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.
Reclaiming our Refuse: The Power of Community Shoreline Cleanups
Shoreline cleanups are an example of a direct, powerful, community-led initiative that has lasting positive impacts for our freshwater. Read this blog post to learn about the powerful benefits of these projects in the way of diverting plastic pollution, and about why it is a greening project offered by the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program.
Relationships and Water
This personal reflection from former executive director Barbara King shares her views on freshwater protection and what is missing in the modern age. Learn from her stories and ideas about freshwater stewardship, and about how we need to work harder to convert our big ideas into direct action to create real change.
Restoring In-Water Fish Habitat on Mazinaw Lake
Watersheds Canada, with the help of the Mazinaw Property Owners Association, Lanark County Stewardship Council, Conservationists of Frontenac Addington, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program, deployed 24 brush bundles around Mazinaw Lake in August 2018. In 2020 – two years after the initial project – individuals from Watersheds Canada, Ainley Group, and Mazinaw Property Owners Association checked up on some of the brush bundle sites. All bundles visited were inhabited by several species of fish!
Restoring a historic trout spawning bed on Diamond Lake, Ontario
The actual video description is: Diamond Lake, located near Combermere, Ontario, is one of only twelve trout lakes in Renfrew County. Over several months, a community-led effort ensured the historic lake trout spawning bed was restored. The Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund donated critical funds to launch the restoration process of the trout spawning bed. The project was possible because of Diamond Lake property owners and volunteers, the Madawaska Fish and Game Club, Watersheds Canada, Bathurst Burgess Drummond and Elmsley Fire/Rescue Station, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MNDMNRF) Pembroke, and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) – Zone F. This project has been in the works since 2015 when Kirby Punt, now retired MNDMNRF Biologist, observed the noticeable decline in the trout population and poor quality of the historic spawning bed. Kirby approached Watersheds Canada to see if there was anything that could be done.
Riparian Zones and Climate Change
Climate change resilience is a topical issue these days, especially around waterfront communities. Cottage owners especially should be primed to spot, prevent, and address issues on their properties as a result of climate change. This blog post provides a thorough overview of climate resilience on the shoreline: what might be expected in terms of changes, what you can do to prevent them, and more.
Road Salt Introductory Slide Deck
Road salt pollution is an escalating concern in Canada, affecting aquatic life and freshwater resources. Elevated sodium and chloride levels can harm plants, deteriorate infrastructure, and threaten drinking water supplies. The use of road salts can lead to elevated levels of sodium and chloride in freshwater sources, posing human health risks. Sustainable road salt management is crucial to preserve the health of Canada's ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities.
Road Salt Stress Alters Freshwater Food Webs
Nature is deeply interconnected, and the movement of energy throughout food chains it is a great example of this. Every organism is part of multiple food chains that overlap and connect to form larger food webs within a single ecosystem. This blog post explores the impacts of road salts on these food webs, and the implications on the whole of a freshwater system's form and function.
Saltwater Pools, Hot Tubs, and Freshwater: Is this the Best Alternative?
Is saltwater the most environmentally safe alternative to the chlorine, bromine, and other chemicals historically used in pools and hot tubs? Read this blog post to find out how this salt can end up in freshwater, how it can impact freshwater ecosystems, and what some other alternatives to salt are that will keep our pools and hot tubs safe to swim in without the environmental consequences.
Shoreland Health Q&A Teller lesson plan
This activity helps students build confidence and capacity to take local environmental action and make an on-the-ground difference for freshwater issues affecting their community. Students will identify and assess ways freshwater habitat and water quality can be enhanced and protected locally. They will also demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.