Our journey starts in the Alberta Rockies where snow and ice melt plunges off the alpine slopes to form the major tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River System. Local water supplies play a major part in the evolution of settlements on the prairies. Water from the river supports a host of uses: irrigation, livestock, energy developments and citiesl. Cropland has changed the interaction of the soils and the water. Runoff carries agricultural chemicals from farm fields to the river, degrading the water quality, and the aquatic ecosystem. The upland ecosystem responds to wet and dry years, and erratic climatic events influence the intensity of pest and disease outbreaks on agricultural lands. Studies of tree rings in the Cypress Hills clearly show that for centuries, climate and river are intimately linked. To be successful, human activity must recognize and respect these links.

Segment Breakdown

• Alpine Water 5:20
• Ecosystem Change 5:27
• Alberta Irrigation 3:04
• Livestock 2:07
• Captain Palliser 4:34
• Saskatchewan Irrigation 2:09
• North Battleford 2:18
• Climate Change 1:50

Production Stills:

Interviewing Dan Johnson from the Grasslands of Southern Saskatchewan.

Dave Sauchyn explains the science of tree rings in the Cypress Hills.

Botanist Cheryly Bradley alongside the Oldman River is Lethbridge, Alberta.

The Frenchman River Valley in Southwest Saskatchewan.

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