Welcome to the Watersheds Canada Resource Library!
Here you will find a comprehensive collection of free educational resources dedicated to helping rural shoreline property owners, families, municipalities, lake groups, and educators protect their lakes and restore natural habitat. Explore guides, best practices, case studies, lesson plans, and tools to become a freshwater protector. All resources are freely shareable so please include them in a newsletter, on social media, or printed for a community booth!
Funding support thanks to Peterborough K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation, and S.M. Blair Family Foundation.
3 Seasons in Review
Step into the field with Ty, riparian health restoration technician, to learn about his hands-on experience with Watersheds Canada's field programs. Take a peek behind the curtain in our shoreline assessments, fish habitat restoration projects, and everything in between. Learn about the impact of the work on both his life and on Ontario's freshwater.
5 Webinars to Introduce You to Freshwater Fish Conservation
Fish conservation is an important objective not only for the species themselves, but for the entire freshwater ecosystems in which they're found. Fish make up important parts of the food chain, maintaining balance and stability in freshwater ecosystems. Read this blog post to learn of 5 webinars from our Freshwater Stewardship Community that will boost your knowledge of fish conservation.
A Home for Fish: The Benefits of In-Water Woody Debris
Fish require shelter just like we do, in the form of in-water woody debris. It affords them protection from predators, access to macroinvertebrates to feed on, and shelter from the hot summer sun. This blog explores the many benefits of building up in-water woody debris, provided by the brush bundles deployed by our Fish Habitat program each year.
A watershed moment: When perfect strangers connect on the values of conservation
Read how a happenstance conversation between Watersheds Canada's executive director Robert Pye and a cottage owner opened the door to an enriching sharing of ideas about freshwater stewardship. Learn about the value of collaboration, lake leadership, and building up resilient fish habitat in our beloved freshwater.
An ice road to Rome: Trout spawning bed restored in Madawaska Valley, Ontario
Our winter spawning bed restoration projects are some of our most innovative and impactful initiatives. This blog post centers on one undertaken on Paugh Lake in 2024, and provides you an inside look into the unique method through which our team uses the winter ice as a means to enhance critical habitat for native fish species.
Bridle Shiner at Risk: Steps to Safeguard Our Shared Ecosystems
The Bridle Shiner is a species of special concern facing high-level threats from pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Its habitat consists of clear, unpolluted streams and lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation, which is crucial for spawning and shelter. In Canada, the species is found in regions such as the Bay of Quinte and the Rideau Valley, where new locations were identified in 2009 and 2010. Conservation efforts focus on preserving riparian buffers, preventing habitat alteration, and avoiding the accidental capture of these fish, which serve as indicators of good water quality.
Can Ontarios Brook Trout Cope with Climate Change? Webinar with Erin Stewart
This is a handout from our webinar, "Can Ontario’s Brook Trout Cope with Climate Change?". Climate change is affecting Brook Trout populations in Ontario, with models predicting significant warming. Brook Trout will have varying abilities to cope with climate change based on their local conditions and habitat. Effective conservation and management require specific, evidence-based information on Brook Trout life stages and regions. The community can help by adopting sustainable practices and supporting environmental organizations.
Eastern Canada Minnows at Risk: The Leuciscidae Family
Watersheds Canada, in partnership with the River Institute and Quinte Conservation, is delivering a two-year (2025-2027) riparian habitat restoration, monitoring, and outreach project aimed at improving the conditions of riparian zones and associated aquatic ecosystems for the Pugnose Shiner, Bridle Shiner, Cutlip Minnow, and other species. With funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk, this project will implement riparian buffer zones along the shores of East Lake, Moira River, and the St. Lawrence River in benefit of these species at risk, addressing habitat degradation, sedimentation and nutrient loading threats.
Global News Kingston segment - November 20, 2025
Watersheds Canada is being recognized for our work restoring freshwater fish habitat after winning the Water Canada Award for small conservation project of the year. This is a news segment from Global News highlighting the featured project and the impact of the award.