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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Members of the Dene Nation gathered at St. Patrick high school this week to discuss protecting water in the North.

The biggest threat facing Northern water systems is the downstream pollution coming from southern industrial projects, according to Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus.

George Mackenzie, grand chief of the Tlicho government, speaks to the audience at the Dene Nation National Environment and Water Summit yesterday about the role of land claims in protecting water sources. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

"Our biggest concern is the water is being contaminated and affecting the systems here," he said. "We want to bring the results of this summit to the chiefs' meeting next month in Ottawa. We want to raise awareness to the issue of water and work on results to improving our water systems."

More than 200 delegates from all over the North and elsewhere in Canada participated in the three-day Dene Nation National Environment and Water Summit that wrapped up Thursday. The event brought together First Nations traditional knowledge keepers and people versed in new technologies to talk about preserving water systems in the North for future generations.

They learned about the triumphs and tragedies of the water on First Nations' land and the methods used to protect and begin the process of cleaning and maintaining healthy water systems.

Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, also in attendance, said since the early 1990s there hasn't been much focus on environmental issues affecting Northern water systems.

"We haven't had a lot of public attention on water issues," Bevington said. "It's very healthy to have public participation in water management issues.

"The Dene Nation and the First Nations in the area are returning to a public process and it's happening because everyone is recognizing the scope of the issues affecting the water systems. First Nations understand and appreciate that water is a fundamental part of the biosphere."

The keynote speaker of the summit was Karen Percy Lowe, an Olympic bronze-medallist skier. She spoke on behalf of the Waterkeepers Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting water systems around the world.

"It's a global grassroots organization that has approximately 170 waterkeepers globally," Lowe said. "The waterkeeper is the watchdog."

Lowe said it is possible for programs like the Waterkeeper Alliance to help protect waterways and to restore waterways damaged by pollution.

"People can see that it can happen and it can work and you can establish a program that can protect your water and clean it up if you have to," Lowe said. "It's a slow process but it's a doable one if you have the support and the backing of the community.

"I wanted to bring awareness so people know that these programs that are in place are working. (The Hudson River in the eastern U.S.) was an open sewer in the 1960s and it's one of the most pristine bodies of water now. They did it and cleaned it up. We can do everything in our power to make any water system great again."