Beading Water Ecologies
Beading water ecologies aims to reconnect and revitalize important rivers and tributaries in the thunder bay district to heal and protect Lake Superior through Indigenous stewardship while creating a comprehensive fluid zoning plan to adapt to climate change + reconciliation. The regional design implements three types of zoning: Remediation, Preservation and Eco-Tourism incorporated at three levels of urgency which target areas that are more sensitive or prone to damaging downstream systems. The plan brings to the forefront the core ecological systems of the region – Water – which is essential to wildlife habitat, water quality, the wealth of biodiversity, Indigenous spirituality, and Non-Indigenous infrastructure.
The intentions of the regional design are meant to establish a hydrosocial network that constitutes the entire region with four zoning strategies:
Preserving + rehabilitating major wetlands and tributaries by Addressing wetland degradation, habitat loss, and water quality with control weeds, relocating nearby industry, restricting development and restoring connections to significant tributaries.
Remediating abandonned industry + conserving water health by remediating brownfield sites to regenerate ecological watershed health and to utilize these designated remediation zones as potential adaptability zones for water level increase or decrease.
Eco-tourism + building agency in the district by Integrating ecological touring zones into a dynamic watershed network system along the shorelines + major tributaries that fosters water education and protects Indigenous sacred and cultural sites.
Indigenous stewardship + knowledge values by Immersing and teaching socio-ecological, socio-hydrological relationships that harnesses the ability to protect cultural and ecological values.
