Changing your Shoreline Practices: Using The Natural Edge’s Native Plant Database

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern What do you value most about your cottage? Maybe you like to go there and fish or swim, get out on the boat, or enjoy the quiet once you leave the city. In 2021, Watersheds Canada and Canadian Wildlife Federation conducted a survey to find out what shoreline property owners value most. The top three values selected were Water Quality, Swimming, and Scenery/View (Love Your Lake, 2021). However, most actions taken along the shoreline didn’t match with ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern Pool and hot tubs are wonderful for recreational activity, aerobic activity and physical therapy, relaxation, and social gatherings. However, they may not be so wonderful for your local freshwater. Pools and hot tubs contain chlorine, bromide, salt, and algaecides which can be dangerous to the adjacent environment. Pool and hot tub water that is improperly discharged or improperly treated before being released can end up in different water bodies, ... Read More

by Jonathan Miller, Riparian Habitat Restoration Intern Freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, and the smallest of streams are complex environments that support a rich diversity of life. They are home to fish, turtles, macroinvertebrates, and much more. Among the many factors that influence these ecosystems, in-water woody debris plays a large part. In-water woody debris, including fallen trees, branches, roots, and logs, offer habitat benefits for fish, invertebrates, birds, turtles, ... Read More

by Ty Fischer, Freshwater Health Coordinator Certain environmental actions that we can take have much more profound impacts than we might realize, stretching far beyond the immediate spatial or temporal scale to touch entire communities.  Creating a wildflower garden is the perfect example of such an action. With just a few hours of work, almost anyone can create a space that directly supports a special type of insect and animal relied upon by most of the plant kingdom to reproduce: ... Read More

by Christopher Dennison, Municipal Policy Intern In the previous blog, we discussed the importance of shoreline land-use practices that maintain specific habitat characteristics (namely the planting and maintenance of native vegetation) to support waterbirds. But how can one ensure that the shoreline vegetation chosen will be appropriate for local species? Indeed, the type of shoreline vegetation that is planted and/or maintained on a shoreline plays an important role in habitat selection ... Read More

by Christopher Dennison, Municipal Policy Intern The wellbeing of waterbirds is naturally intertwined with the health of shoreline and riparian ecosystems; the Ribbon of Life that surrounds our freshwater lakes and rivers. In North America, ecologists have posited that the riparian zone (the transitional area of land directly adjacent to a watercourse) supports a much higher diversity of nesting birds than uplands due to specific habitat characteristics (Sanders & Edge, 1998; ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator You have finally landed the big catch and then snap! The line breaks. Frustrated, you take a moment to think about what could have been, the photos you could have taken. You think nothing of the interaction except that you need a new line and bob.  This interaction is just one of millions that happen across Canada each year. It exemplifies the reality of many environmental issues: collectively, our actions are having a disastrous impact ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern Our precious freshwater resources are coming under an increasing amount of pressure. Increasing urbanization and agriculture are encroaching on freshwater habitats. With a growing global human population, there is an increased demand for energy and resources meaning more pollution and obstructed water flows. Warming global temperatures are also causing changes in freshwater habitats.  Freshwater ecosystems are critical to the future of our ... Read More

by Chantal Lefevre, Natural Edge Regional Coordinator Green infrastructure, which encompasses a range of natural and semi-natural designed features, provides ecological, economic, and social benefits. It has gained increasing attention in recent years as a key strategy for achieving sustainable and climate change resilient environments.  In Canada, where natural resources are abundant, green infrastructure has the potential to create significant economic value through various mechanisms, ... Read More

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