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.
Invasive Species and your Watershed webinar with Derissa Vincentini
Not only do invasive species pose a significant ecological threat, they also negatively impact the economy, recreational experience, and can even pose risks to human health. This free webinar will provide an introduction to invasive species as you learn how to prevent, detect, and monitor them in your lake and the surrounding land. See what makes a species invasive, their pathways of spread, and how to take action and report sightings of invasive species.
Launching a new online Freshwater Stewardship Community
This blog post announces the launch of our Freshwater Stewardship Community, a centralized place for waterfront associations, individuals, academics, students, and other organizations to connect and work together to protect local freshwater and enhance shoreline resilience. It also provides some information about the value of fostering community relationships and connecting with nature.
Life in the Weeds: Exploring the rarely seen world of aquatic plants webinar by Dr. Jo Latimore
This is a handout from our webinar, "Life in the "Weeds": Exploring the rarely seen world of aquatic plants". The document discusses the importance of protecting native aquatic plants, which benefit lakes by absorbing wave energy, protecting water quality, and providing habitat. It encourages readers to join the Freshwater Stewardship Community and use the Lake Protection Workbook to assess their property. The document also highlights the different types of aquatic vegetation, including emergent, floating, and submergent plants. By properly managing invasive species and algae competition, readers can help maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Non-native earthworms: Entering the second wave of invasion webinar with Dr. Michael McTavish
This is a handout from our webinar, "Non-native earthworms in Canada: Entering the second wave of invasion". Non-native earthworms are highly influential ecosystem engineers that fundamentally change the habitats they invade. They are a major challenge to conservation and restoration as there are currently no practical, large-scale options to control them. The invasion of non-native earthworms in Canada is a recent phenomenon, with the second wave of invasion being led by species from Asia. The handout provides information on the signs of an invasion and what can be done to control the spread of non-native earthworms.
One Shoreland at a Time webinar with Chantal Lefevre
This is a handout from our webinar, "One Shoreland at a Time: Restoring the Ribbon of Life". This document discusses nature-based solutions to protect or restore terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Nature-based solutions can help combat climate change and biodiversity loss while supporting sustainable development. The benefits of nature-based solutions include supporting biodiversity, providing ecosystem services, and slowing further warming. The document also highlights the importance of shoreland protection and provides additional resources for waterfront property owners.
Phragmites australis: Why we cannot afford to ignore this invasion webinar with Janice M. Gilbert
This is a handout from our webinar, "Phragmites australis: Why we cannot afford to ignore this invasion" webinar. Invasive Phragmites australis is a critical issue in Canada, threatening ecosystems. To control it effectively, a careful plan is necessary, considering factors like timing, capacity, and wildlife. A unique strategy is required for each situation, and access to funding, experts, and volunteers is crucial. This flow chart and education resource aim to help individuals and community groups develop a plan to address invasive Phragmites in their area.
Planning Tools for Shoreline Protection webinar with Melissa Markham
Shoreline protection in municipalities is best achieved through appropriate land use planning tools. In Ontario, the community planning permit system (CPPS) is a land use planning tool that municipalities can use for environmental protection. My experience with this tool will demonstrate how municipalities can achieve an appropriate balance between natural shorelines and physical structures. Tune in to learn about the CPPS and how you can promote this tool for your shorelines.
Planning for our Shorelands webinar with Christopher Dennison
Planning for our Shorelands is a collaborative project bringing together expert planners, scientists, and lake stewards from across Ontario. Its objective is to provide meaningful best-management practice resources and ‘shoreland networking’ opportunities for those who influence Ontario’s lakes and rivers. In this free webinar, we will present on the importance of lake and river shoreland ecosystems, share results from a series of surveys which gauge the current state of shoreland stewardship and land-use in Ontario, and discuss the future of the Planning For our Shorelands project. Born in the heart of the Thousand Islands, Christopher Dennison has a long professional and personal relationship with freshwater stewardship. His academic background in the social and natural sciences has afforded him the skills necessary to find innovative and meaningful solutions to conservation issues. Outside of his academic and professional endeavours, he is an avid outdoorsman and writer, and will soon begin pursuing a Master of Science at Trent University.
Plastic pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes webinar with Eden Hataley
This is a handout from our webinar, "Plastic Pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes: What we know and how we can act". The Great Lakes are affected by plastic pollution, which breaks down into smaller pieces and can harm aquatic biota. Microplastics have been reported in all five Great Lakes and their watersheds. Nearly 10,000 metric tons of plastic debris enters the Great Lakes every year. To get involved, one can participate in a cleanup, learn about waste reduction tips, or support initiatives like the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup.