New community partnerships in 2025 provide 2,000 children and youth with hands-on environmental learning and exploration opportunities.

Watersheds Canada expanded its Nature Discovery Backpack program in 2025, launching 7 new lending libraries in collaboration with community partners in Manitoba and Ontario. Over 60 new curriculum-linked backpacks were created which will provide families, children, youth, and community groups with free access to hands-on environmental learning tools that inspire outdoor and scientific discovery, as well as local environmental action.

​”Since 2021, the Nature Discovery Backpack program has grown from a small pilot project in Perth, Ontario to now being delivered in sixteen communities across four provinces,” said Monica Seidel, communications and fundraising manager at Watersheds Canada. “We were thrilled to welcome new partner groups in Manitoba and Ontario who will host these new lending libraries for years to come.”

Watersheds Canada’s Nature Discovery Backpack program supports local public libraries, community organizations, Métis and First Nations communities, and schools in providing outdoor learning opportunities that are accessible, inclusive, and engaging. Each backpack includes all necessary, age-appropriate lessons and field equipment, such as water test kits, binoculars, and identification guides. This includes the field exploration tools as well as a co-created, locally specific activity book. The Nature Discovery Backpack program connects participants of all ages with their local environment, helping them learn about biodiversity, water health, and climate resilience through direct experience.

​”Last week I signed out the Splish Splash backpack. I took the temperature of Deer Rock Lake and Skootamatta River. They were very warm, 26°C. I did the water strips it was neat. I really had fun,” said Aubree, a child who borrowed a backpack from Addington Highlands Public Library this past summer. 

In 2025, Nature Discovery Backpacks were introduced or expanded in partnership with Addington Highlands Public Library, Boyne Regional Library, Gravenhurst Public Library, Greater Madawaska Public Library and Learning Centre, Grey Sauble Conservation, Kingston Frontenac Public Library, and North Hastings Community Integration Association.

​”The Nature Discovery Backpacks at Boyne Regional Library have made a real difference in our small community by creating free, accessible opportunities for families to learn and explore together,” said Lynsey Hannah at Boyne Regional Library. “For many families, these resources reduce barriers to educational tools and experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. By extending learning beyond the library walls, the backpacks strengthen family bonds, encourage intergenerational learning, and deepen community appreciation for the natural environment that surrounds us. Families have shared that these backpacks have helped them slow down, notice the details of the world around them, and feel more connected to the land and riverbank that are such an important part of our community’s identity.”

 

 

“The Kingston Frontenac Public Library is delighted to add 5 pond-life themed Nature Discovery Backpacks with Rock Dunder and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority park passes to the collection,” said Olivia Kamphorst, librarian at Kingston Frontenac Public Library. “Watersheds Canada created the enclosed activity booklet and allowed for an opportunity to incorporate partnerships with Indigenous organizations and community members that provided Mohawk, Ojibwe, and Cree translations as well as illustrations. We hope our library patrons borrow these Nature Discovery Backpacks and feel encouraged to be curious, and learn more, about the natural world around them.”

 

 

“Partnering with Watersheds Canada for the Nature Discovery Pack program has been an incredible experience for the Gravenhurst Public Library. Thanks to their support, we’ve been able to expand our Library of Things with 5 amazing Nature Discovery Packs that encourage families to explore and learn about the natural world in fun, hands-on ways”, said Jennifer Whipp, child & youth services librarian at Gravenhurst Public Library. “Along with other new permanent collection items, these packs are now available for borrowing, offering exciting new ways for our community to connect with nature. We’re so grateful to Watersheds Canada for their dedication, creativity, and unwavering support. This partnership has truly enriched our library and our community.”

 

 

Together, these seven Nature Discovery Backpack lending libraries will reduce barriers for thousands of families across Ontario and Manitoba, particularly rural and low-to-moderate income families, children in care, and persons with disabilities, by providing them with equal opportunity to safely explore nature at their own pace. This program may facilitate their first immersive interaction with local natural areas. 

Watersheds Canada extends its gratitude to all partners who made these 2025 projects possible: Addington Highlands Public Library, All Our Relations Land Trust, Ameena Buchanan (artist), Boyne Regional Library, Gravenhurst Public Library, Greater Madawaska Public Library and Learning Centre, Grey Sauble Conservation, Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team, Kahwa:tsire Indigenous-Led Child & Family Programs, Kingston Frontenac Public Library, North Hastings Community Integration Association, and Weecheetowin Support Services. Funding support from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Kawartha Credit Union, Water Rangers, and Ocean Week Canada made these projects a resounding success in 2025.

 

About Watersheds Canada
Watersheds Canada is a registered Canadian charity committed to providing programs to communities across the country to engage and help individuals enhance and protect the health of their lakes and rivers. Since 2002, they have delivered freshwater stewardship programming, shoreline naturalizations and assessments, and in-water habitat restorations. To learn more, visit Watersheds.ca.

 

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Media Contact
Monica Seidel
Communications and Fundraising Manager
Watersheds Canada
seidel(at)watersheds.ca