Watersheds Canada
@watersheds.ca
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National charity dedicated to facilitating community action in protecting and restoring our country's lakes, rivers, and shorelands. watersheds.ca
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It’s who we are.

Watersheds Canada is a registered Canadian charity enhancing & restoring our country's freshwater. We bring communities together to care for their lakes, rivers, and shorelines, ensuring freshwater areas can support humans and wildlife for years to come. Learn more: watersheds.ca
Ever wondered how perennials survive through the winter? ❄

In the winter, perennial plants go dormant and store their energy in their roots. In this state, they have reduced metabolic activity, which allows them to conserve resources and stay alive.

Native plant database: https://shorturl.at/SqtZN
Program Spotlight: Planning for our Shorelands 📝

The link between science and action, this program places webinars and resources in the hands of those people who can have the biggest and most immediate positive impact on freshwater.

Learn more about the program here: https://shorturl.at/aSUlG
Celebrate the end of the Monarch migration season with this activity!

See if you can fill in the other half of this monarch. Right-click to download the image and print it out!

Other activities and resources can be found here: https://shorturl.at/knpzV
Species Spotlight: Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Found in coldwater streams across Canada, Brook Trout has long been a loved species among fishermen and environmentalists. Prized for their vibrant colours and distinctive markings, the brook trout is an indicator of healthy aquatic ecosystems.
What makes fall air smell so good? 🍂

When leaves decompose, the sugars and carbohydrates contained within break down, which emits organic compounds. This creates a sweet, earthy smell. Another factor is that cooler air holds fewer scent molecules, which lends to the 'crisp, clean' smell.
Species Spotlight: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Switchgrass is a perennial bunchgrass native to North America that typically grows between 1-1.5m in height.

It thrives in moist to wet conditions and is very adaptable to a variety of different soil types.

Learn more at: https://shorturl.at/tqQ5v
Each rock deployed in a spawning bed, each plant planted on a shoreline — it all adds up to more resilient fish populations and healthier waterways.

Your donation today will support on-the-ground restoration work that gives native fish this brighter future!

Donate here: 👉 watersheds.ca/donate/ 👈
Have you gotten your tickets to Lake Links 2025 yet? 💧

The theme this year is 'Me, My Lake, My Watershed - Living Lakeside, Thinking Watershed Wide'.

Join us on Saturday, October 18th, 2025! View the agenda for this event or purchase tickets here: https://shorturl.at/0LavR
We were recently featured in an article from My Bancroft Now!

Thanks to partners: Hastings Interlake Association and Bancroft Area Stewardship Council.

Thanks to funder: Great Lakes Local Action Fund from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks

“Design Your Shoreline”: Hastings Highlands holds workshop on lake health : My Bancroft Now
The municipality hosted a Design Your Shoreline workshop for lakefront property owners this past weekend, in partnership with Watersheds Canada, Hastings Highlands Interlake Group and the Bancroft Area Stewardship Council.
shorturl.at
Thanks to the Township of South Frontenac's Lake Ecosystem Grant, 10 shoreline restoration projects and 2 community presentations have been completed over the past year.

Here is one of the shoreline properties after a large native planting occurred!
Do you know why the leaves change colour in the fall? 🍂

As the days get shorter, less sunlight is photosynthesized by the leaf. This signals to the leaf to stop making chlorophyll.

Once this happens, the green colour starts to fade and the reds, oranges, and yellows in the leaf shine through.
Program Spotlight: Nature Discovery Backpacks 🔍

Our Nature Discovery Backpacks program is about getting children and youth outside in local nature areas, whether they live in the city or the country. 

Learn more: https://shorturl.at/DCt9B
Thank you to Top Shelf Distillers for having us as part of their "Taste of the Trails" event today! The event brought together Pathfinder members who have made it possible for us to scale advancements in sustainable initiatives. Thank you for having us!
Missed our most recent webinar? The recording and handout are now available through our Freshwater Stewardship Community! 📢

To download the handout, click here: https://shorturl.at/Q3dPj

Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOIFa24WXHc
Species Spotlight: Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

Wintergreen is an evergreen ground cover species that can grow up to 15 cm in height. Its glossy, dark green, oval-shaped leaves turn purple during fall, and when crushed, emit a minty aroma.

To learn more visit: https://shorturl.at/lPrwM
Closing your cottage properly in the fall helps prevent damage from the winter cold to the building itself and to nearby freshwater 🍂

Read this article from Love Your Lake to make your cottage closing experience headache-free: https://shorturl.at/Ln86O
Though found across Canada, the Western Red Lily is most often recognized for being the floral emblem of Saskatchewan. 

This one here needs its colour, though! Print this sheet off, grab some coloured pencils, and try to match the striking reds, oranges, and yellows in this beautiful species.
We are thrilled to see this powerful initiative highlighted in Water Canada magazine!

Friends of the Muskoka Watershed have been working hard to identify primary sources of road salt pollution and mitigate them with the application of wood ash.

Read about it on page 14: https://shorturl.at/tNpMi
Happy World Rivers Day! 💧

We are fortunate to have such an incredible abundance of rivers in Canada. Today, try to get out and celebrate Canada's abundant freshwater by finding your local river and spending some time with it.

Also, enjoy these river facts and share them with friends and family!
What's biomonitoring all about? 🐛

Biomonitoring is surveying living organisms to assess the quality and health of an environment by measuring how they respond to stressors like pollutants.

Learn more here: https://shorturl.at/GOgYN

Watch our webinar here: https://shorturl.at/zUAXs
Watersheds Canada's Business Supporter Program allows us to enhance freshwater health while providing target-audience marketing and our organization's endorsement of your brand 💚

Learn more about the program here: https://shorturl.at/eQNmT

Questions? Email partnership@watersheds.ca
Species Spotlight: Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa)

Shrubby Cinquefoil is a hardy deciduous shrub in the Rosaceae (rose) family that grows up to 1m tall and has greenish-blue, narrow, and elliptical leaves. 

Learn more: https://shorturl.at/cc1V9
Today is National Tree Day! 💚🌲

This annual event encourages Canadians to set some time aside to appreciate these incredible organisms

Our shoreline restoration program, The Natural Edge, plants hundreds of trees each year. To learn more click here: https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/
The conversation on how to protect freshwater health from septic system pollution continues! Share our free septic system education toolkit with your community group, elected officials, & neighbours: watersheds.ca/septics

Septic system toolkit funded by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.
Septic Systems and Freshwater - Watersheds Canada – Work, Live & Play in Healthy Lakes and Rivers
Are Septic Systems Draining our Freshwater? Maintaining a waterfront property or cottage takes a lot of work, but it is important not to forget about your septic system. Improperly treated wastewater ...
watersheds.ca
A septic system that is not properly installed or old and failing can have devastating consequences for freshwater ecosystems, so take time to learn how to properly install and care for your septic system. Learn some septic system starter tips in our latest blog: watersheds.ca/septic-syste...