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Celebrate World Water Day in Crescent Valley

The event is organized by the Perry Ridge Watershed Association
15967542_web1_Perry-Ridge
Perry Ridge, located next to the Slocan River, has approximately 14 main streams entering the river. Photo submitted

Submitted

The Perry Ridge Watershed Association is hosting a World Water Day event on March 24 to celebrate the launch of the Perry Ridge EcoReserve petition.

The petition is asking the provincial government to place the Perry Ridge Watershed under EcoReserve status. Perry Ridge is a delicate and biodiverse ecosystem in one of the world’s rare inland temperate rainforests. Threats from resource extraction industries endanger the rare plants and animals on the ridge as well as the people who live downhill who are at risk from landslides and contaminated water.

Perry Ridge is located on the west side of the Slocan River and includes the mountains from Slocan City south to the Little Slocan River. There are approximately 14 main streams descending down the east side of Perry Ridge that enter the Slocan River and flow south down to Kootenay River meeting with the mighty Columbia River and finally entering the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. Perry Ridge is one of the headwaters for the Columbia river.

Many families depend on clean drinking water from the Perry Ridge watershed. Many visitors enjoy the recreational benefits of the ridge, including hiking, biking, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing and other recreational activities.

Perry Ridge is home to a biodiverse array of wildlife and flora, including keystone species such as elk and grizzly bears. It is a rare inland temperate rain forest ecosystem studied by academics.

Experts have confirmed that logging and other resource extraction on the ridge threatens terrestrial stability and increases the threat of landslides that threaten downhill communities.

Local indigenous people know Perry Ridge to be sacred land for their culture and home to numerous archeological sites that document indigenous history here.

All people on the planet benefit from the carbon sequestration form the older trees on Perry Ridge, as Dr. Mel Reasoner will address.

Join a celebration for the Perry Ridge EcoReserve petition. Sinixt representative Marilyn James will lead the water song prayer at Crescent Valley Beach at 12:15 p.m., followed by a luncheon by donation at the Crescent Valley Hall at 1 p.m. that will feature a talk by Mel Reasoner, who holds a PhD in climate resilience consulting.

The Perry Ridge Water Users Association is an educational and public awareness non-profit society incorporated in 1983 with the mission to protect the watersheds on the east side, above the densely settled area of Perry Ridge, Slocan River Valley.