The theme for the United Nations World Water Day 2014 is water and energy – a theme that hits home for Manitobans. The upcoming public hearings about regulation of Lake Winnipeg, and the current and expanding hydroelectric infrastructure on the Nelson River in northern Manitoba, are examples of developments that affect Manitoba's vast freshwater system. Manitobans have the responsibility, as the lucky stewards of this immense watershed, to educate themselves about risks to their waters, to voice their concerns to regulatory and governmental bodies, and to bring about positive change for the future.