The Eastern Red-Backed Salamander and Our Shared Shoreline Responsibility

by Andres Clavier, Freshwater Stewardship Education Intern World Habitat Day, October 2nd, offers a moment to reflect on the interconnectedness of life within our Canadian landscapes. To commemorate, let us delve into the fascinating world of a prolific Canadian salamander species: the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). This amphibian can teach us much about the value of shoreline habitats and the crucial role that we can play in conserving these unique ecosystems. From ... Read More

by Chloe Lajoie, Natural Edge Program Manager Today is a special day - today is World Rivers Day. As the program manager of Watersheds Canada’s program, The Natural Edge, I have helped landowners, students, community partners and volunteers, and municipalities plant over 104,000 native species to bring nature back to severely degraded shorelands. That work is happening right now! However, our fall planting season is tall on restoration site demands and short on funds. You help us get ... Read More

by Andres Clavier, Freshwater Stewardship Education Intern Every year in the fall, millions of monarch butterflies embark on a long-distance journey, migrating thousands of kilometres from North America to California and even central Mexico. This incredible phenomenon is an essential event for our environment as these butterflies are important players in pollination and food chain integration for the geographies they cover. Because of this long journey, these beautiful creatures are facing ... Read More

by Nicole Dubé, Freshwater Health Coordinator Do you love to play in the water? If your summer was anything like mine, it was full of cannonballs off the dock, rope swings into the river, and paddle boards across a back bay. There's nothing better than freshwater fun, right? Even as fall approaches, I am excited to share that you can continue to play in the water with our new 50/50 campaign called water5050.ca. Watersheds Canada is making its debut splash into our first-ever charity ... Read More

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator By understanding the importance of Canada’s freshwater supply, we can work together to protect this natural resource for generations to come. Canada holds one-fifth of the world’s total freshwater resources yet only about 7% of this global supply is renewable freshwater (Environment and Climate Change Canada [ECCC], 2013). Additionally, an estimated 60% of Canada’s freshwater supply drains to the north, while about 85% of the population ... Read More

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