Media Release – Natural Edge Starter Kits to Help Property Owners Naturalize their Shoreline

July 27, 2020, Perth, Ontario – Watersheds Canada, Canadian Wildlife Federation, private donors, and the Love Your Lake Program are helping property owners across Eastern Ontario naturalize their shorelines with the new Natural Edge shoreline re-naturalization starter kit. Lakes in Ontario are dominated with high levels of shoreline development and nutrient loading. Water quality studies show that much of the poor water quality is linked to land-based activities and lack of shoreline ... Read More

Watersheds Canada staff Maggie and Mel were recently on Mississippi Lake to do their Love Your Lake training. They will learn how to use the peer-reviewed, detailed protocol to evaluate shorelines, noting the degree of impact on and near the shore. These protocols will create property-specific reports outlining voluntary actions that property owners can take to improve the health of their lake. These reports will be ready later this year. This year, Watersheds Canada will survey Kashwakamak ... Read More

Thanks to incredible community partners like the Muskrat Watershed Council and Algonquin College Waterfront Campus, last year the Natural Edge program was able to plant 15,000 native tree and shrub species to help remediate current water quality issues including sedimentation and nutrient loading from agricultural properties lacking critical vegetative buffers. On a recent site visit to check on the plants, we discovered many of them were thriving! These species will be critical in naturalizing ... Read More

Spring planting update from Melissa Dakers, Watersheds Canada lake stewardship coordinator: "While following the strict health and safety measures in place during the pandemic, a few staff from Watersheds Canada and Quinte Conservation, and a few tree planters, were able to plant 4,000 native trees and shrubs. We all travel by ourselves to the site, use our own equipment, and are 6m apart or more from each other to safely complete the project. The planting was done along a tributary through ... Read More

I hope that all of you are doing well and staying safe during this time. At Watersheds Canada, we are working to adapt our programs to help all of you keep our freshwater healthy during these unprecedented times. Our staff of 6 are currently working reduced hours from home; however, we are also facing our own challenges with the impacts of COVID-19 on our organization. Unfortunately, we have been heavily impacted by the loss of funding and changing grant priorities. Some of our funding ... Read More

To celebrate Earth Week, the Natural Edge Program is releasing the updated version of the Shoreline Habitat Creation Manual. This free resource offers over 14 resources to enhance habitat for landowners. Some of them are as easy as "retiring" your lawn by creating a no-mow zone, while other projects will see you creating habitat structures to provide habitat and protection from animals, like creating a turtle nest protection cage. Download the Natural Edge - Shoreline Habitat Creation ... Read More

                      Media release Love Your Lake Program Celebrates Expansion April 9, 2020, Perth, Ontario – Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) are celebrating another successful year of their Love Your Lake program as it expanded to British Columbia in the summer of 2019. “The Love Your Lake program helps engage lake communities, bringing awareness on the importance of taking individual actions on their properties. If everyone focuses on the ... Read More

MEDIA RELEASE                                                        March 4, 2020 The Natural Edge Program is a Perfect Fit for Local Farmers Watersheds Canada – The Muskrat watershed will see improved water quality as 15,000 native trees and shrubs work to reduce run-off and stabilize eroding shorelines. Watersheds Canada, the Muskrat Watershed Council and Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus completed the second year of their joint Muskrat Lake Watershed Rehabilitation Project. ... Read More

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                   March 3, 2020 Quinte Watershed Benefits from Native Plants Thanks to the Natural Edge Program Watersheds Canada – Ontario’s shorelines faced high flood levels and erosion rates in 2019, but thirty-seven landowners in the Quinte watershed took local action to protect their property by participating in Watersheds Canada’s Natural Edge Program. In partnership with Quinte ... Read More

December 11, 2019 -- A local non-profit has created a new way for people to support freshwater resources and wildlife species. Watersheds Canada, based out of Perth, Ontario, has launched a gift catalogue fundraiser featuring symbolic adoptions and unique gifts that are perfect for the holiday season. "I was thrilled to support an important local organization like Watersheds Canada for my holiday purchases this year”, said Kristina Inrig. Kristina has been a supporter of Watersheds Canada ... Read More