Watersheds Canada in partnership with the Daniel and Susan Gottlieb Foundation will provide financial support to volunteer groups for projects that have a positive impact on the health of our lakes. This new Lake Stewardship Granting Program will provide up to $500 per association for education and action projects that contribute to lake health. Project proposals need to demonstrate support and involvement of your lake community members. The 2019 project grant deadline ... Read More
Walleye or Pickerel – The Great Debate
My father and I have had a friendly debate going for a number of years regarding the name of a particular sport fish. And as my career in fish habitat restoration has established, I am finding this is common debate amongst many Ontario outdoors people. As a long time fisherman, my father has always referred to the common fish species Sander vitreus as a pickerel, and when I was younger, who was I to argue with him. Growing up my father instilled in me, my love for the outdoors, from many ... Read More
Microbeads – Not a Very Tiny Piece of Jewellery
Written By: Brent MacDougall In today's realm of environmental awareness, the majority of citizens would be unlikely to discard plastic directly into our fresh and oceanic water systems. However, unknowingly ordinarily environmentally conscious individuals may be polluting our water systems through washing their face, brushing their teeth or scrubbing their body. The reason individuals may be performing an act of pollution is due to one word, "microbeads"! Now, you may ask what ... Read More
Water – “Change is Upon Us”
Written By: Barbara King Water is vital to life and well-being. We know that water resources have a finite capacity to support development and land use changes. 95% of the worlds water is saltwater 5% is freshwater. Of this freshwater: 69% is found in ice 30% is found in groundwater less than 1% of the Earth’s water consists of surface water, only 1% of this is renewed by snow melt and rain each year Source: Environment Canada, 2009 As executive director of an ... Read More
Natural Edge Contest Winner!
Over the summer, Watersheds Canada held a contest for the Natural Edge program. Contest participants had to send in photos of their shoreline and a story of why their shoreline is so important to them. Through the fall, Natural Edge staff read through every single entry, some more than once, and narrowed the entries down to 3. And after much deliberation, a winner was chosen! It is my great pleasure to announce that Rick and Debbie Zabloski of Graham Lake are the winners of the 20” x 17.5” ... Read More
Three Summers with Watersheds Canada
Written By Emily Bacon I have had the privilege of working for Watersheds Canada for the past three summers while studying at Queen’s University. I am writing this blog, reflecting on my three wonderful summers, on my very last day with them. I have grown and learned so much which has truly been a one of a kind experience. It was an odd match at first – I’m in geological engineering and Watersheds is a non-profit organization dedicated to our lakes and rivers, but I wasn’t going to pass up ... Read More
New App for Algae
New App for Algae EASTERN ONTARIO, August 24, 2015 — Algae and aquatic plant observations can now be made on your smart phone. The People, Aquatic Plants and Healthy Lakes Project has just released an Android app for lake and river users to report any algae or aquatic plants that they observe on their waterbody. The Android app called Citizen Water Watch can be downloaded for free at the Google play store. App users will be asked to take a photo of what they are reporting, provide a ... Read More
Natural Edge – Spring Planting Success!
As summer approaches and the spring planting season comes to a close, Watersheds Canada is proud to continue working towards shoreline rehabilitation through our Natural Edge program. This spring, we planted 21 sites on 9 lakes working alongside home and cottage owners in the rehabilitation and naturalization of their shorelines. Through these efforts, the Natural Edge staff have successfully planted a combined total of over 6121 square metres of shoreline with 1839 native plants. The program ... Read More