Mike Chemerys looking for participants for Relay 2000
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
FORT SIMPSON (Apr 09/99) - The official opening of the Trans Canada Trail is going to be celebrated in style and residents in the Deh Cho have a chance to get involved.
As part of a national relay planned for next year, water is going to be collected from the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk and transported over land to get it to Hull, Que. There, the ocean water will be mixed with water from the Pacific and the Atlantic in a fountain as a symbolic display of unity.
Mike Chemerys, of Fort Simpson, became a member of the Trans Canada Trail Council last week. He's responsible for getting the water from Tulita to Fort Providence and is looking for support from the communities along the route.
"Anybody that wants to get involved is more than welcome to get involved," Chemerys said. "It's a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity."
Only a select few will be chosen as official water carriers, but first, volunteers are needed to help clear the NWT trail, which will become part of a national multi-use trail project.
The stretch from Tulita to Wrigley could follow the winter road system, Chemerys suggested. The biggest challenge could be getting the water to the Deh Cho in the first place because there are no established roads or trail systems along much of the route from Tuktoyaktuk to Fort Good Hope, he noted.
The Northwest Territories Recreation and Parks Association proposes to use the Mackenzie River as the main route throughout the NWT, according to a letter of support drafted for municipal councils.
Sponsors are also needed to help fund the project at $36 per metre of trail. With a minimum of 544 metres sponsored, a community will be entitled to a pavilion with contributors' names displayed, according to Chemerys. As founder of the Tracks and Trails Snowmobile Club, he added that he wanted to get involved with the project because it will create a legacy for future generations.
He also knows the leaders in the region, many other snowmobilers in the Deh Cho, and has a better sense of the landscape than someone from outside the area.
He said the water used in next year's relay will be transported by any available means, whether it be all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile, dog sled, skiers, hikers or even horseback. The water collected from the Arctic Ocean is expected to be on the move in February or March next year and is to be in Hull by September.
There are a number of questions that have yet to be answered, Chemerys acknowledged. Among them, what sort of object will be used to hold the water? At this point, he said, that object is being referred to as "the vessel." Its shape and the volume of water it will hold are unknown.
