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.
Fireworks and Freshwater Ecosystem Health
Fireworks are dazzling pyrotechnic displays enjoyed by many across the world. However, these stunning celebrations can come with massive impacts on our environment, from acute impacts on wildlife to long-term water quality issues. This heavily researched blog post takes a deep dive into the potential impacts of fireworks on our freshwater resources.
Fish Habitat Projects: LUSH Impact Report, 2018-2020
Watersheds Canada, in partnership with local organizations, worked to protect and enhance freshwater fish habitats. Six fish habitat projects were completed from 2018-2020, supported by LUSH Charity Pot. The projects included brush bundle installations, cold-water creek enhancements, and walleye spawning bed restorations. The organization also created and distributed a free Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit to help community groups enhance fish habitats. The report highlights the impact of these projects on aquatic ecosystems and the communities involved.
Get to Know your Pollinators
Pollinators are a type of insect or animal that helps plants reproduce. Without them, we wouldn't have our beautiful wildflower gardens, the clothes on our backs, the grains in our bread, the spices in our food, and so much more. Get to know the major groups of pollinators that are native to Canada, from bees to hummingbirds, in this blog post!
Go with the Flow: Rivers and Streams
Given that rivers and streams are always in motion, these freshwater ecosystems are fundamentally different in form and function to still bodies of water such as lakes. This blog post provides an overview of rivers and streams and takes a deep dive into the unique conditions they create and the unique wildlife they support.
Help Wildlife Raise Their Young on Your Property
Wildlife face increasing pressures to find suitable habitat and food sources near human development: there are increased pressures from flooding, erosion, and pollution along shorelines. Wildlife need safe and natural areas to raise their young to ensure their populations stay healthy. This blog post provides some ways you can do so using constructed structures, such as bird houses and bat boxes. It has instructions to build these items yourself, too!
Hot Tubs, Pools, and Freshwater: How to Properly Drain Your Water
If you are a hot tub or pool owner, it is your responsibility to know the proper procedures for their use to limit their impact on native freshwater. This blog post provides a primer on the primary risks brought about by these property features, in addition to a step-by-step guide on how you can properly drain your pool or hot tub water to limit your impact on freshwater.
How is Your Pool Affecting Freshwater Ecosystems?
Pools can be a great addition to any property. However, in order to maintain safe swimming conditions, the water can often contain chlorine, bromide, salt, and algaecides which can cause damage to freshwater ecosystems if it is not managed properly. This blog post explores some of these potential impacts in detail, and provides some ways that you can help be part of the positive change.
How to Choose Dark-Sky-Friendly Lights
Did you know that your choice of shoreline lighting matters for lake health? Everything from the bulb type and temperature to the type of shade can make a difference. Individual choices significantly impact the fight against light pollution and community action has the power to create lasting change. This blog post outlines some of the nuances about shoreline lighting so that you can make the best choice for your property and for your local wildlife.
How to Engage Community in a Lake Plan PDF
The Mississippi Lake Planning Committee developed a process to engage the community in the development of a lake stewardship plan. The process involved a 25-member Planning Committee, a Technical Advisory Committee, and a Communications Strategy. The committee used a variety of means to communicate with the public, including a website, social media, hard copies, newspapers, and radio. They also conducted surveys, public forums, and presentations to engage the community. The process was successful in engaging the community and resulted in a comprehensive lake stewardship plan.