by Robert Pye, Executive Director

Toward Doug Smith’s end of life, he asked Watersheds Canada to tell his story.

“As I grew up, I spent a lot of time near water. I loved the water,” said Doug, as his wife, Janet Taylor, sat by his side. Together, they shared fond cottage memories in a heartfelt interview filmed near their Ottawa home on March 1st.  

Two weeks later, Doug passed away. He was 81. 

Doug’s poetic message about the value of lakes and rivers, and the need for freshwater protection, was his final project. It humbly summarizes his family’s love of water and environmental achievements, including his motivation to present Watersheds Canada with their first-ever legacy gift.

A dentist by profession, a pilot by avocation, Doug’s idea for a legacy gift to Watersheds Canada speaks to his high-altitude outlook on life; he was a big picture dreamer and an energetic go-getter who did it all for his family, friends, colleagues and nature. After years of windsurfing across lakes, and hours of flying high above them, it was perhaps an aerial appreciation for freshwater stewardship that inspired Doug and Janet to support the future of Watersheds Canada. 

“I understand that we are the first to have made a legacy donation to Watersheds Canada and it makes us feel great. It just seemed a natural fit for us,” said Janet who volunteers for Watersheds Canada. Her sister Susan, and Susan’s husband, Daniel, are also outstanding supporters of the organization.

The Doug Smith and Janet Taylor Legacy Fund will grant dollars for local stewardship projects as well as bring more freshwater volunteers and organizations together for education and collaboration. Watersheds Canada will also promote Doug and Janet’s encouragement for others to give back to nature through active environmental volunteerism, charitable donations, and legacy planning. That encouragement is presented in the video that Doug knew would play a critical role in Watersheds Canada’s communications and volunteer engagement efforts.

The official debut of Doug’s story was presented recently at his celebration of life. Doug’s whole world was there – in-person or in spirit – for a touching salute to all the important themes of his life which almost always included time on or high above the water.  

Watersheds Canada now presents an opportunity for the rest of the world to enjoy Doug’s freshwater message. It is a chance to deeply reflect upon our own personal connections with Canada’s lakes and rivers. We all have an opportunity to support our watersheds. 

Doug and Janet are the official founders of Watersheds Canada’s new legacy giving program. 

“Yes, we’re going to do this. It’s quite an achievement for us,” said Doug about how a legacy donation to Watersheds Canada “makes the most sense” given his family’s great determination to support experiences in nature for generations to come.  

Through Doug and Janet’s planned giving initiative, Watersheds Canada is proud to represent personal legacy dreams for our freshwater future. To learn more, please visit watersheds.ca/legacy

Watersheds Canada is accepting intents of interest from volunteer-led waterfront and nature-focused groups to participate in an exciting new, nationwide project funded by the RBC Foundation through RBC Tech for Nature. This project will run for two years and will focus on getting shoreline renaturalization tools and resources in the hands of groups already leading local environmental change in their community, particularly around shoreline and freshwater health.

Canada’s freshwater is under threat as the health of lakes and rivers rapidly declines. The way people previously viewed and developed waterfront properties has expedited the degradation of shorelines in unprecedented ways. Algae blooms, loss of biodiversity, and poor climate resiliency, such as flooding and erosion, are a few of the growing challenges facing Canada’s freshwater. Given increasing development pressures and unsustainable land-use on lakes and rivers and the known impacts of climate change, the need to naturalize shorelines and build their resiliency is urgent. 

To actively improve and protect Canada’s freshwater, Watersheds Canada will work alongside 20 volunteer-led organizations across the country from 2023-2024 to deliver our Natural Edge Program. The Natural Edge program empowers Canadians to take local action on the restoration and conservation of their freshwater resources by enhancing their shoreline areas with native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers for long-term sustainability.

For over 10 years, Watersheds Canada has partnered with property owners, municipalities, and community groups to restore and protect the health of their lake, river, or bay using the Natural Edge shoreline restoration program. This program bridges the gap between desires and abilities to act by providing groups with the iOS Planting Plan software, training materials, expert staff guidance, and stewardship tools like the Native Plant Database. The custom-made, innovative iOS technology streamlines the restoration process, allowing volunteers to confidently and easily create custom shoreline restoration designs.

To participate in this project, groups should be volunteer-based organizations or have a very strong volunteer network supporting their program delivery. Groups can be based anywhere in Canada and need to have at least two representatives who will participate in shoreline stewardship training in winter-summer 2024 and lead the restoration of five shoreline properties in their community in 2024.

 If this project sounds like a perfect fit for your group, please email Chloe Lajoie, Natural Edge Program Manager at Watersheds Canada, for more information: lajoie@watersheds.ca

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. 

About RBC Tech for Nature
RBC Tech for Nature is a global, multi-year commitment to support new ideas, technologies, and partnerships to address the most complex environmental challenges.

June 15, 2023 — Thanks to the “Sustaining Our Freshwater” project, the Municipalities of South Frontenac and Tweed will see lake health and shoreline environmental benefits for decades to come. This two-year pilot project led by Watersheds Canada, Quinte Conservation, Cataraqui Conservation, Dog & Cranberry Lakes Association, the Municipality of South Frontenac, the Municipality of Tweed, and Friends of Stoco Lake and local residents is restoring and sustainably naturalizing shorelines along Stoco Lake and Dog Lake to improve freshwater quality.

Watersheds Canada was honoured to receive funding for this nature-based restoration project through the Government of Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program to protect the long-term health of two lakes within Frontenac and Hastings counties. As a national charity, Watersheds Canada does not receive regular funding to lead freshwater stewardship and restoration programs. For this project, Watersheds Canada was fortunate to have the support and knowledge of local community partners to deliver locally relevant stewardship actions.

“Watersheds Canada is excited to continue this important project in the Municipalities of Tweed and South Frontenac. One critical part of the project is the Love Your Lake program which will provide lakeside residents with the information and action steps they need to protect their freshwater health for years to come”, says Melissa Dakers, Habitat and Stewardship Program Manager at Watersheds Canada.

Freshwater lakes are essential for ecological function and socioeconomic needs. The riparian zone represents the shoreline ecosystem along the first 30 metres of land surrounding a lake or river. Native birds, insects, and other terrestrial and aquatic wildlife depend on the vital habitat provided by this “ribbon of life” for food, water, shelter, and breeding. Shoreline properties can thus make a great impact on a lake or river. Shoreline vegetation acts as a buffer to a host of natural and human-made pollutants to improve water quality, moderate temperatures, mitigate flood frequency and impacts, reduce erosion, and provide natural wildlife habitat. Naturalized shorelines are cost-effective, ecologically responsible, beautiful, and add value to waterfront properties. 

The Planning for our Shorelands program developed science-based information and educational resources to facilitate public engagement. Freshwater information toolkits, public consultations, and information events held in 2023 will continue to engage and empower municipal decision-makers, freshwater stakeholders, Conservation Authorities, small businesses, Indigenous communities, and waterfront property owners to take action in protecting local freshwater. The Natural Edge shoreline naturalization program is restoring two public shoreline sites through public plantings and demonstration events to showcase naturalization practices within the communities.

The Love Your Lake program will conduct 600 private shoreline assessments for the “Sustaining Our Freshwater” project. Each waterfront owner will receive a detailed report with site-specific observations and recommendations for naturalizing their property. The 600 waterfront properties that receive a site assessment will be invited to participate in a detailed restoration plan with Watersheds Canada. This plan will then be implemented with the guidance and support of local staff to ensure maximum protection of the adjacent lake or river.

The Love Your Lake program, coordinated and delivered by the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Watersheds Canada, invites waterfront associations and organizations to volunteer their lake or other waterbody as participants in the program. If accepted, every property on the lake will be assessed using a standardized shoreline assessment protocol, and landowners will receive a personalized, private property report. These reports contain details on the state of their shoreline and recommended voluntary actions for improving lake health for people and wildlife. 

Participating in Love Your Lake is a great way to gauge the health of your lake and become a steward of your local freshwater! Learn more about the Love Your Lake shoreline assessment program by visiting LoveYourLake.ca or by emailing loveyourlake@watersheds.ca. For helpful tips to keep your shoreline property happy and healthy for future generations, visit loveyourlake.ca/self-assessment for a quick online shoreline self-assessment tool.

About Watersheds Canada
Watersheds Canada is a national non-profit charitable organization that works with landowners, communities, students, and organizations to enhance and protect lakes and rivers through developing effective and transferable long-term solutions. Watersheds Canada envisions people caring for their waters, resulting in clean, healthy lakes and rivers to support humans and wildlife for years to come. Learn more at Watersheds.ca

About Quinte Conservation
Quinte Conservation is a local watershed based not-for-profit environmental protection agency. They deliver science-based programs and services to residents and municipalities within their watershed. Learn more at QuinteConservation.ca

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Media Contact:
Melissa Dakers
Habitat and Stewardship Program Manager
Watersheds Canada
dakers@watersheds.ca

Do you own a waterfront property? Shoreline property owners like you have a unique opportunity to protect the long-term health of your waterbody by creating a naturalized shoreline using native plants.

Native species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers have many important benefits for nearby lakes, rivers, streams, and tributaries. Naturalized shorelines work to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, create vital wildlife habitat, and regulate water temperatures. Native species of plants are best suited to protect freshwater health, especially tree and shrub species that have deeper and more complex root structures compared to mowed lawns.

Protecting your local freshwater health can be a daunting task, which is why Watersheds Canada created the Natural Edge Program. This one-of-a-kind program uses impactful technology with its own iOS App that creates personalized restoration plans using native plant species best suited for a property based on Canada’s hardiness zones and the site’s conditions.

Created in under an hour, the customized planting plan is your blueprint to take action on your property! You pick the plant species you want on your property that may produce fruit, attract certain wildlife species, be your favourite colour, or grow to a certain height to protect your waterfront views. Site visits with Natural Edge staff are free in eligible regions of Ontario.

Once you get and approve your planting plan, it’s time to get planting! For just $395, Natural Edge shoreline renaturalization starter kits give you everything you need to keep the momentum going. Each kit contains 50 native plants (25 bare root stock, 15 potted stock, 10 wildflowers), 45 hemp fiber pads, tree guards, mulch for wildflowers, and 4 planting and stewardship guides.

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July 9, 2023 – At the 14th annual Water Canada Summit and Gala Awards, an event that brought about 300 water professionals and industry leaders this week to Ottawa, Watersheds Canada’s Natural Edge Program was nominated for the prestigious Conservation Award. Chloe Lajoie, the Natural Edge program manager, and Robert Pye, Watersheds Canada’s executive director were there in honour of the nomination last night. 

Jen Smith, Editor Water Canada, said “Congratulations to Watersheds Canada on being a finalist. It was absolutely true what I said at the awards dinner: there were an incredible number of nominations this year, so making it to the top 3 was quite a feat!”

“Watersheds Canada is honoured to be a finalist for this national award. We will take pride in sharing Water Canada’s recognition with all our great funders, volunteers, and staff who support our shoreland habitat restoration work,” said Chloe Lajoie. 

The Natural Edge shoreline restoration program is taking critical steps to create and conserve healthy shorelands across Canada. The program removes barriers to action for waterfront property owners, municipalities, and community groups to easily restore and protect their freshwater areas. 

This one-of-a-kind program uses impactful technology with its own iOS App that creates personalized restoration plans using native plant species best suited for a property based on Canada’s hardiness zones and the site’s conditions. By using nature-based solutions, the Natural Edge Program is increasing the climate resiliency for Canada’s freshwater areas. Climate resilient shorelands have reduced soil erosion, improved water quality, vital wildlife habitat, and regulated water temperatures.

Chloe said “The Natural Edge Program is a grassroots and creative approach to effectively conserve and restore the riparian zone which is the first 30 metres of a shoreline. These areas are a crucial first line of defence in protecting our waterfront communities which are seeing increased impacts from climate change and development pressures.”

“Watersheds Canada is a small team with big goals, and after 20 years, we’ve made a significant impact. This conservation award nomination by Water Canada gives us so much confidence in the work we are doing on our lakes and rivers,” said Robert Pye. 

Watersheds Canada is honoured to be recognized, and congratulates the other nominees and winners, including Connected Sensors, for their important contributions to water health, education, and policy work.

The Natural Edge Program provides the needed resources and action steps for communities to bring their shoreland back to a natural state while still making it functional for everyday use. In total since 2013, 34,000m of linear shoreline and 216,000m² of riparian habitat have been restored using 105,000 native plants across 6 provinces. If you are a landowner, community group, or municipality who wants to learn more about the importance of a natural shoreland, please visit https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca for free resources, the Native Plant Database, or to book a presentation or site visit.

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Media Contact:

Robert Pye
Executive Director
Watersheds Canada
pye@watersheds.ca

A recent nature-based restoration project to protect the long-term health of the Muskrat Lake was led by the Muskrat Watershed Council, Watersheds Canada, and community volunteers. Over 12,500 native trees and shrubs were planted, restoring over 12 acres of shoreline habitat adjacent to agricultural and residential lands.

“The Natural Edge Program has been actively working with property owners across Renfrew County for several years now. The recent addition of 12,500 native trees and shrubs will only add to the important community-led effort to protect the health of Muskrat Lake and the watershed as a whole”, says Chloe Lajoie, Natural Edge Program Manager at Watersheds Canada. “We are thankful to have worked with the Muskrat Watershed Council and amazing community volunteers and tree planters to make this largescale planting a success, and for the financial support from Coors Seltzer as part of the Change the Course initiative.”

Over the past several decades, Muskrat Lake and other areas of the watershed have seen a serious and significant decline in water quality, most specifically related to nutrient loading. Nutrient loading involves an increase in the amount of nutrients like nitrates and phosphates entering a water body.

Nutrient loading has a significant impact on water quality and aquatic ecosystem health, especially when it occurs annually, and can lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of algal blooms. The presence of blue-green algae has been confirmed in Muskrat Lake in three of the past six years. Water quality studies in the area show that much of the poor water quality is linked to a lack of riparian (shoreland) vegetation along tributaries and waterways.

To protect water quality health, many native species were used in this restoration project, including Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), Smooth Arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), and Pussy Willow (Salix discolor). These native plants were used because they have deep root structures which will reduce soil erosion from overland runoff during heavy rain events. The plant roots will also slow runoff and allow for increased water infiltration which will reduce nutrient loading into Muskrat River.

“Muskrat Watershed Council appreciates the wonderful funders of these projects, as well as the partners and volunteers who help us in our efforts to protect our watershed now and in the future – you help us make a difference”, says Karen Coulas, Chair of the Muskrat Watershed Council.

 The Natural Edge Program works directly with agricultural and shoreline property owners and community groups to restore areas using native plants and the Natural Edge iOS App that creates a customized planting plan for each property. Plants are chosen by the landowner based on their personal preferences and the site conditions found on their property. Planting native species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers is an important nature-based solution to restore terrestrial and aquatic areas that are seeing increased impacts due to climate change.

About Watersheds Canada
Watersheds Canada is a national charity that works with landowners, communities, students, municipalities, and organizations to enhance and protect lakes and rivers through developing effective and transferable long-term solutions. Watersheds Canada envisions people caring for their waters, resulting in clean, healthy lakes and rivers to support humans and wildlife for years to come. Learn more at Watersheds.ca

About Muskrat Watershed Council
The Muskrat Watershed Council is a volunteer, community-based, not-for-profit organization whose main goal is to improve water quality for their local communities by using scientific and local-based knowledge. They seek to engage and empower people and communities in identifying and reducing nutrient loading from all sources within the Muskrat Watershed. Learn more at MuskratWatershedCouncil.com

About Change the Course
Change the Course, a program of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, is a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together the public, corporations and on-the-ground conservation organizations to raise awareness about freshwater issues, reduce water footprints and directly support water restoration projects. Change the Course has received contributions from over 90 corporate sponsors; supported over 325 water projects across North America and South America, and Europe; and restored over 45.6 billion gallons of water to date. Learn more at changethecourse.us

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Media contact:
Chloe Lajoie
Natural Edge Program Manager
Watersheds Canada
lajoie@watersheds.ca