Bear River

L'sitkuk (pronounced elsetkook) is the original name for the Bear River Mi'kmaw community, which is part of the Mi'kmaw First Nation. Nestled close to the Bear River watershed, this tiny native community is regaining its culture, language and identity after hundreds of years of colonialism and assimilation. Living in the area for thousands of years, they were among the first people in Canada to have continuous contact with non-natives. This book preserves the memory of the elders through oral histories and old photographs, and tells who these people are and how they survived, prospered and sustained one another. The stories of everyday life reflect native values and the strong ideal of interconnectedness in the community. Darlene A. Ricker listened to the stories and learned about the traditions and culture of the closely knit Mi'kmaw community at Bear River. From her interviews with elders and young people, she has drawn this poignant oral history.

Craig Denton notes, “Water will be the primary political, social, and economic issue in the Intermountain West in the twenty-first century.” Urban Utah thirsts for the Great Salt Lake principal source, the Bear River. Plans abound to divert it for a rapidly growing Wasatch Front, as the last good option for future water. But is it? Who now uses the river and how? Who are its stakeholders? What does the Bear mean to them? What is left for further use? How do we measure the Bear's own interest, give it a voice in decisions? Craig Denton's documentary takes on these questions. He tells the story of the river and the people, of many sorts, with diverse purposes, who live and depend on it. Bear River begins in alpine snowfields, lakes, and creeks in the Uinta Mountains, flows north through Wyoming, loops south in Idaho, and enters the inland sea by way of the an environmentally critical bird refuge. Along the way it has many uses: habitat, farms, electricity, recreation, lawns and homes. Denton researches the natural and human history of the river, photographed it, interviewed many stakeholders, and tried to capture the river perspective. His photographs, printed as crisp duotones, carry us downstream, ultimately to big questions, begging to be answered soon, about what we should and can make of the Bear River.

Report and accompanying maps presents information intended to be used as part of the pesticide management plan to provide local, state, federal government agencies, and agricultural pesticide users with a base of information concerning sensitivity and vulnerability of ground water to agricultural pesticides in the Upper Bear River Valley, Utah.