Blog

You have helped protect Canada's freshwater this past year. You can continue to make a difference with your year-end donation before midnight on December 31st and receive a 2021 charitable tax receipt! One project your support made possible in 2021 was the restoration of in-water fish habitat on two lakes! Woody debris piles (pictured) provide critical habitat features for fish and turtles.   Your support in 2021 has resulted in on-the-ground, tangible impacts to protect and ... Read More

by Monica Seidel, Communications and Fundraising Coordinator, Watersheds Canada This past summer, you might have enjoyed the company of a northern map turtle, green frog, calico pennant dragonfly, or Great Blue Heron along the shores of Georgian Bay. Like you probably did, these charismatic and iconic species spent a large part of their summer near the shoreline. In fact, these species depend on the shoreline and riparian zone for their very survival. This zone includes the first 30-metres of ... Read More

by Mario Garavito In its simple definition, a lake is a body of water that is surrounded by land. A lake can be found in every continent around the world, varying greatly in size and in depth. It could be small enough to fit in your backyard - like a pond - or so big that it is known as sea - the Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland lake, measuring over 371,000 km2 in size! Canada is exceptionally fortunate when it comes to lakes. According to different studies, our country is home to ... Read More

Online workshop provides opportunities for freshwater stewardship discussions Are you looking for a free place to meet people from across Canada? Want to know the latest information on different freshwater issues and learn how you can help? Be sure to check out Lake Links, happening Saturday, October 23rd from 10am-12:30pm EST! Lake Links is an annual workshop usually held in Perth, Ontario. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, this one-day, collaboratively run workshop has now moved ... Read More

by Priya Vaidya As the air starts to cool and the days become shorter, I can sense that it will soon be time to fly down south. It feels like just yesterday when I left the cozy little nest that my parents built for me and my four siblings. Our nest was in a humble wetland, north of Lake Erie. My father found a silver maple tree with the perfect little nook that was carved out by a Downy Woodpecker and started to build a nest from moss and bark. When he met my mother, she helped him turn ... Read More

by Priya Vaidya On September 26, 2021, the world celebrates World Rivers Day, which aims to raise awareness and engagement for conserving our rivers and waterways. With over 8,500 known rivers in Canada and growing, these ribbons of freshwater play a major role in our daily lives. Rivers carry freshwater from sources like rainfall or snowmelt and deliver it to larger bodies of water, like lakes. They are a source of fresh drinking water, recreation for Canadians, and they are home to a ... Read More

Ian is an Environmental Technician this summer with Watersheds Canada. He shares his experience so far in the role:   "As a student coming out of college, I am more than pleased to work with Watersheds Canada. I began my journey with Watersheds as a field-placement in my program at Sir Sandford Fleming College, which turned into a summer position. I quickly realized all my skills and knowledge I learned from the Ecosystem Management Technician program were falling into place when it ... Read More

by Nathaniel Holloway I am a second year Environmental Studies major at Carleton University who has experience volunteering—and now working—with Watersheds Canada. My volunteering experience made conservation feel more accessible than I had previously thought, while my work experience only cemented this notion. Being an Environmental Studies major, the focus of my degree is the Environment with a focus on legislation and problems facing different populations of the world. As such, I am ... Read More

by Ian Grist If you are a property owner with a river, creek, or stream nearby, you may be concerned or curious about the health and pollution levels in the water. There are ways you can find out the contaminate levels present in your water by what aquatic organisms you observe. In particular, benthic macro-invertebrates are excellent bio-indicators of freshwater health. Macro-invertebrates do not have a backbone and are visible to the naked eye. They live on the bottom of a water body, often ... Read More