Why is blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) becoming more prominent?

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator The frequency and magnitude of blue-green algal blooms continue to rise across Canada and are expected to be further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and traditional land use practices. The rise in cyanobacterial blooms brings about health, social, economic, and supply problems in the availability of Canada’s freshwater resources (Codd et al., 2017).  What is blue-green algae? Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are ... Read More

by Andres Clavier, Freshwater Stewardship Education Intern Canada’s diverse ecosystems, stretching from temperate rainforests to arid grasslands, host an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna. Among these ecosystems, wildfires are a recurring phenomenon, casting a shadow of destruction and regrowth across the landscape (Buma & Wessman, 2011). While the sight of raging wildfires invokes images of devastation, they are a vital component of these ecosystems, contributing to the ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator Participating in Love Your Lake is a great way to gauge the health of your lake and become a steward of your local freshwater! Over the past 10 years, Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation have been proud to support waterfront communities coast to coast across Canada through the Love Your Lake program. Lakes and rivers are the most sustainable source of freshwater and are essential for ecological function and social ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator What does it mean to love your lake? Loving your lake as a place to enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, and exploring requires a commitment to care for and respect its natural wonders. You can love your lake in many different ways! As freshwater stewards, we can show our love and appreciation for lakes by enhancing and protecting their natural features. Despite being called "the water planet", more than 99% of Earth’s water is unusable by ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator Canadians have experienced a devastating start to spring this year, with almost every province and territory being upturned by wildfires. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair recently announced nearly 440 fires have burned 3.9 million hectares of forest which is more than 13 times the 10-year average for this time of year (The Canadian Press, 2023). Wildfires can sometimes be a natural part of the ecosystem that contribute to forest ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator Watersheds Canada is honoured to be accepted as a member of the Ontario Biodiversity Council! The Ontario Biodiversity Council was created in 2005 and represents conservation and environmental groups, industry associations, Indigenous organizations, natural history institutions, academia, and government agencies. Watersheds Canada and the Ontario Biodiversity Council recognize the importance of biodiversity and are taking steps to conserve ... Read More

by Jane Pangilinan, Digital Engagement Technician Community involvement is important to building connections with nature. That is why the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building (OFCCB) initiative, a collaboration between Greening Sacred Spaces and Watersheds Canada, is made to connect 6 faith communities with the environment and with each other. Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces is helping these communities bring an environmental project to life. In an effort to overcome ... Read More

Thanks to generous funding from Canada Summer Jobs, Watersheds Canada is able to grow our staff team and deliver critical on-the-ground programming this summer! We are excited to welcome back some summer students this year, including Alana, Tanice, and Cole, and welcome new summer students, Ty and Jonathan. Let's meet the students! Alana - Education programs administrator Alana is a student at the University of Guelph majoring in Bio-Medical Science with a minor in Neuroscience. She loves ... Read More

by Robert Pye, Executive Director, Watersheds Canada Nature art fills my home, a growing collection that started before I even owned four walls to display it. Framed wildlife prints by the talents of Carl Brenders and Michael Dumas, for example, were acquired in my starting-out days of paying rent and student loans. Many years later though, I have property where my taste in art imitates the wildlife that surrounds my country home. My most cherished work of nature art is a one-of-a-kind ... Read More

Right now, shorelines across Canada are being restored with native species of plants which will help stabilize soils and prevent erosion, slow down and reduce overland runoff, and provide beautiful and valuable wildlife habitat. You can ensure this important work continues with a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift. Thanks to the talents of Ottawa nature artist Lynn Moore, you can now give a “bouquet” of native wildflowers for Mother’s Day! This bouquet of Wild Bergamot and Wild Columbine will have ... Read More