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. Funding support thanks to Peterborough K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation, and S.M. Blair Family Foundation.
Engaging Municipal Elected Officials to Protect our Freshwater webinar
Leading up to, and following the October 24th Ontario municipal election, Watersheds Canada will help bring rural waterfront communities together for an interactive webinar on what’s on every lakeshore property owners’ mind these days – how are we going to protect natural freshwater features in the wake of climate change and increased shoreline developments? Darlene Coyle, Watersheds Canada’s Environmental Policy and Planning Program Lead, will be speak about the actions municipalities need to take now to ensure that our lakes and rivers are clean and healthy for generations to come. Municipal councilors are elected with the authority to develop and evaluate policies and programs of the municipality. Therefore, it is important to utilize this upcoming election to identify candidates that are prepared to take immediate action to protect our freshwater in the long-term, past their four-year term. This is a chance for property owners to use their voice to make a positive impact on their community by voting this fall! Candidates, get ready to be assessed if freshwater protection is your local priority as we will offer the audience our top 5 questions to ask you before and after election day.
Enhancing Fish Habitat with Woody Debris
Fish require shelter just like we do. They use in-water woody debris for shade from the sun, for protection from predators, for finding macroinvertebrate food sources, and so much more. Read more about how in-water structures benefit native fish, and learn how Watersheds Canada's Fish Habitat program is working towards building up this habitat in this blog post!
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.
Erosion by Love Your Lake
Shoreline erosion can happen naturally or be caused by human disturbances. Human activities cause 10 times more erosion than natural processes. Removing shoreline vegetation and other human activities can cause erosion and affect water quality and wildlife habitat. To prevent erosion, protect the natural shoreline, reduce runoff, minimize boat wakes, take precautions during construction, and limit foot traffic.
Exploring How We Can All Protect Freshwater Health webinar
In this family-friendly webinar, Chloe and Monica from Watersheds Canada will explore different factors on land and in the water that can impact local freshwater health and the wildlife that live there. Walk away with steps you and your family can take to help protect the waterfront that you love.
Favourite wildflower handout
No description available.
Field Notes: Restoring Shorelines Using Native Plants
This short blog post provides details on the experience of one of our past interns with working for our The Natural Edge shoreline restoration program.
Finding Optimism this International Youth Day
Many youth these days struggle with ecoanxiety: that is, the worry of climate change and it's impacts on our society. This inspirational blog post is a reflection from one of our past interns on this topic. It provides a look into his experience with ecoanxiety, and how he strives to maintain his optimism and make changes in his own life towards sustainable living.
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.