And now we turn our attention to all the Ohneka’shó:’a (waters) on earth. This is what the Creator did: he decided, “There will be springs on the earth. And there will be brooks on the earth as well; rivers will flow, and will pass by under the earth. They will be the bloodlines of Mother Earth. And there will also be ponds and lakes and puddles for the littlest water beings to live. They will work hand in hand, the way I fashion them on the earth. And moisture will continue to fall.”
And it is true: fresh water is available in abundance to us who move about on the earth. And, in fact, to all those things which they provided for our contentment, fresh water is abundantly available too.
And it is true: he touched the rivers to flow wherever the humans are roaming the earth to quench their thirst. It is the first thing we use when we arise each new day. When the new day dawns again, the first thing we use is water. And let there indeed be gratitude. It is coming to pass as Our Creator intended. And give it your thought, that we may do it properly: we now give thanks and greetings for the springs, the brooks, the flowing rivers and the ponds and lakes. And will continue to be so, now our minds are one.
The Heart of the Region
St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne stretches from eastern Lake Ontario to the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. Their Watershedencompasses acres of forested mountains, valleys, and grassland. St. Lawrence River or, in the language of the Kanienkehaka [Mohawk] people, Kaniatarowanénhne, and their tributaries have since time immemorial been the lifeblood of the human and natural communities that make up their Watershed and ecosystems.
Biodiversity
St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed has for millennia sustained an immense diversity of species, including but not limited to Atlantic Salmon, American Eel, White Pine, Blanding’s Turtles, Bald Eagles and Human Beings, all connected in a tapestry of interdependent life.
The lifecycle of a number of these species, such as Atlantic Salmon and American Eel, depends on their ability to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the rivers that make up the Watershed. All these species, including the human communities, coexist interdependently, and each play an essential role in the health of the Watershed.
Working in Harmony
Indigenous communities, such as the Kanienkehaka [Mohawk] people and the Akwesasne Nation, have worked in harmony with the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed since time immemorial.
Protecting and Remediating
The guiding principles, found in the Kanianerenkó:wa (Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace) and the Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen (Thanksgiving Address), instruct communities to honor, respect and protect nurture, and care for its delicate balance.
The people living in the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed are working to address the historic harms and continued threats to protect the water that brings life to their communities.
Inadequate Laws
Today, the United States and Canadian federal law, state law and local law afford protection to the natural environment, including water quality. These laws, however, have proven to be inadequate for the protection of the St. Lawrence River/ Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed and the species that dependent on them.
Their failure stems from the assumption that the natural world is human “property.” Current law protects nature’s use and exploitation by its owners, be they individuals, corporations, or other entities. The resulting environmental exploitation has already led to the mass extinction of species, increasingly extreme and deadly storms, ever more frequent wildfires, deforestation, desertification, deglaciation, and ocean acidification. This environmental destruction threatens to end life on Earth as we know it.
Nature Has Rights
Tribal Nations, such as the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe, have chosen to face this crisis by legally recognizing the inherent rights of species and ecosystems. Countries around the world are following suit, and Ecuador has even enshrined the Rights of Mother Earth in their constitution. Dozens of municipalities across Turtle Island (North America), such as Tamaqua Borough (Pennsylvania) and Wales (New York), have also taken action incorporated the recognition of Nature’s rights into their laws.
NOW WE RESOLVE to become Guardians of the Watershed and recognize as follows:
SECTION ONE
Nature of the Watershed
The St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed, the air, the land, the water and its living organisms function as integrated and interdependent natural communities. They are therefore understood, respected, and protected by this resolution as living entities, possessingfundamental and inalienable rights.
SECTION TWO
The River’s Rights
We believe the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne and all their tributaries possess, at minimum, the following fundamental and inalienable rights:
The right to a natural cycle of healthy high and low water flows that sustain the overall balance of the River and surrounding ecosystems, the recharging of groundwater, and the movement and depositing of sediment
6
The right to a healthy connectivity between the River and land within their watershed
7
The right to be free of pollution as far as it affects that ability of the River to fulfill their roles and responsibilities to all their relations
8
The right to a healthy climate system
9
The right to be free of activities or practices, as well as obstructions, that interfere with or infringe upon these rights
SECTION THREE
The Watershed’s Rights
The Watershed and their communities possess, at minimum, fundamental and inalienable rights to exist, to life, to integral health, to regenerate, to evolve and to be restored.
SECTION FOUR
Bill of Responsibilities
In order to protect the Rights of the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed,
it is the responsibility of individuals within the watershed to:
Respect their natural cycles and processes
Acknowledge our ecological dutyto advocate for the River
Monitor the health of the River, their Watershed and natural communities
Collaborate with our fellow stewards to preserve and restore the River
Work in harmony with the natural communities that make up the Watershed
Protect the ability of the River to fulfill theirroles and responsibilitiesto all the natural communities that make up their Watershed
SECTION FIVE
A Call on Governments within the Watershed to Take Action
We invite invite our local governments and fellow community members to recognize the Rights of the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne by taking the following actions:
NUMBER ONE
Develop programs that inspire active community participation in the care and health of the Watershed and engage people meaningfully on environmental issues and policy
NUMBER TWO
Collaborate with communities across the region to call on local governments to adopt ECOCENTRIC LAWS to protect the Rights of the River, its tributaries and Watershed
SECTION SIX
Watershed Guardians
We invite you to sign a RESOLUTION and become a Watershed Guardian, advocating for the fundamental Rights of the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed and their fellow Adirondack Watersheds, and fulfill your ecological responsibilities towards the environments that sustain our communities.
As used within this resolution, the following terms
are defined to mean:
1
“Adapt”
- the modification and changes a structure of organisms adopts to survive successfully in an environment.
2
“Akwesasne”
- a Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) territory that straddles the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanenneh River. The name Akwesasne in Kanienkeha (Mohawk language) means Land Where the Partridge Drums, referring to rapids that drummed along the River before the construction of the Moses-Saunders Power Dam and the St. Lawrence Seaway project. However, the River, much like the people of Akwesasne, will never be silenced.
3
“Clean Water”
- is water free from the non-natural presence of any one or more substances, contaminants, noise, or pollutants in quantities which are, or may be potentially harmful or injurious to, human health or welfare, animals, fish, plant life, and water quality, or which may unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property, including outdoor recreation.
4
“Continued Threats”
- the dumping of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, mercury and other harmful substances into the River, the inappropriate operation of hydro dams and the consequent flooding of wetlands, the introduction of invasive species, and the contamination from agricultural runoff, among others, which have all severely impacted the health of the Watershed.
5
“Ecosystem”
- a network of interdependent communities that include, but are not limited to, Humans, Land, Fish, Grasses, Roots, Medicines, Food Plants, Insects, Wild Animals, Trees, Birds, Fungi, Winds, Water, and Soil.
6
“Evolve”
- the ability of the River to steadily and gradually develop over time.
7
“Exist”
-- the ability of the River to naturally perform basic functions historically common to the Watershed.
8
“Flourish”
- the ability of the River to naturally prosper by vigorously growing and developing, which, in turn, allows it to robustly perform its basic functions.
9
“Energy Flow”
- the flow of energy that unities living organisms within an ecosystem.
10
“Haudenosaunee”
- a Confederacy of six nations, made up of the Kanienkehaka (Mohawks), Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Toscuroras. Also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, the confederacy is properly called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy meaning People of the Longhouse. The confederacy was founded by the prophet known as the Peacemaker with the help of Aionwatha and is one of the first and longest lasting participatory democracies in the world.
11
“Natural Biodiversity”
- the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and that encompasses the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
12
“Natural Community”
- a group of plants and associated animals classified and described by their dominant biological and physical features.
13
“Reciprocal Relations”
- a relationship founded on the balance of giving and receiving, in which the different parties strive to preserve the relationship’s health.
14
“Regenerate”
- the ability to recover from damage to the River’s ecosystems and be resilient to minor disturbances.
15
“Restoration”
- the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interruption and action.
16
“Restorative Justice”
- the process of healing with the land, in which people are provided with the tools and the community to repair the problems that might arise.
17
“Thrive”
- for the River, the Watershed, and its natural communities to exist in a state of equitable harmony, reciprocal balance, and ecosystem health.
18
“Traditional and Ecological Knowledge Holders and Culture Bearers”
- respected community leaders who hold evolving knowledge acquired over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment. This knowledge is specific to a location and includes the relationships between plants, animals, natural phenomena, landscapes and timing of events that are used for lifeways, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, trapping, agriculture, and forestry.
19
“St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne River”
- shall include the River, the River’s watershed, and the natural communities that exist within the River’s watershed.Kaniatarowanénhne has also been given many other name by the nations and peoples along their shores. However, we are referring to them by the name with which they are honored and celebrated by the Akwesasne community.
20
“Watershed”
- the area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall that flow into the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne and its tributaries.
