reetings
from Glazier Lake, located at the most northwestern part of New
Brunswick. To introduce myself, my name is Guy P. Landry, Vice President
of the Glazier Foundation, and I crossed eighteen rivers to get from the
St.-Francis to the Petitcodiac River to be with some of the greatest
people you would ever want to meet.
|
(photo: DOE)
|
I am talking about people who don't just talk about the
problems with the rivers, but work to find solutions and may I say it
was a privilege to celebrate Earth Day with them all.
Of late, I have been involved in multiple other projects involving
the rivers of this province. Recently, for example, I was part of a
group who organized "La Grande Descente 2000, la Répuplique en
canoe," which you may have heard about.
Almost one hundred people participated in the three day canoe trip
which was a "historical journey through time". Canoes ran
throughout the Madawaska region, winding their way along the upper
reaches of the Saint John River with stops from Glazier Lake down to the
village of St-Hilaire. I can tell you that by the looks of things, the
event was a qreat success. We will hopefully be repeating it again in
the years to come, with the goal of bringing more exposure to the need
to keep our rivers clean and an appreciation for the simple pleasure of
paddling down a waterway free of pollution. Much more work is needed to
bring that about.
In this same vein, I'm continuing with the help of
many friends to put together the: "Eco-challenge, la conquête du
Madaweskak." which is a competition entailing biking and hiking, to
end up canoeing down Glazier Lake, the St.-Francis and the St.-John
rivers all the way to Edmundston.
The "Eco-challenge" will take place the
first weekend of July 2000, and if you are interested in joining the
Eco-Challenge, there are still four spots left for teams of four
athletes each.
A lot of work is needed to increase public awareness on the
conditions of our rivers, and thanks to the beautiful people I saw and
met at the New Brunswick Environmental Network’s Earth Day event in
Moncton, I received all of the energy needed to keep up with the
"good fight", as I like to call it. Thanks for your positive
energy and keep the faith.
