The Saskatchewan River near Nipawin in the fall. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Saskatchewan River

Cumberland House to celebrate Delta Day

Jun 9, 2022 | 11:08 AM

With fried fish and bannock on the menu, it’s hard to go wrong with any event.

Add saving the Saskatchewan River Delta and it just gets better.

Cumberland House will celebrate a year of effort in saving the delta tomorrow with Delta Day, an event that helps the community understand how important the river is, said Chief Rene Chaboyer.

“It plays a role within not only our community but our nation and the world that we live in,” Chaboyer explains.

Research has shown that the delta is slowly dying, mainly as the result of human activity, such as the EB Campbell Dam near Nipawin.

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What Cumberland House has tried to do is preserve the delta — a rare inland delta that eventually flows into Lake Winnipeg — by doing things like dredging an old channel to help the water move like it should, clearing waterways from log dams, watching for invasive species like certain grasses that don’t belong, and informing others.

Delta Day is about keeping the work in the front of the community’s mind, said Chaboyer.

“The delta stores a lot of carbon. I tell you and if the delta dries up, its going to release very dangerous gas,” he explained.

The event is fairly small and will take place at the Nisto Awasisak Memorial School during the day.

With some live entertainment and fish on the menu, there will also be some land-based activities and some trees will be planted.

“We’re trying to rally the community to buy into this concept that we have in the works to build an economy as well and at the same time to save what we can, what’s left of the delta,” Chaboyer said.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow