I like this one because it is a great picture of the battle river valley which is unique to the area with a diverse amount of species living in this valley. It also has its negative parts in it with a railroad travelling through it and also many farms that border it and have waste flowing into the river.
-Bettina Alder
The Deer:
I chose to take photos of these deer, because animals are also a part of the watershed. For instance, the deer in the woods became a part of the woods. The reason for this is that, sometimes it was difficult to distinguish the deer apart from the woods. The deer simply blended in with the woods nearly seamlessly, that is, they appeared to be one thing as opposed to two separate things.
-Bukala A.
Boys in the Creek
These are my oldest boys playing in Stoney Creek. They are having so much fun that they do not know how much they are learning. These outdoor spaces that are clean for kids to play in create an important connection for kids to the natural environment. An elder once said that you must first teach people to love the land before you teach them to protect it. I can tell you that my boys are loving this as I did when I was their age and still do.
-M. Samm
This is a negative picture because it is a oil or gas compressor station that looked like it may be abandoned and ruins the scenery and degrades the environment.
-Bettina Alder
Tap
Though it sounds harsh to say it, my most immediate connection with the Battle River watershed is probably through the tap. On a superficial level, this is the water source that sustains me, day in and day out. The deeper reality of where this water comes from, the condition it is in, and where it goes after it reaches me, is, for the most part, completely forgotten or not even considered. There is a profound disconnect between the water I use every day and the landscape that surrounds me. Because the water I interact with on a daily basis enters and leaves through pipes, I don’t have to consider the broader context and implications of my actions. This is something I feel must change. How can we connect people back to the landscape from which essential life sources such as water come?
-Sarah Skinner
