Municipal Official Plan Recommendations

Municipal Official Plan Recommendations

Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) has developed a series of 36 recommendations for consideration during a municipality’s Official Plan (OP) review process. Our recommendations generally relate to integrated watershed management (IWM),…

Planting Sweet Gale

Restoring Muskoka shorelines and integrated watershed management

By Cassie Emms Did you know that the Muskoka River Watershed has approximately 6,800 kilometres of shoreline? To put that in perspective, it equates to driving from Ottawa to Calgary…

Photo of a steamship on Lake Muskoka

Explorers’ Edge Joins the Muskoka Watershed Council

Senior Director of Regenerative Tourism to sit as the organization’s representative. In an effort to inform its new regenerative strategy, Explorers’ Edge has accepted an invitation from the Muskoka Watershed…

2021 Earth Day Graphic

Earth Day 2021: Take Care of the Planet

By Regan Augustine. Earth Day is on April 22 and this year’s theme plays on the absurdity and irony of animals cleaning up their polluted environment themselves. With “Take Care…

World Water day 2021: What Does Water Mean to You?

Understanding the Value of Water this World Water Day

By Regan Augustine. World Water Day 2021 is on March 22 and the theme focuses on what water means to people, its true value and how this vital resource can…

Texas Freeze and Muskoka Flooding: What We Can Learn From Recent Events Down South

By Peter F Sale. Photo Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Muskoka has a worsening flood problem: conditions often conspire to produce damaging spring floods, such as those in 2019 and 2013. Our…

Current planning is not doing enough to protect the Muskoka River Watershed

Nor is this planning helping the economy in our changing environment. By Kevin Trimble. Aerial view of Huntsville. This article is part of a series to show how Integrated Watershed…

Walleye Photo by EGBSC

Drawdown Ecology – why can’t we just lower the lakes?

By Kevin Trimble. Walleye. Source: Eastern Georgian Bay Stewardship Council Pressure is mounting in Muskoka to push water levels lower. The Muskoka River Water Management Plan (MRWMP) calls for a…

The harsh effects of winter de-icing salt on trees

By Javier Cappella. Cooler nights and shorter days trigger a response in trees to let them know it is time to shed their leaves and become dormant for the winter.…

Upjohn Nature Reserve - Wetland

An integrated solution for flooding, climate action and economic prosperity

By Kevin Trimble. It’s time to get serious about getting residents, business people and decision makers to start building a watershed plan for the Muskoka River Watershed. And I’ll tell…

Water Quality Sampling

COVID-19 must not halt Muskoka’s environmental monitoring programs

By Rebecca Willison. Environmental monitoring was one of the first things cancelled or suspended as the COVID-19 pandemic descended on Canada. This was understandable, given that resources needed to be…

Does your shoreline have a Natural Edge?

Does your shoreline have a Natural Edge?

By Rebecca Willison and Rebecca Krawczyk. We are naturally attracted to aesthetic places and clean water—and so are the creatures we share this land and water with. The riparian zone…