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.
Community Based Water Monitoring: Getting Started With Water Rangers webinar with Juno Garrah
This is a handout from our webinar, "Community Based Water Monitoring: Getting Started With Water Rangers". Canada has 20% of the world's freshwater resources, but 60% of its subwatersheds are data deficient. This lack of information makes it difficult to steward these waters. The Freshwater Stewardship Community provides a platform for community monitoring and action. Water Rangers offers affordable test kits and an open data platform to support this effort.
Community Climate Data Tracking in PEI webinar with Dr. Xander Wang and Katie Sonier
This is a handout from our webinar, "Community Climate Data Tracking in Prince Edward Island". Climate Trackers is a citizen-science initiative that collects local climate data from the community to better understand the impacts of climate change in Prince Edward Island. The initiative involves registering as a Climate Tracker, receiving a Climate Diary and Nature Guide, and using an online web application to track observations. The data collected will inform local climate science and municipal government climate change adaptation projects. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation and the community.
Connected Waters webinar with Lina Azeez
This is a handout from our webinar, "Connected Waters: Restoring connectivity and function to salmon habitat impacted by flood infrastructure". The document discusses the importance of nature-based solutions in protecting and restoring terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It highlights the issue of outdated flood infrastructure blocking 1,500 kilometres of salmon habitat in the lower Fraser floodplain. The 'Connected Waters' campaign aims to reconnect and restore blocked waterways by upgrading to fish-friendly flood infrastructure. Effective governance requires collaboration between stakeholders and rights holders, such as Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and farmers.
Conserving the Buzz webinar by Cole Blaire
This is a handout from our webinar, "Conserving the Buzz: A multifacitated approach to conserving Canada’s bumble bees". Bumble bees are important pollinators that support the success of terrestrial ecosystems globally. Unfortunately, North America’s native bumble bees are in decline, with 26% of species assessed as ‘vulnerable’, ‘endangered’, or ‘critically endangered’. Conservation involves breeding at-risk species and improving breeding conditions to ensure the survival of mated queens. Active participation from local communities helps to protect bumble bees through education, outreach, and engagement initiatives.
Controlling Canadas worst invasive plant species using bio-control webinar by Claire Schon
This is a handout from our webinar, "Controlling Canada’s ‘Worst’ Invasive Plant Species". Phragmites is an invasive plant species that was introduced in Canada in the early 1900s. It can establish easily, spread quickly, and fundamentally alter wetland ecosystems. The species threatens 1 in 4 species at risk in Ontario and has economic and societal impacts. Biocontrol has the potential to disrupt competitive dynamics between invasive and native plants, allowing for plant community recovery.
Crash Course webinar by Dr. Willow English
This is a handout from our webinar, "Crash Course: Saving birds one window at a time". Birds collide with windows due to transparency and reflectivity, as well as environmental context and design traps. Bird attractants like feeders and baths can also pose risks. To prevent collisions, it's essential to add visual markers, window films, and screens to windows. By being mindful of bird-friendly architecture and placement of bird feeders and baths, we can reduce the likelihood of bird window strikes.
Creating Community webinar with Claire Ross
This is a handout from our webinar, "Creating Community: Lessons Learned through the BC Small Water Systems Community Network". The BC Small Water Systems Community Network is a free online platform that brings the small water system community together. The platform is open to anyone involved or interested in small water systems. To create a successful community, it's essential to encourage participation, provide accessible education, and facilitate conversations. By doing so, the community can create greater opportunities for everyone and lead to improved outcomes.
Creating Healthy, Natural Habitats for Freshwater Fish webinar with Melissa Dakers
This is a handout from our webinar, "Creating Healthy, Natural Habitats for Freshwater Fish". There are over 155 species of freshwater fish in Ontario. Freshwater fish are globally valued but threatened everywhere. Native fish populations are facing increasing threats from invasive species, pollution, and habitat alteration. Throughout various lifecycles, up to 90% of fish and wildlife species depend on a healthy shoreland for their survival.
Enhancing and Restoring Critical Fish Habitat in Ontario webinar with Melissa Dakers
Watersheds Canada provides programs to enhance and protect the health of lakes and rivers. Many threats to freshwater fish require focus on maintaining, enhancing, and restoring physical habitats. The Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit offers easy-to-follow step-by-step procedures for planning and implementing a fish habitat project in Ontario. Each protocol provides detailed written guidelines and a video demonstrating each project type.