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.
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.
Counting Fish activity
Exploring the interconnectedness of living and non-living things in local ecosystems, this collection focuses on the natural environment and its inhabitants, specifically native fish species found in the Ottawa area. Through interactive activities and educational materials, students develop their counting skills and learn to identify and match fish to their local habitats. The importance of native fish having specific local habitats is also emphasized, fostering an understanding of numbers and their connections to everyday life. By engaging with these materials, learners can develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world and its complexities.
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.
Creating a Resilient Shoreline: Keeping a natural shoreline that benefits your family and local wildlife
Naturalized shorelines aren't just more beautiful than developed ones: they also provide so many benefits including preventing erosion, providing critical wildlife habitat, preventing geese from entering the property, maintaining water quality, and so much more. Read more about the value of naturalized shorelines, about the process of restoring your waterfront property's habitat, about some great options for plants that you can use, and much more in this blog post!
Critical Habitat Features for Fish and Wildlife – handout
Native plants protect against invasive species and provide habitat and food. Manicured lawns promote surface runoff and lack habitat for any species. Leaving woody debris and overhanging branches in place helps to cool water and provides a source of food. Defining a winding path to the water can prevent erosion and increase habitat for species.
Cultivating Community through Urban Gardens and Initiatives
Communities in Ottawa are coming together over one shared purpose: to greenify the city through gardening projects. These projects create countless benefits not only for the environment, but also for the people involved that find inspiration and fulfillment through them. Learn more about the projects going on in the Ottawa area, such as pollinator gardens and rain gardens, and how you could kickstart your very own!
Currents of Change: Latornell 2019 Vlog
This vlog captures the energy of the Latornell Conservation Symposium, hosted in 2019 in Alliston, Ontario. Follow Digital Communications and Marketing Intern Monica Seidel as she takes you for a tour of the symposium and shares some of what she learned.