Moon and Sky - Protecting Watersheds & Wetlands

Doctor Margot Parkes is the Canada Research Chair in Health, Ecosystems & Society, School of Health Sciences & Northern Medical Program, of the UNBC Health Research Institute.

 

Dr. Parkes is no stranger to Rotary, with Rotary helping to start her extensive career as an Ambassadorial Scholar over 20 years ago in Brussels.

 

Dr. Parkes presentation focused on Ecosystems and the cumulative relationship of Ecosystems with health, both Public and Personal Health.

 

Dr. Parkes discussion related to the "Stuart-Nechako Watershed" because of the Nechako Rotary Club, but her talk was relative to all watersheds and ecosystems, regardless of their location, as they are all relative to the long term effect on our environmental and personal health.

 

The "Stuart-Nechako Watershed" is approximately the same size as Switzerland, but with a much smaller population.

 

"ECO" is a Greek word meaning "House".

 

Ecosystems relate to such things as: Air, Water, (both surface and ground water) environmental dynamics, land use and practices, active lifestyles, etc.

 

The bottom line being that the "Upstream Effects Causes Downstream Impacts."  Whatever happens in a ecosystem, within a watershed, will have an impact on the ultimate well being of the environment and the related health of everything downstream.

 

We regularly see and appreciate these facts more from the research and information being presented by people such as Dr. Parkes and the other people involved in the study of cause and effect on our environmental systems.

 

Rotarian Doctor William Osai thanked Dr. Parkes with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.