Keum River, Seoul, South Korea

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Czerina Salud, Dwight Sora visited family in Seoul, South Korea.  Dwight’s uncle Choong Ki Kim, a professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and his Aunt Hae Ja Changis, a nationally renowned calligrapher, are both quite lauded in their respective disciplines.

“The waters of Korea (in general) is that there have been mass efforts made to reclaim the waterways of Seoul. This article details the extensive work that’s gone into the restoration of just one of their waterways – the Cheongye Stream. This stream & the Keum River are tangentially connected because during the reopening of this waterway in 2005 (which had been buried for half a century), part of the opening ceremony involved the pouring of water from all the rivers in the country (including water from the Keum River) into the new waterway.
I actually took some photos of that stream  and the markets surrounding it. The Cheongye represents one of the largest water reclamation projects I learned about in Seoul. Dwight’s mother actually pointed many smaller waterways out to me as we walked through old neighborhoods she used to frequent, explaining to me how many of the small streams I was admiring used to all be open sewers.   The waters of Korea really are an astonishing representation of how much the country has developed since end of the Korean war. Their urban development, public transportation system and economic development far out pace what we have in the U.S. today.   Seoul is an incredible city. If you ever get a chance to visit – you should go.” — Czerina Salud

Arabian Gulf Chinook, Dubai, UAE

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A second class from the Universal American School, 3rd graders with their teacher Ms. Regina. A true journey on how to overcome situations while staying on track.  The class was not allowed access to local creeks in the city and therefore used the Gulf to conduct the project. Exercises in science, art, and poetry were included. Each child had a square piece of cloth, in the end they stitched them all together and sent it as one panel for the curtain.

Excerpt from the first adventure:
 
“Our kids did dip white fabric in the last week! The problem is . . . as you can sometimes have on adventures in other countries! . . . nobody would allow us access to the creek . . . as it seems in this country . . . accessible creek water is allocated to family areas and areas for men only!!!!! Can you believe that?!!! On one trip (and we made several that I and teachers scouted out first) the man standing in front of statues of casper and woody woodpecker . . . told us the entrance was not for children! “

SECOND CLASS SESSION

Universal American School, 3rd graders with their teacher Ms. Regina. A true jouney on how to overcome situations while staying on track.

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Our kids did dip white fabric in the last week! The problem is . . . as you can sometimes have on adventures in other countries! . . . nobody would allow us access to the creek . . . as it seems in this country . . . accessible creek water is allocated to family areas and areas for men only!!!!! Can you believe that?!!! On one trip (and we made several that I and teachers scouted out first) the man standing in front of statues of casper and woody woodpecker . . . told us the entrance was not for children!  It was unsafe . . .and the pricing guide at the door indicated prices for men only . . . kinda scary!  Kiddie statues and men only allowed?!  Then another place upped their pricing once they saw all our kids to 20 entrance fees each! Anyway . . we did dip white fabric . . but it was at the beach . . . can the kids still send it to you?  They’ll be heartbroken if they can’t participate!  We have gone on your website for research . . they’ve started letters to you. . .  the kids have also taken water samples and vegetation samples . . . but I wasn’t sure if beach water was okay for you or not?! Thanks and take care! Regina

Herring River, Massachusetts, USA

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Artist Phyllis Ewen visits the Herring River that was diked in 1908 — causing destruction of a tidal marsh and much ruin of the natural habitat.

“My work has been about the politics of water for several years. I have long been interested in the ways that our imagination interacts with the natural world, a world that is never far from the effects of human intervention. In a series of sculptural drawings, I am exploring the cultural and social history of water and its role in land disputes, the development of agriculture, and the building of empire. I collage digitally printed maps, texts and images to indicate the divisions that human intervention has imposed on the world’s ecology and water supply by the use of dams, canals, and irrigation. The calligraphic elements in ink, in the collages, and in wire, represent our most precious resource and its refusal to be controlled without a fight. Donald Worster’s insightful writings have influenced some of the thinking behind this work and I am deeply grateful to my dear friends, Hugo Vergara and Rosario Parodi, of Havana. When I saw the site for World Rivers I knew I had to do a project. The Herring River estuary ran through a tidal salt marsh and to try to control mosquitoes, the river was diked in the early 20th century. Contrary to expectations, the dike destroyed the salt marsh and the mosquito population grew exponentially. There is a plan to re-open the estuary, but for the time being it is a dream. Bureaucracy, embedded interests, and lack of funds are keeping it from moving ahead. I hope that in our lifetime we will see the salt marsh and estuary restored.”

“NOTES: My husband (Jim Campen, the photographer of the events) and I climbed over a low barrier near the dike and wading in to my knees I dipped in a white curtain and it’s tie. That is Location 1 in the photos. Location 2 is further inland, where Old County Road crosses the estuary. There the river is the size of a small brook and goes through a tunnel under the road. I stood on top of the bank and dipped the curtain here as well. At each crossing, the Herring River Estuary Sign is posted as it is at the dike. The dike cuts the river off from Wellfleet Bay, just to the East of Great Island, Wellfleet.”

The Herring River estuary in Wellfleet, Massachusetts is being considered for restoration. More than 100 years ago, the 1,200 acre salt marsh system was reduced to 7 acres. Upper reaches of historic Cape Cod tidelands stretch four miles North into the town of Truro. During the past 100 years, the ecological values of the salt marsh have degraded. Upland vegetation began invading the flood plain. Lack of flushing contributed to low levels of dissolved oxygen. Acidic conditions supported mosquitoes and high levels of bacteria. Fish kills and routine closures of adjacent shellfish beds eventually received attention. In August of 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between the town of Wellfleet and the Cape Cod National Seashore, detailed the process for considering restoration.ThinkingLikeARiverStill StandingThinking Like a River by Phyllis Ewen

Tassajara Creek, California, USA

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Judy Shintani, artist, art facilitator, and collaborator, went on a magical retreat to the San Francisco Zen Center and cut a small square from the lining of her skirt for the ritual of dipping cloth into water.  Live in the nowhere that you came from, even though you have an address here. – Rumi

“Tassajara Creek and its mineral rich hot springs have been a destination for human use for thousands of years, first as a sacred cultural site of the Esselen Indians, later as a historic resort site, and now the locale of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, which carries on the 1,000 year-old tradition of monastic zen training. Threatened central coast steelhead migrate all the way from the Pacific Ocean up the Salinas and Arroyo Seco Rivers to spawn in Tassajara Creek’s high quality habitat. The creek also supports one of the few Central Coast populations of the sensitive foothill yellow-legged frog.”