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.
Light pollution: A Hidden Threat to Biodiversity, our Night Sky, and our Health
Light pollution is not something we think about often, however it can have deep impacts both on us and on our native wildlife. This blog post investigates this threat for biodiversity, shedding light on such terms as skyglow, glare, and light clutter. It also provides information on the impacts it can cause, and how we as citizens can help reduce the prevalence of these issues.
Macroinvertebrate Biomonitoring: Small Creatures, Big Impacts
Biomonitoring involves using living creatures (bioindicators) to determine changes in water quality. It is especially important in rivers in streams, where rapid changes in hydrology make typical water quality measurements less indicative than in still waters. This blog post provides an in-depth overview of macroinvertebrate biomonitoring and provides you some options for you to get involved in this important endeavour yourself.
Mary Janes Creek Walleye Spawning Bed Restoration - Watersheds Canada
Funding from Cabela’s Canada Outdoor Fund and the LUSH Charity Pot has allowed for the restoration of a historic walleye spawning bed in Mary Jane’s Creek near Westport, Ontario. The project was completed thanks to Watersheds Canada, the Westport Area Outdoors Association, local volunteers, and Tackaberry G & Sons Construction Co Ltd. One hundred and eight tonnes of washed river stone was placed in the creek and along the banks on October 3, 2019. Silt curtains were hung to minimize impacts on the system. The rocks will be critical to walleye spawning because typical spawning sites include gravel shoals or rocky, wave-washed lake shallows.
Maude Barlow at the Watersheds Gala
On January 22nd, 2015, we hosted our first fundraiser, the Watersheds Gala. We were honoured to have renowned author and citizens’ advocate, Maude Barlow, as our keynote speaker, and the energetic and revered Canadian professor and naturalist, Michael Runtz, as our Master of Ceremonies. You can view Maude's presentation here!
May all your Christmases be green
This personal letter from executive director Robert Pye discusses the impact of our Save Our Shorelands campaign. This campaign saw over 5,000 of letters addressed to MPPs, which helped Watersheds Canada make two official submissions to the Ontario legislature about shoreland development and the leadership and knowledge of municipalities and conservation authorities.
Meet Your Butterfly Neighbours
Did you know that there are over 300 butterfly species in Canada, with 150 in Ontario alone? This blog post reviews some of the species that you may find in your garden, from the Great Spangled Fritillary to the White admiral. It also provides an overview of the threats they face these days, and how everyday people can help maintain their population levels in the years to come.
Microbeads – Not a Very Tiny Piece of Jewellery
Microbeads are small synthetic polymer particles that are used in a variety of personal care products, cleaning products, printer toners, and more. Concerns have been raised about the environmental consequences of these microscopic plastic particles, including the physical, chemical, and pollutant effects of them on wildlife. Learn more about microbeads and what you can do to reduce their impact in this blog post!
Municipal election time – a river day runs through it
This blog post was written by executive director Robert Pye. It centers on how World Rivers Day fell in time with the 2022 election season, and highlights how important this particular election was for freshwater protection and stewardship.
My Journey to the South: The Fall Migration of a Prothonotary Warbler
The prothonotary warbler has a migratory journey as incredible as it's striking yellow colour. Follow along on its journey in this blog post, told in the form of a story by one of our past interns. The blog post even includes hand-painted works of art by the author herself, and a wide selection of resources to help you learn more about birds and bird migration.