Canoeists paddle up the Hudson River in New York.
A group of canoeists is paddling 1,800 kilometres to Washington, D.C., from Centretown’s Victoria Island in memory of Algonquin elder William Commanda and to raise awareness of river conservation.
The “Capital to Capitol by Canoe” expedition began in early September to promote water protection initiatives among Canadians and Americans.
Commanda, who died in 2011 at age 97, was a well-known Algonquin elder committed to the environment and peace, says Capital to Capitol canoeist Connie Downes. Commanda wanted Victoria Island to become an international peace centre, she adds.
Commanda’s ancestors from across North America, including Potomac River in Washington, would meet at Victoria Island to discuss environmental concerns such as how all waterways are linked, says Romola Thumbadoo, a volunteer coordinator at Circle of Nations, a group dedicated to peace and environmental stewardship and founded by Commanda.
Max Finkelstein, the organizer of the expedition, says the trip is meant to encourage people on both sides of the Canada-U.S border to keep waterways clean.
“We’re all connected to water,” says Finkelstein. “Water ecosystems transcend national boundaries.”
About 100 people attended the expedition’s launch event at Victoria Island located on the Ottawa River behind the Parliament Buildings, says Finkelstein.
Algonquin elder Evelyne Commanda performed a blessing ceremony for the expedition and the canoeists before they paddled away from the island.
Finkelstein says that he was pleased Evelyne Commanda, the daughter of William Commanda, had honoured the trip.
“It was an important start for this undertaking because we’re doing this for Mother Earth,” says Finkelstein.
Former city councillor and Capital to Capitol canoeist Clive Doucet says life cannot continue without clean water and that cities such as Ottawa sometimes forget this.
“Max has been working with rivers and water quality all his life,” says Doucet. “And I’ve been working on urban sustainability, and it occurred to me that almost all cities live by rivers or waterways.”
Doucet says that much of the water in rural Ottawa is contaminated and that communities such as Russell must have water pumped in from 30 kilometres away.
Finkelstein says residents in Centretown can make a difference in the health of the Ottawa River by being conscious of what they consume.
“Everything you put in yourself will end up in the water,” says Finkelstein.
“And everything that’s in the water will end up in you.”
The Canadian Wildlife Federation connected the canoeists to national historic sites and parks to stay at while the group completed the Canadian portion of the journey, says CWF communications director, Pam Logan.
She says the federation also has an education initiative to encourage Canadians to follow the journey online.
In late September and early October, the canoeists spent a few days in New York City discussing water conservation issues with different groups from that area.
Capital to Capitol by Canoe hopes to be welcomed into Washington by mid-October.