The launch of a new group in Kings County is under discussion. The group settled on the name Jijiktu'kwejk at its first meeting. The name means "Narrow River" and was the name used by the Mi'Kmaq prior to the colonization of Nova Scotia by Cornwallis. It isn't too hard to pronounce, you can come to the next meeting and find out how. In the meantime, some offer the phonetic "Gee-Gee-Wok-Tuk".
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| Nick Hill draws our attention to an observation along the way |
Pre-colonial, the river and its watershed would have been in a drinkable, fishable and swimmable state. The initial group of about 25 people are focused on restoring the river and its watershed to that condition.
On June 18, four canoes and a kayak traveled from Lovett Road to Meadowview with 7 adults and 5 children. It was a great way to experience that stretch of the Jijiktu'kwejk first hand and to get some sense of the task ahead. It was a wonderful recreational experience in need of more repetition.
It was a leisurely trip with some obstacles along the way. See some photos below. Many thanks to Joe Benjamin at the Meadowview Community Centre for his kind welcome at the end. The washrooms were great :)
We will report our initial impressions at the second meeting of the group set for June 26 at the Annapolis Valley First Nations (1PM). If you have an interest in joining this group please get in touch. Everyone with a love of the natural environment and who could help work toward the restoration of the watershed is very much welcome.
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| The quality of the water looked different as we traveled along |
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| We experienced 3 spots were navigation was blocked by logs |
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| The banks differed. Here there were trees, ferns and shade |
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| There was evidence of cattle grazing right to the banks |
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| There was little current, many narrow turns and shallow spots |
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| We packed up at Meadowview after the 4-hr paddle. |
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