and experience of climate change, in combination with these modern data collections from the river, is providing unparalleled insight into a changing world.
2007 Yukon River: Click here to view the photo map
2008 Porcupine River: Click here to view the photo map