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.
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.
Shoreland resilience under a changing climate
Climate change is a threat can can cause real devastation to our waterfront properties that we hold so near and dear. It's important to take steps to boost shoreline resilience that will help your property adapt to the changing conditions and prevent damage. This blog post provides an introduction to shoreline resilience, giving you a review of what is is, the main factors that influence it on a shoreline, and how you can boost it for your own waterfront property.
Shoreline Habitat Creation Manual by Watersheds Canada
This manual provides guidance on how to create and protect shoreline habitat for fish and wildlife species. It suggests various methods such as planting native vegetation, leaving aquatic vegetation, and creating pathways. The manual also emphasizes the importance of reducing light pollution and installing habitat structures like bat boxes and turtle nest protection cages. By following these tips, landowners can help preserve biodiversity and create vital wildlife habitat.
Shoreline Restoration by Love Your Lake
A shoreline buffer is a strip of vegetation that helps maintain the health of a shoreline. It reduces contaminants, erosion, and improves water quality. A buffer can be created by letting nature take over or by planting trees, shrubs, and perennials. Retaining walls can cause erosion and are not recommended.
Shoreline Summer
Step out into the field with one of our past shoreline assessors with our Love Your Lake program! Hear about his experience with lake communities in Central-eastern Ontario that are passionate about bringing real change to their beloved waterbody.
Simon Says Move like a Turtle Lesson Plan PDF
This lesson plan is designed for students to demonstrate the stages in the life cycle of a turtle. Students will learn to move like a turtle in different stages, including swimming, hiding in their shell, walking slowly, basking in the sun, burying eggs, and hatching.
Sleeping Through the School Year – A Turtles Strategy for Survival in Canada
Canadian wildlife have evolved to have unique and fascinating ways of surviving through our cold winters. This is especially true of reptiles, as they are cold-blooded animals an external source of heat to control their body temperature. Read this blog post to find out how turtles have gained physical and behavioural habits that keep their heart beating through the colder weather!
Small Businesses: Freshwater Conservation Heroes
When it comes to freshwater conservation, every single person has a responsibility to conserve and protect it. This includes small businesses! In fact, their smaller size allows them to make changes to their business practices quickly and efficiently, and they usually have very close ties to the community too. Read this blog post to find out some changes that any small business can make today to help protect our freshwater.
Soil: More Important and Fascinating Than It Seems
Soil is the medium in which life grows. Plants - the start of the food chain that supports everything else - require good soil conditions, and the impacts of our soil quality on the quality of the ecosystem as a whole is, therefore, massive. Read this blog post to learn what makes soil so valuable, what makes good soil quality, and even how you can identify the soil type on your property with a test at home!