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.
CBC segment October 13/23: Impact of community newspaper closures for nonprofits
This segment originally aired on October 13, 2023 on CBC Ottawa News. Watersheds Canada's executive Robert Pye discusses the impact of community newspaper closures for nonprofit organizations.
Can Natural Buffers Help Mitigate Road Salt Pollution?
When it comes to road salts, there is no one-size-fits-all solution: the problem needs to be addressed from multiple angles. Watersheds Canada advocates for natural shorelines for erosion mitigation and habitat quality purposes, but could natural shorelines be an important tool in fighting road salt pollution? Find out in this blog post!
Canada Prepares to Ban Single-Use Plastics blog
This blog post was written after Canada banned single use plastics. Read this post to learn more about this nationwide ban, about the scale of the plastic pollution issue, and to find out about some practical ways that everyday consumers can reduce their use of single-use plastics.
Canadas freshwater future. Your legacy.
Doug and Janet care about Canada's lakes and rivers. Their relationship with water inspired support for lake protection programs through Watersheds Canada. Doug and Janet shared legacy interests with Watersheds Canada’s team because they saw a need to support the freshwater protection work of our small, action-based charity. Doug’s idea for legacy giving was encouraged by his wife, Janet, as well as their financial advisor. The formal legacy plan, detailing how and where donation dollars would be earmarked, was developed with care and compassion by the Watersheds Canada team. This is the Doug Smith story.
Celebrate World Wetlands Day with these 4 Resilient Shorelines Resources!
Wetlands are important natural features that provide critical habitat for endangered and at-risk species. They also benefit people and our well-being, such as providing clean water for us to drink and swim in. World Wetlands Day is a celebration of these incredible ecosystems that do so much for us and for our wildlife. This blog post helps celebrate this national holiday by sharing 4 resilient shorelines resources that will help bolster your understanding and appreciation of these areas!
Cities In Bloom
Urban areas don't need to be concrete jungles: amidst the structures of human civilization are endless opportunities for nature to thrive, from pollinator gardens to mini forests. These spots of urban flora provide so many benefits to both us and the environment. Read about them in this blog post about urban flora!
Cold-Water Creek Enhancement video
This document outlines planning and implementation guidelines for cold-water creek enhancement projects. It provides information on evaluating success, planning, obtaining necessary permits, choosing a project site, and implementing the project. The toolkit also includes resources and acknowledgments for the project.
Do a Bio-Blitz activity by Watersheds Canada
A BioBlitz is a volunteer-led count of the biological species found in an area. Using identification guides, you can get a snapshot of the species and biodiversity in your area. This activity can be done in 30 minutes or an hour. It involves counting species such as trees, birds, animal tracks, wildflowers, dragonflies, and freshwater invertebrates.
Donor Spotlight - Annabel
As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of our donors to do the work that we do. This blog post shines a spotlight on Annabel, one of our donors that first heard about our organization when seeking ways to improve the health of her lake, Lake Simcoe. Read on to find out more.