Upstream, Downstream: Exploring Watershed Connections

Do you know your watershed address? We all have one, whether we live high up in a mountain, on an inland prairie or near the coast. A watershed is an area of land that channels rain and snowmelt into streams, rivers and oceans. Our lives are deeply intertwined with land and water and all the connections between them. Day-to-day activities—like brushing our teeth, eating a meal, getting a ride in a car or even using an electronic device—have consequence for our own or someone else’s watershed.

Over the centuries we’ve changed the land by farming it, cutting down the trees on it, digging into it and building on it. We’ve also learned how to control water—where it goes and how much flows. Upstream, Downstream explores the consequences of the pressures people place on watersheds and highlights some of the heroes making a difference for watersheds around world.

Reviews:

“The combination of Rae’s interests and expertise has produced a book that will inform and engage young readers and encourage them to make a difference by getting involved. Highly Recommended.”
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Rae organizes her material well and presents it in a readable way, providing enough detail to make each section interesting, but always returning to the broader picture…An informative addition to the reliable Orca Footprints series.”
— Booklist

“Engaging and informative. Recommended.”
— School Library Journal

Awards:

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, 2021, Commended

Green Earth Book Award, 2022, Long-listed