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By
Karina
Cardona
Claros
The
Uniter
November
21,
2002
A
former
University
of
Winnipeg
student
spearheading
a
movement
to
clean-up
the
Seine
River
in
the
St.
Vital
area
of
Winnipeg.
David
Danyluk
is
the
coordinator
of
Save
Our
Seine
River
Environment
Inc,
known
as
SOS.
Earlier
this
year,
he
completed
his
double
major
in
Administrative
Studies
and
Politics
and
earned
his
B.A.
"Being
able
to
work
in
a
local
environmentally
related
job
where
you
can
make
a
real
difference
to
the
community
and
the
environment
is
probably
the
most
rewarding
job
I
could
have
hoped
for,"
Danyluk
says.
Danyluk
recently
revisited
the
university
to
deliver
an
informative
lunch
hour
presentation
on
the
work
that
he
currently
does
for
SOS,
that
is,
promoting
suitable
development
along
the
Greenway
and
creating
park
areas.
The
name
SOS
is
particularly
suitable
at
the
moment
for
the
group.
They
are
trying
to
buy
the
land
for
Bois
des
Esprits,
an
81
acre
park
along
the
Seine
River.
They
have
until
December
31,
2002
to
raise
$1
Million
to
buy
the
lot.
This
unique
tract
of
land
has
been
classified
as
grade
'A'
habitat
by
the
Seine
River
Greenway
Study
and
is
defined
as
"the
best
quality
habitat,
and
most
sensitive
to
disturbance."
It
houses
oxbow
wetlands,
a
type
of
ecosystem
that
is
vital
to
the
purification
of
water
and
serves
many
other
functions.
Visitors
would
be
able
to
explore
this
unique
habitat
by
foot
in
the
park
or
by
canoe
on
the
Seine.
The
City
of
Winnipeg
has
already
committed
$1
million
to
the
necessary
$2.6
million
towards
purchasing
the
land,
they
have
also
promised
to
match
dollar
for
dollar
all
donations
made
to
the
cause
up
to
a
value
of
$600,000.
Unless
SOS
is
able
to
raise
the
shortfall
of
$1
million
for
the
remainder
f
the
cost,
much
of
the
land
will
be
converted
to
residential
subdivision.
"Here
we
are
going
from
rubber
boots
and
shovels
to
raising
a
million
dollars,"
Danyluk
says.
The
park
project
isn't
the
group's
first
major
project.
SOS
has
been
working
over
a
decade,
focusing
its
efforts
at
maintaining
and
improving
the
quality
of
the
Seine
River
environment.
The
group
has
renewed
a
significant
corridor
of
natural
habitat
within
the
urban
environment.
Their
efforts
have
gathered
support
from
hundreds
of
area
residents,
several
politicians,
and
various
renowned
environmental
agencies.
The
Project
has
grabbed
the
attention
of
some
U
of
W
students,
such
as
ecoMAFIA,
and
particularly
to
Nathan
Laser.
As
a
second
year
politics
student
at
the
U
of
W,
Laser
worked
with
the
SOS
Urban
Green
Team
for
3
out
of
the
last
4
years.
As
this
summer's
Green
Team
supervisor,
his
list
of
tasks
included
fishing
shopping
carts
and
other
garbage
out
of
the
river
via
canoe,
and
planting
trees
at
the
old
St.
Vital
dump
site.
Laser
grew
up
along
the
Seine
River
and
his
father
was
one
of
the
original
board
members
for
SOS.
He
can
recall
pitching
in
at
the
river
even
as
a
young
boy.
He
believes
that
there
are
many
"good
recreational
and
employment
activities
available
with
SOS
and
other
similar
organizations."
"All
my
friends
were
extremely
jealous
when
they
found
about
my
summer
job,"
Laser
says.
Canoeing
all
day
while
working
on
your
tan
and
getting
paid
for
it
isn't
too
bad.
The
U
of
W's
ecoMAFIA
will
be
holding
a
bake
sale
and
information
table
across
from
the
information
booth
on
Monday,
November
25th
and
Tuesday
November
26th
in
order
to
increase
awareness
and
support
for
the
Bois
des
Esprits
cause.
"ecoMAFIA
is
really
happy
to
support
SOS's
work
in
preserving
this
important
habitat
corridor,
because
without
the
initiative
of
SOS
and
the
public,
it
would
be
wiped
out
by
development,"
says
ecoMAFIA
coordinator
Kate
Dykman.
In
the
meantime,
Danyluk
is
confident
the
goal
will
be
met.
He
believes
there
is
strength
in
numbers
when
it
comes
to
dealing
with
the
province.
Increased
support
shows
that
people
regard
the
maintenance
of
the
land
as
a
natural
habitat
to
have
value
in
their
own
lives
and
for
the
city.
This
puts
pressure
on
the
government
to
listen
to
groups
like
SOS
who
speak
on
behalf
of
many
citizens.
It
is
hoped
Bois
des
Esprits
could
foster
environmental
stewardship
in
even
more
children
in
the
future
like
the
Seine
did
for
Laser.
We
may
yet
see
a
generation
of
people
who
truly
value
environmental
sustainability
at
their
core.
"We'd
like
to
have
a
core
group
of
support
because
it's
about
the
community…It's
not
going
to
belong
to
us,
it'll
belong
to
the
city,"
Danyluk
says.
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