Aquatic Plants & Shoreline Health
Benefits, management, and natural shorelines
- The Benefits of Aquatic Vegetation for Wildlife and Freshwater Health
https://watersheds.ca/the-benefits-of-aquatic-vegetation-for-wildlife-and-freshwater-health/ - Understanding the Underwater World of Plants (FOCA Guide)
https://foca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCA_AquaticPlantsGuide_FINAL_2pgSpreads.pdf - Love Your Lake - Natural Shoreline Guides and How-To's
https://loveyourlake.ca/natural-shoreline/ - Love Your Lake Report - For Echo Lake
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RrS82VmdnAzphmwjGHz4gTAGlK1SlzI-/view?usp=share_link - Love Your Lake contact (email):
loveyourlake@watersheds.ca
Lake Water Testing & Monitoring
Data, maps and research reports
- A FOCA Guide To Citizen Science At The Lake
https://foca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FOCA-Citizen-Science-Guide-PRINT-2021ADJ_REVfinal.pdf - Lake Partner Data For Echo Lake
Great Lakes Datastream - The Muskoka Water Web
http://www.muskokawaterweb.ca/index.php - Ontario Lake Partner Map
https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/7ce06d85-7cc3-4ae3-a5c3-37d7c8d55b08 - District of Muskoka's Lake System Health Water Quality Monitoring Program 2024 Annual Report
https://muskoka.civicweb.net/filepro/document/43288/2024%20Lake%20System%20Health%20Program%20Report.pdf - Water Rangers Watershed Report For Eastern Georgian Bay Subwatershed
https://watershedreports.ca/watershed/flowing-east-atlantic-ocean/02-st-lawrence/02e-eastern-georgian-bay/ - Living Lakes Canada - National Lake Blitz
https://livinglakescanada.ca/project/national-lake-blitz/ - Water Rangers - Watershed Reports
https://watershedreports.ca/
Benthic Macroinvertebrates: Monitoring & Data Analysis
KEY INDICATORS OF LAKE HEALTH
- Muskoka WaterWeb Biological Monitoring Data Sheet For Echo Lake
http://www.muskokawaterweb.ca/images/biological/EchoBenthic.pdf - Muskoka Watershed Report Card 2023 - Chapter 3: Benthic Macroinvertebrates In Muskoka
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/681b54001e1f32271ada529c/t/6918de9dc6b2d92ebf18df3d/2023RC-BackgroundReport-3-Benthos.pdf - Benthic Invertebrates - Life cycle, feeding habits and other unique facts
https://www.ecospark.ca/learn-benthics - Know Your Benthic Macroinvertebrate
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbOVAIxqACwApUiMrIGGEU0fA0QJNL3-S3QF2JWCvXgCnk2w/viewform - What are the bugs in the mud of Muskoka Watershed’s lakes telling us?
https://www.muskokaregion.com/news/what-are-the-bugs-in-the-mud-of-muskoka-watersheds-lakes-telling-us/article.html
- Whirligig Beetles
https://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/insects/insectpages/gyrinidae.htm - Crayfish Guide
https://onnaturemagazine.com/crayfish-guide.html - Life Of The Damselfly
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/z9nmerojjluchyysr7jrnvgewwjpcf - Life Of The Fishflies, Dobsonflies And Alderflies
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/daj0vrclmkrftnec7p9j26jqkbukb2 - Life Of The Mayfly
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/042qpzesaks1yw6eegjz10bohpurni - Life Of The Midge
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-after-water-series-life-of-the-midge - Life Of The True Bug
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-after-water-series-life-of-the-true-bug - Life Of The Aquatic Moth
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/ypyvfmoewo5rvrffy5uyymgm63pp9q - Life Of The No-See-Ums
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-after-water-series-life-of-the-no-see-ums - Life Of The Blackfly
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/2oakehknxihsi47bcpdsv97uxxeqiw - Life Of The Aquatic Earthworm
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-underwater-series-life-of-the-aquatic-earthworm - Life Of The Sow Bug
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-underwater-series-life-of-the-sow-bug - Life Of The Roundworm
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-underwater-series-life-of-the-roundworm - Life Of The Aquatic Mite
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-underwater-series-life-of-the-aquatic-mite - Life Of The Hydra
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-of-the-hydra-the-ageless-benthic - Life Of The Clam
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/life-underwater-series-life-of-the-clam - Life Of The Leech
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/a-hrefhttpswwwecosparkcablogpub58life-underwater-series-life-of-the-leechlife-underwater-series-life-of-the-leecha - Bug Blog #1 The Stonefly
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/kgkz7yzc4nc01yut91l5yvxncqi4gq - Bug Blog #2 Leeches: The Modern Doctor
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/fzbdg6gw9w9b13e8ehxzyj98t3clsz - Bug Blog #3 Kicking Back With The Crane Fly
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/nq0akyjk35czkwt5mm9w0j558upr3x - Bug Blog #4 Our Bud, The Scud
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/bug-blog-4-our-bud-the-scud - Bug Blog #5 Fun With Flatworms
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/n1cji2t6xjux7k6e0gs0xb07sc5fck - Bug Blog #6 Aquatic Beetles
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/vui4t5mmckzrvoeuhmunhm04i6flb6 - Bug Blog #7 Crayfish
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/ol9cab7zdypj6y916fbyskge46pfd4 - Bug Blog #8 The Dragonfly: Nature’s Pest Control
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/gff1fpxo20v4vxkw3s04z4oahjeype - Bug Blog #9 Snails aka The Stomach Foot
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/a1g4clxnmxo0lkiishehgxjbeoq3xn - Bug Blog #10 Caddisfly: Flies In Fashion
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/cwhv9mmsh3z0dqu97apscwfzojyxhv
Algae Blooms
Reporting, causes, and preventioN
Report a Suspected Algae Bloom
- Phone: 1-866-663-8477
- Report online:
https://report-pollution.ene.gov.on.ca/
- Muskoka Watershed Council Algae ID Sheet
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/681b54001e1f32271ada529c/t/6970f107377832281e23efb9/1769009415742/AlgaeIDSheet.pdf - FOCA - Algae Blooms
https://foca.on.ca/algae/ - Buffer Zones to Prevent Harmful Algae Blooms
https://watersheds.ca/buffer-zones-to-prevent-harmful-algae-blooms/ - The Wonders Of Algae
https://www.ecospark.ca/blog/thewondersofalgae - Muskoka Watershed Report Card - Harmful Algal Blooms
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/t/6918dedacb0b353ad2a3f5bb/1763237594352/2023RC-BackgroundReport-6-Algae.pdf
Winter Safety & Ice Monitoring
ICE SAFETY AND SEASONAL AWARENESS
- IceWatch (seasonal ice tracking for Echo Lake)
https://www.naturewatch.ca/icewatch/ - Red Cross - Ice Safety
https://www.redcross.ca/blog/2019/12/ice-safety-know-when-it-s-safe-to-play - Ice Safety Myths
https://cottagelife.com/outdoors/can-you-guess-which-of-these-ice-safety-tips-are-actually-myths/
Lake Stewardship Organizations, Citizen Science & General Resources
Government agencies and lake stewardship groups
- Ontario Lake Partner Program
https://foca.on.ca/lake-partner-program/ - Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA)
https://foca.on.ca/ - Canadian Wildlife Federation - Lakes & Rivers
https://cwf-fcf.org/en/explore/lakes-rivers/ - Watersheds Canada
https://watersheds.ca/our-work/ - Friends of the Muskoka Watershed
https://fotmw.org/ - Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-environment-conservation-parks - Usage Guide for Lake Water
https://www.georgianbayforever.org/_files/ugd/152d09_e8e38da5c8224aacaa21815911d3e73c.pdf - NatureWatch (citizen science programs)
https://www.naturewatch.ca/
Salt & Chloride Pollution
Impacts and solutions
- Is Road Salt Destroying Ontario's Waterways?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-mnz-lKh0Q&t=2s - Take Action Against Salt Pollution
https://watersheds.ca/salt/ - Salty Muskoka Community Action Project
https://fotmw.org/saltymuskoka/ - Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition
https://saltcoalition.ca/ - Are There Alternative Solutions to Salt Pollution?
https://watersheds.ca/are-there-alternative-solutions-to-salt-pollution/ - Can Natural Buffers Help Mitigate Salt Pollution?
https://watersheds.ca/can-natural-buffers-help-mitigate-salt-pollution/ - Salt Pollution Stress Alters Freshwater Food Webs
https://watersheds.ca/road-salt-stress-alters-freshwater-food-webs/ - Salt-Tolerant Native Plants
https://watersheds.ca/salt-tolerant-native-plants/ - Ontario Road Salt Alternatives: From Beet To Pickle Juice
https://www.muskokaregion.com/news/ontario-road-salt-shortage/article_9f3d4de2-067e-539d-a078-38339c5ea5f8.html? - Muskoka Watershed Report Card – Chloride
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/t/6918deb12b2a03130aa4d513/1763237553588/2023RC-BackgroundReport-4-Chloride.pdf - Salt Pollution in Ontario: Exploring Challenges & Cross-Sector Solutions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN0tSTwiu-0 - Alternatives to Road Salt: Exploring Perspectives & Empowering Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykDwjyJCjcc - Resources to combat road salt pollution together
https://salt.watersheds.ca/ - Stop Salt Pollution
https://www.waterwatchers.ca/endsaltpollution