Boundary Waters Stamp Released

The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 stamp.

As the Boundary Waters Treaty celebrates its hundredth anniversary with a week of celebrations in Niagara Falls, we’ve reported on expert groups Great Lakes United and the newly-formed Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW—formerly Gordon Water Group) using the occasion to voice their concerns about the “outdated” Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the International Joint Commission (IJC), respectively.

Amidst the controversy, Canada Post has released this Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 commemorative stamp (image via Canada Post). Designed by Paul Haslip of HM&E Design Communications, the stamp features a vintage view of the American Falls in the background, while a night shot of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls is shown in the foreground.

From the Canada Post website:

Many of our country’s greatest waterways run along and across the Canada/U.S. border, some of which stand among the world’s largest bodies of freshwater. These trans-boundary basins, made up of scores of rock-rimmed lakes and narrow river channels, are home to much of Canada’s population, and the economy is heavily dependent on the benefits their resources bring. They’re an important source of hydroelectricity, a site of industrial, commercial, agricultural and urban development, and highly popular recreational destinations. For these reasons, water-related issues, including availability, distribution, uses and quality, have had a great influence on Canada’s development.

“The Niagara Falls are the most recognizable and emotional symbol of the Boundary Waters Treaty, not to mention terrific visually,” says Haslip. “At night, when the Falls are lit up, they are magical. Since the photographs merged together so well, they provided a great opportunity to blend the old with the new.”

The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, the Canadian chair of the IJC says, “There is historical significance to including the image of Niagara Falls on the stamp in that the apportionment of the Niagara River is one of only two specific cases dealt with in the Boundary Waters Treaty.”

Says Haslip, “There’s a remarkable transition as the Falls of yesteryear transform through the mist into the Falls of the present day-a wonderful way to celebrate 100 years of the Treaty.”