Science is hitching a ride on tribal canoe journey

The (Everett) Herald reported on plans for tribal canoes to measure water quality throughout the region during the Canoe Journey this summer:

Canoes traveling on five or six of the major journey routes on their way to Cowichan, B.C., will take along water quality testing systems. Using the most modern GPS technology and water probes, provided through a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, the canoe pullers will sample the water that has been their lifeblood for centuries. The result will be a rare picture of the health of the region’s waterways, culled almost simultaneously from hundreds of locations.