Water Protection Strategy: Part 1

This short documentary explores what happened to the water that once fed Sandy Lake and the surrounding watershed of Alexander First Nation. It marks the first step in the AFN NIPÎY Water Protection Initiative: understanding the changes to the land, tracing where the water now goes, and building the foundation for future protection and restoration.

For generations, the waters that feed Sandy Lake — the creeks, wetlands, and natural drainage systems — sustained the people, wildlife, and way of life of Alexander First Nation. Today, that system has been fundamentally altered.

This film tells the story of what happened to the water.

Through mapping, observation, and community knowledge, Alexander First Nation is beginning to uncover how agricultural drainage, road infrastructure, and land use changes upstream have redirected and reduced the flow of water into Sandy Lake. These changes have led to lower water levels, warmer temperatures, increased algae growth, and impacts to fish, wildlife, and community use — all without consultation or consent.

This video marks the first step in the AFN NIPÎY Water Protection Initiative: understanding the system, identifying what changed, and tracing where the water now goes. That understanding will guide future restoration work, water resiliency planning, and Nation-to-Nation discussions with neighboring municipalities.

The water connects us all. This film explains how that connection was disrupted — and why protecting what remains is the work ahead.