Building Wildfire Resilience to Reduce the Risk of Losses

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

by Alana Coulombe, Education programs administrator As the interface between land and bodies of water, shorelines are essential for both humans and wildlife and must be protected against erosion and flooding. Historical means of shoreline protection consisted of hardened structures such as retaining walls made of concrete, steel, armour stone, gabion baskets, or wood. However, this shoreline armouring can have severe ecological and economic impacts with few short-term benefits. Recent studies ... Read More

by Jane Pangilinan, Digital Engagement Technician Erosion is a major problem for shorelines, agriculture, and freshwater areas. Erosion is a natural process that removes soil and also reduces specific aspects of the soil like its ability to retain water (Duran Zuazo & Rodriguez Pleguezuelo, 2008). Erosion affects the soil’s ability to grow food and can cause eroded land cover that can lead to severe land loss. Human impacts are known to accelerate erosion (Aziz & Islam, 2023) and ... Read More

by Monica Seidel, Communications and Fundraising Manager With summer just a few months away, you may find yourself already planning for upcoming adventures on the lake. Paddling, swimming, wildlife viewing, and fishing are some of the activities you may be looking forward to. Lakes provide many benefits to people: memory-building with family and friends, a connection to culture and traditions, or economic and recreation opportunities. And all of these benefits and activities depend on healthy ... Read More