Posted: July 25, 2025

A Little Help From Our River Friends

Following her Current Conversations talk, Honorary Riverkeeper Jill Heinerth shares a behind-the-scenes look at her work exploring underwater caves, and how collaboration and community drive river conservation.

Written by Jill Heinerth, Honorary Riverkeeper. Originally published on The Explorer’s Mindset.

It’s a sweltering 38°C in the Learning Lab, but we’re keeping the doors and windows shut, because remarkably, it’s even hotter outside. Caroline, the Outreach & Events Manager for Ottawa Riverkeeper, moves through the room with calm purpose, handing out cold cans of City Seltzer and chunks of ice to help keep everyone cool. I’ve certainly picked a scorcher of a day for my return to public service.

My colleagues, Drs. André Martel and Katrina Ilves from the Canadian Museum of Nature have arrived, hauling sample jars filled with fish and mussels to share with the crowd. We’re surrounded on five sides by the Kichi Sibi Ottawa River. Our venue, River House, stands on stilts directly over the water. Its lower level is in a flood risk zone, which means no air conditioning, just the river breeze and a lot of sweat.

We’re here to support the Ottawa Riverkeeper’s outreach programming, helping people understand what lies beneath the surface of this majestic waterway. Some even call the Kichi Sibi the “sixth Great Lake,” as it contributes 50% of the flow to the St. Lawrence River and the ocean beyond. Because of its dark, tannin-stained water, it’s often mistaken for being polluted. And, yes, the river carries a heavy legacy of industrial and logging activities. But thanks to the Ottawa Riverkeeper’s advocacy and the work of researchers and conservationists, it is now a swimmable, drinkable, fishable river once more.

Just below us, beyond the shady porch lined with chairs, more than a hundred people lounge on docks and swim in a protected section of open water supervised by lifeguards. The National Capital Commission provides the infrastructure, staff, and even lifejackets to ensure everyone, regardless of background or swimming ability, can safely enjoy the river. On a day like today, this free access has drawn an incredibly diverse and joyful crowd, cooling off, swimming laps, and sharing the river.

None of this would be possible without deep collaboration between organizations, individuals, and government partners, working together to serve a broad community with equity and inclusion.

Above: Welcome to River House!

André and Katrina are full-time scientists with the Canadian Museum of Nature. Some of the knowledge they’re sharing today represents hundreds of painstaking hours spent at the microscope—André dissecting and photographing, Katrina extracting DNA to identify species. Their research takes extraordinary time and patience to yield results. My collaboration with them is an unusual one: I’m their eyes and hands in the remote underwater caves few would dare to enter. And in return, they are my mentors, generously sharing their knowledge as we document ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.

Above: Jill Heinerth at the entrance to the Ottawa River Caves

Nothing meaningful happens in isolation. Whether you’re a Riverkeeper relying on volunteers, a scientist working with a cave diver, or someone facing illness who needs the love of a partner, the world moves forward when we help one another.

As you read this, I’m just shy of three weeks post-hospital discharge. My recovery from recent cancer surgery is going well. I’m back to my regular fitness routines: biking, walking, stretching, and lifting. In two weeks, I’ll be cleared to swim and dive again. While my cancer journey isn’t over—I still have radiation ahead—I’m embracing each day and focusing on living well.

I’m deeply grateful for the kind messages and support so many of you have shared. These moments of connection, even brief ones, truly matter. Your collaboration with Robert and me might feel small, but it is not. We are healing, held by the love and care that reaches us from outside our door. To our readers and friends: thank you. We are eternally grateful.

Above: Several members of the Ottawa Riverkeeper team exemplify the power of collaboration—including fellow Honourary Riverkeeper Mark Carney (pictured to Jill’s left), who now serves as Prime Minister of Canada. He often reminds us: this is our country, and his role is to serve Canadians.

Ottawa Riverkeeper is a champion and collective voice for the Ottawa River watershed, providing leadership and inspiration to protect, promote and improve its ecological health and future. https://ottawariverkeeper.ca

We think there are only five Great Lakes but a recent discovery is making us re-think this. Dr. André Martel from the Canadian Museum of Nature and expert cave diver, Jill Heinerth, have been exploring above and below the surface of the Ottawa River, north of Lake Ontario. Here, vast quantities of freshwater flow along this great river and even deep through bedrock, creating a vast system of underwater caves. In a world short of clean, freshwater this ‘sixth great lake’ has never been more important.

Here is a link to a documentary film about the Ottawa River and Great Lakes featuring Jill Heinerth: https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/wonders-of-the-sixth-great-lake

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