Written by: Brent MacDougall, 2017 Ever worked too hard, and too long, for no pay? Thanks for volunteering! I would like to take a moment to deviate from our usual style of posting to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who devote personal time to worthy causes. Whether it be the lake resident who devotes endless amounts of time to ensure proper water quality sampling procedure and standardization, or the individual who selflessly spends hours preparing delicious treats for a community ... Read More
Lakeside Living: Changing the Paradigm
Written by Heather Murphy, 2017 Lakeside living is a dream that many Canadians aspire to attain at some stage in their lives. By putting in the time with their 9-5 jobs, working hard and saving their money, maybe just maybe, they might be lucky enough to own a little slice of heaven on a lake somewhere. The “Great Canadian Dream”, for some, of owning waterfront has gained massive popularity with retirees looking for a quiet retreat and working professionals trying to escape the perpetual rat ... Read More
Relationships and Water
Written by: Barbara King, 2017 I spend a lot of time working with small groups and individuals that are working to change the way that people act towards our freshwater and over the past 15 years have come to the conclusions that we need to change the way that we talk to people about freshwater issues. As environmentalists, we often come at things the wrong way when working in our communities. This isn't to say that there isn’t a time to fight but generally when you get down to the fundamental ... Read More
Cities In Bloom
Written by: Jorden Keeley, 2017 Due to the nature of our work here at Watersheds Canada, we are constantly surrounded by an abundance of plants, fish, and wildlife. Admittedly, often times we take our surroundings for granted. Visiting city centres often helps us to appreciate our unique work environment, by allowing us to recognize the contrast that urban development has created. Moving from a rural environment to an urban one forces you to notice whatever tiny patches and parcels of green you ... Read More
Thank you for a great year!
As 2016 draws to a close, it provides us with an opportunity to look back at everything we have accomplished. It has been a fantastic year at a Watersheds Canada due to all the amazing support we have received from our staff, board, volunteers, and financial supporters. We are so excited for 2017, during which we will continue to increase our efforts to protect and restore our lakes and rivers! In looking at what we have accomplished this past year, we would like to highlight a few exciting ... 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