View video in MPG format

Transcript

Aquatic Health in Yoho National Park

Images of Earth

Narration

Of all of the planets that we know of, ours is still the only one that has water.

And, life cannot exist without water.

Staff member catching bugs with a net in the water

Child asking question:

Why are you catching those bugs?

Staff member answering question

Well, these bugs can tell us an awful lot about the water quality in the park. Unfortunately, the bugs don’t exactly volunteer for the job, so we need to encourage them to come out and tell us their story. By studying these bugs, we can learn more about the health of the river.

Researcher Catches Bug

Gotcha….

Images of fish

Narration

Millions of Canadians depend on the safe, clean water that originates from our Mountain Parks. And, it’s not just people who use these rivers. These bugs feed fish and the fish feed other wildlife.

Mountains/Hikers

Narration

If you look up high in the mountains, you can see the glaciers and snow packs that feed these rivers, which is why they are so very cold.

Flowing river images

Narration

Every major city in Alberta and British Columbia gets its’ drinking water from these mountains.

Team of researchers testing waters

Narration

As the Aquatics Specialist for the Mountain Parks, it is my job to monitor the quality of the water.

Researcher collecting water samples/Images of water bugs

Narration

Many toxins disappear within hours in the flow of the water, but their impact can last for much longer. By looking at the bugs, we can better understand long-term effects.

Map of BC/Alberta: Calgary, Golden, Kelowna, and Vancouver labelled

Narration

Everything is downstream; rivers connect to people, fish, wildlife, and eventually feed into the oceans.

Sunset

Narration

It’s essential to protect our watersheds because good planets are hard to find.

Text:
Shelley Humphries, Parks Canada Aquatics Specialist. Yoho, Kootenay, North Banff.