Earlier this week WLRN Miami Herald’s Dan Grech interviewed Terence Cantarella, an intrepid contributor to WLRN who had the idea of navigating his way around Miami through its canal system in a canoe.

His proposed four-day journey became the Canoe Project: an effort to shed some light on the unrecognized backdrop to our lives here in Miami-Dade: our city’s vast network of canals. These waterways completely surround us, yet, many of us don’t know where they go or why they are there.

Here is a transcript of a series of interviews between Dan (DG) and Terence (TC) that took place before Terence set out Monday morning:

Introduction

TC: My name is Terence Cantarella.

Terence Cantarella, the man behind the Canoe Project, completed his four-day journey yesterday as he paddled into Scotty’s Landing in Coconut Grove.

The project was an effort to shed some light on the unrecognized backdrop to our lives here in Miami-Dade: our city’s vast network of canals. These waterways completely surround us, yet, many of us don’t know where they go or why they are there.

Be sure you continue to check out the site, though. We will report on our continued canal explorations– and Thursday, April 28, Under the Sun airs Terence’s reflections on the trip.

In an effort to add some perspective and history to WLRN’s Canoe Project, we’re also taking a look at books that add to our conversation about Miami-Dade’s canals.

The Canoe Project was a four-day long journey through Miami’s canals and waterways via canoe.

Pamela Sweeney, an expert on Biscayne Bay and waterways in Miami, gave us a perspective on the cultural and natural history of Miami’s canals earlier this week.

Part of the Canoe Project’s mission is to create a conversation, and ultimately some new understanding, of the nature of Miami-Dade’s vast network of waterways.

Contributing to this conversation today is Colin Foord, one of the brilliant marine biologists/artists behind Coral Morphologic, which is described as a “coral aquaculture laboratory and multi-media aquarium studio” here in Miami.

As we have mentioned before, part of Terence Cantarella’s journey through Miami’s canals and waterways was Biscayne Bay and the Miami River– an area Foord says is teeming with life despite the intrusion of modern civilization.