Breaking Water with the Edmonton Hub
Swim Drink Fish is highlighting members of our incredible ecosystem. This Breaking Water segment features Jacquie Pallard, the Edmonton Community Water Monitoring Coordinator. Jacquie tells us all about the mighty North Saskatchewan River and what it’s like to work alongside it each week.
Tell us a bit about yourself, what’s your name and your role with SDF?
My name is Jacquie Pallard, and I am Edmonton’s Community Water Monitoring Coordinator at Swim Drink Fish. I’m a fish fanatic, and you’ll often find me jumping into the water anytime I have the chance.
What’s a regular day in the field look like?
I start off almost every field day with a 20 minute bike ride to our first site at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park. I’m easy to spot riding around the river valley with my bin of sampling gear strapped on the back of my bike! After meeting the volunteers for the day at the boat launch, we walk down to the river bank to begin sampling. We start with our environmental surveys, observing the water, wildlife and people, then move on to our water quality sampling. Everyone is usually excited to get into the river at this point, so we often trade off on who collects the sample. After this, we stroll down the river bank or wade through the shallows looking for fish, listening for birds, and picking up any litter along the way until we’ve finished collecting our samples. We then wind our way through the river valley to Terwilleger Park, repeat our methods, and end our day with a swim if the weather is nice!
What is your favourite part about sampling?
The North Saskatchewan River is beautiful and powerful and brings life to our community. I love that I get to spend at least one day every week immersing myself in its river valley, and to me, there is nothing more grounding than being in or around water.
What is the wildest thing you have witnessed or experienced in the field?
Routinely visiting the river in the same spots allowed me to watch nature evolve and change over time. It was amazing to watch the North Saskatchewan go from a calm blue-green expanse shortly after the ice had melted to a powerful muddied river carrying trees in the early spring. To then watch the water slowly retreat and transition back to an inviting blue-green lazy river was absolutely amazing.
Why should someone volunteer, and what's one piece of advice you would give them?
There is no right or wrong reason to volunteer! Whether you are interested in the science of water quality, need work experience, want to become comfortable with open water, or simply meet new people in your community, volunteering can help you meet your goals. I would recommend to everyone to try at least once because you never know what aspect of our work may interest you.
What motivates you to continue to do this work?
What sets this work apart from past scientific jobs that I have done is the direct connection it has with my community. I love that the data we collect and the events we plan have a tangible impact on the people around me and that our work promotes the well-being of everyone, regardless of their background.
Do you have anything else that you’d like to share about your watershed, your connection to water, or how we can encourage people to join the movement for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future?
Share your experiences with water with your friends, family, and community. The more people we have curious and passionate about our local waters, the more we can do to protect them for everyone to enjoy!
Clif Family Foundation is proud to support hundreds of organizations that are working tirelessly to strengthen our food system, enhance equitable community health outcomes, and protect the places we play by being stewards of our environment and natural resources. Their desire is to leave the world a better place for our children.
