To the Editor:

This region takes pride in its natural beauty, from breath-taking mountains to the multitude of waterways that populate it. But manure runoff poisons our drinking water, such as the Raquette River, and therefore most of the freshwater in the world. Industrial and agricultural pollution is dumped into rivers and streams, from Tupper Lake to Massena, threatening surrounding communities, including the Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) Nation of Akwesasne. It is our responsibility to protect the rivers and health of all the communities they sustain against all present and future threats.

Young people from the St. Lawrence River Watershed are organizing an International Symposium for March 22, International Water Day. During the North Country Rights of Nature Symposium, community members will join to discuss how to best protect this region’s waterways.

Imagine the St. Lawrence or Raquette River suing a company polluting its waters and harming the health of its communities. While nature in the North Country does not possess legal rights of standing in court, Orange County, Florida just passed a ballot measure that states communities have the right to fresh drinking water, and waterways to “exist, flow, be protected against pollution and maintain a healthy ecosystem.” In Orange County, threatened waterways are already suing a company planning to destroy over 63 acres of wetlands and more than 33 acres of streams, for residential and commercial development. Currently, community members are working to make Rights of Nature be recognized here, too.

Rights of Nature is the idea that the environment has rights to exist, flourish and regenerate itself, as well as to sue when its rights are violated. In 2008, Ecuador recognized rights of nature in its constitution, the first country to do so. Years later, other natural entities have been given legal rights, from the Ganges River in India to the Whanganui River in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Over three dozen communities around the US, as along with countries from Bangladesh to Colombia, are recognizing “Rights of Nature.” These countries and communities strive to protect what is most precious to them: the environments they call home.

In the face of the Climate Crisis, the younger generation is demanding change. Here in Haudenosaunee territory – Upstate New York – people of all ages believe that nature deserves further legal protection. We want to preserve and prosper with our land. We are part of nature and protecting it means safeguarding our present and future.

Alessandro Marangelli
St. Lawrence University student