Blog

by Ty Fischer, Freshwater Health Coordinator, Watersheds Canada Though it covers Canadian lakes like a big frozen shield, the thick winter ice is not a hindrance to the delivery of Watersheds Canada’s Fish Habitat restoration projects – it is an asset. This is especially true for spawning bed enhancement projects, like the one that took place on February 6, 2025. On this day, the Watersheds Canada team met with 16 volunteers from Big Clear Lake Association, Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern Freshwater fish are diverse and an important part of our economy. Not only are fish an important food source to people around the world but they are also important to our economies, providing jobs to over 60 million people (Orr, 2021). Fish are also an important part of our freshwater ecosystem; they contribute to the food chain by consuming other aquatic organisms, such as invertebrates and smaller fish, and they are also food for other ... Read More

by Jonathan Miller, Riparian Habitat Restoration Intern   World Wetlands Day (February 2nd) is once again upon us! Wetlands, which include marshes, swamps, fens, bogs, and even lakes, provide a wide variety of essential ecosystem services and functions critical to the planet's well-being. Wetlands most notably improve water quality by filtering excess nutrients or toxins from agriculture, roads, and sewage runoff. Equally remarkable, wetlands act as carbon sinks, storing carbon captured from ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator Nature sustains itself through food web interactions that support long-term ecological balance. Every organism is part of multiple food chains that overlap and connect to form larger food webs within a single ecosystem. Each web is woven with lines that trace the potential flow of nutrients and energy from one organism to another within an ecosystem. Environmental sustainability depends on these balanced interactions between organisms in a ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern Christmas does not have to be the only thing you look forward to this winter! There are lots of ways you can enjoy the outdoors and spend time with your family. Here is a list of 10 things you can do this winter to get you started on connecting with nature, supporting your local ecosystems, and having fun with loved ones! 1. Snow Painting Make the world your canvas! On the day of a beautiful, fresh snowfall, take a spray bottle and fill it with ... Read More

by Alana Coloumbe, Education programs administrator Shorelines are the interface between land and bodies of water that are important for both humans and wildlife. Shorelines facilitate the exchange of resources between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and therefore affect the functioning and ecological condition of both ecosystems (Wensink & Tiegs, 2016). Recent human developments for industrial, commercial, recreational, and residential purposes have threatened shoreline stability ... Read More

by Ty Fischer, Riparian Health Restoration Intern This is part 3 of a series on the Great Lakes. To read the first part, please click here; part two is found here. Erosion is a common problem on coastal bluffs and beaches on the Great Lakes’ coastlines. Despite the ubiquity of hardened shoreline structures in the region to manage these issues, such options are often not ideal since they are prone to failure and can disturb important natural processes and native species. Other large-scale ... Read More

by Ty Fischer, Riparian Health Restoration Intern This is part 2 of a series on the Great Lakes. To read the first part, click here. With water level fluctuations operating on daily, seasonal, and annual cycles, and with frequent disturbances from high winds, large waves, seiches, and storms, the Laurentian Great Lakes are truly dynamic freshwater systems. As a result, they display a diverse range of coastline types ranging from steep coastal bluffs to vast sandy beaches that are highly ... Read More

by Ty Fischer, Riparian Health Restoration Intern Reaching up to hundreds of kilometers wide and hundreds of meters deep, it is perhaps not surprising that the Laurentian Great Lakes share many geological similarities with saltwater oceans. They have high winds, large waves, and even complex current systems that in many ways make them dynamically closer to being inland seas than typical freshwater lakes (Rao, Schwab, 2007). As a result of these strong hydrological processes, their coastlines ... Read More

by Ty Fischer, Riparian Health Restoration Intern Aquatic plants in our lakes and rivers are often referred to as ‘weeds’, and the use of this term shows how they are generally perceived by waterfront property owners – as a nuisance. This is because the vegetation can get tangled in boat motors, tickle the toes of swimming passerby, complicate fishing endeavours, and is just generally seen as an unattractive part of the waterway. The irony is that every single amenity offered by our lakes ... Read More