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.
Can Ontarios Brook Trout Cope with Climate Change? Webinar with Erin Stewart
This is a handout from our webinar, "Can Ontario’s Brook Trout Cope with Climate Change?". Climate change is affecting Brook Trout populations in Ontario, with models predicting significant warming. Brook Trout will have varying abilities to cope with climate change based on their local conditions and habitat. Effective conservation and management require specific, evidence-based information on Brook Trout life stages and regions. The community can help by adopting sustainable practices and supporting environmental organizations.
Canada Prepares to Ban Single-Use Plastics blog
This blog post was written after Canada banned single use plastics. Read this post to learn more about this nationwide ban, about the scale of the plastic pollution issue, and to find out about some practical ways that everyday consumers can reduce their use of single-use plastics.
Canadas freshwater future. Your legacy.
Doug and Janet care about Canada's lakes and rivers. Their relationship with water inspired support for lake protection programs through Watersheds Canada. Doug and Janet shared legacy interests with Watersheds Canada’s team because they saw a need to support the freshwater protection work of our small, action-based charity. Doug’s idea for legacy giving was encouraged by his wife, Janet, as well as their financial advisor. The formal legacy plan, detailing how and where donation dollars would be earmarked, was developed with care and compassion by the Watersheds Canada team. This is the Doug Smith story.
Celebrate World Wetlands Day with these 4 Resilient Shorelines Resources!
Wetlands are important natural features that provide critical habitat for endangered and at-risk species. They also benefit people and our well-being, such as providing clean water for us to drink and swim in. World Wetlands Day is a celebration of these incredible ecosystems that do so much for us and for our wildlife. This blog post helps celebrate this national holiday by sharing 4 resilient shorelines resources that will help bolster your understanding and appreciation of these areas!
Choose your own adventure with the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program
This blog post highlights the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program, a collaboration between Greening Sacred Spaces and Watersheds Canada made to empower six faith communities with the ability to enhance their community through environmental projects. Bridging the gap between awareness and stewardship, the OFCCB will support and provide the resources needed to develop and lead a local environmental project.
Cities In Bloom
Urban areas don't need to be concrete jungles: amidst the structures of human civilization are endless opportunities for nature to thrive, from pollinator gardens to mini forests. These spots of urban flora provide so many benefits to both us and the environment. Read about them in this blog post about urban flora!
Coastal Resilience webinar with Rosmarie Lohnes
This is a handout from our webinar, "Coastal Resilience: Navigating Storms and Winters through Property Assessment and Monitoring". Riparian and coastal zones are areas between the upland zone and the shoreline, providing distinct, rich, moist soils for diverse plant communities. Healthy riparian and coastal zones contain diverse plant species and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
Cold-Water Creek Enhancement video
Cold-water streams are significant in the proper functioning of natural ecosystems as they help to moderate temperatures of the larger rivers and lakes they flow into. Additionally, cold-water streams also provide nursery habitat for many fish species (including brook trout) which require the cold temperatures and high levels of dissolved oxygen characteristic of these types of watercourses. Learn how Watersheds Canada is working towards enhancing Cold-Water Creeks in this video.
Cold-water creek enhancement
This document outlines planning and implementation guidelines for cold-water creek enhancement projects. It provides information on evaluating success, planning, obtaining necessary permits, choosing a project site, and implementing the project. The toolkit also includes resources and acknowledgments for the project.