We invite you to join us for an immersive river walk on the Assiniboine River

Assinaboine River Walk

We invite you to join us for an immersive river walk on the Assiniboine during which we’ll practice MacroBlitzing (i.e. finding cool aquatic insects and documenting them with iNaturalist), use Water Rangers kits to document local water quality and share this information with others, and engage with a Photo Voice activity. Most importantly, we will spend time along the riverbank getting to know each other and the waters that flow through Winnipeg, building community and connecting all the while learning about and applying tools that people who love and steward rivers can use and share with others.

When? Wednesday May 27, 1pm

Where? Meet at the entrance of the RBC Convention Centre in downtown Winnipeg (375 York Avenue, Winnipeg), or join us along the shoreline of the Assiniboine River via the Kennedy Street entrance. We will walk ~1km from the convention centre to the shoreline of the Asssiniboine.

What? A community-building walk along the Assiniboine River, observing insects, collecting information about water quality and using photos to share our voices.

Materials? Wear clothes and shoes that are comfortable for spending time outside along the river. Bring a cell phone with iNaturalist downloaded on it if you want to contribute to formal data collection (optional!).

Who? This walk is being hosted by the organizers of the “Rivers are connectors of land, water and people” session at the 2026 joint IAGLR-SCAS conference: Abraham Francis, Catherine Febria, Dalal Hanna, Evan Bowness, Lauren Lawson and Kahsennaró:roks Deom. This walk is being held in collaboration with Water Rangers, and is part of the kickoff of Ocean Week activities and water-themed events happening from mid-May to mid-June.

Got ideas? Are there other things you’d like to see happen on this river walk? Do you have an idea for something you’d like to contribute? Please reach out to the organizing team to start a conversation, we’d love to hear from you. We are at: riversareconnectors@groups.uwo.ca.