The Great River Rapport
Ecosystem Health Report
The Great River Rapport is a community-based research initiative assessing the health of the Upper St. Lawrence River. The project was founded in 2018 in partnership with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and framed in the Haudenosaunee Ohèn:ton Karihwatéhkwen (the words that come before all else), which recognizes the importance of all living things and the interconnectedness of nature, land, and people. Working with diverse partners and collaborators across sectors and borders, the project is developing a unique, region-wide assessment of 35 indicators of ecological health. By bringing together science-based research, place-based knowledge, and Indigenous perspectives the Great River Rapport aims to inform policy, foster connection, and empower communities to take action.
Quick Links:
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Project Website: Great River Rapport
Contact
Leigh McGaughey, PhD
info[at]riverinstitute.ca
Objectives
- Develop a community-driven approach to identifying indicators of ecosystem health
- Bring together existing ecosystem health data and knowledge
- Engage diverse perspectives ways of knowing
- Identify data gaps, spatial patterns, and temporal trends for 35 indicators
- Share findings in meaningful and accessible formats to answer community questions
Partners & Collaborators
Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office, Adopt a Pond, Bluefish Canada, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition, City of Cornwall, Clarkson University, Cornwall Lunker Club, Door Number One, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Frontenac Arch Biosphere, Great River Network, L’Association des Communautés Francophones de l’Ontario, de Stormont, Dundas et Glengarry, Maitland Tower, Ministère de la Faune, Forêts et des Parcs, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Natural Heritage Information Centre, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Ocean Wise, Ontario Nature, Parks Canada, Perch Magazine, Queen’s University, Raisin Region Conservation Authority, South Nation Conservation Authority, St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, University of Ottawa, Water Rangers, Watersheds Canada, World Wildlife Foundation
Funders
Previous & Current:
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Desjardins
- Employment and Social Development Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Family Foundations
- GLISA
- Mitacs
- RBC Foundation
- Liber Ero
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
- Natural Resources Canada
- St. Lawrence Parks Commission
- Students on Ice
Publications
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
The Great River Rapport: An ecosystem health report for the Upper St. Lawrence River
ARTICLE
Revisiting the influence of top-down and bottom-up pressures on Wa hia hé:ta (yellow perch Perca flavescens Mitchill, 1814) population dynamics in Kaniatarowanenneh (the Upper St. Lawrence River): implications for collaborative research
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Community involvement critical for revitalization: Grass-roots initiative key to environmental remediation and restoration in the Great River (St. Lawrence River)
Videos
“What Makes A River ‘Healthy’?” webinar with Dr. Leigh McGaughey
Great River Rapport: In service to community while breaking new ground in scientific discovery
Great River Rapport: Ecosystem Health Report Empowered by Story and an Indigenous Paradigm
Long-term Nutrient Dynamics in the St. Lawrence River, from Kingston, ON to Valleyfield, QC
History of Non-native Species Introductions in the Upper St. Lawrence River
Establishing an Integrated Amphibian Diversity Monitoring Toolset along the St. Lawrence River
Comparing and Contrasting Trends of Contaminant Levels in Herring gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Blue Heron (Ardea herondias) in the St. Lawrence River – Fan Qin
The current state of knowledge on American eel populations in the Upper St. Lawrence River
What does that look like? Graphic design and photography in science communications
Exploring changes in dreissenid mussel abundance in the Upper St. Lawrence River over 30 years of invasion
Then and now: The ever-changing wetlands of Kaniatarowanenneh (the St. Lawrence River)
Pedagogies of Environmental Education for Change
The Ups and Downs of Yellow Perch and Northern Pike in the Great River
Photo Gallery
