the ecology of perception

The Peel Watershed

With its 5 mountain tributaries, the beautiful upper Peel watershed takes in about 14% of the Yukon, one of the largest pristine areas in the territory. The Peel lies mainly in the traditional territory of the Na-Cho N’yak Dun and Teetl’it Gwich’in First Nations, providing a connection to ancestral ways of life and a cultural link to the future. Today, the Peel watershed is vulnerable to the continental thirst for hydrocarbon energy and other

resource development.

The Three Rivers Project

The Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society launched the Three Rivers Project in cooperation with community participants from Mayo, YT and Ft. McPherson, NWT. The Journey took thirty-six paddlers down the Snake, Wind and  Bonnet Plume Rivers, three vital tributaries of the Peel watershed in northeastern Yukon Territory. The travellers included First Nations elders and youth, artists, photographers, cinematographers and writers.  They explored the power of this pristine landscape and its cultural significance.

“Three Rivers: wild waters, sacred places”  looks at the eight visual artists in the project, their journeys, transformations, and the works they were

inspired to create. Ultimately, they reveal how art is as necessary as science in defining our relationship with the earth.