Hi, I’m Patrick Nadeau, I’m the Executive Director of Ottawa Riverkeeper. My favorite water body, although it is a hard decision, is the Baker Brook River which is in New Brunswick. It’s actually a tributary to the Saint John river and it’s near and dear to my heart because it runs right behind my paternal grandparents house.

My favorite memory of that water body is when we were kids, we used to go swimming in that river all the time although it was freezing cold in my memory. I remember my grandfather taking us out and showing us a turtle that was living in the wild. It was the first time I had seen a turtle in the wild, it was also the first time that I realized that rivers were much more than just a place where I was having my summer dips.

So I think that was a realization that rivers are living, breathing systems. I carry that memory with me to this day.