From cub reporter to environmental advocate: My lifelong journey through Muskoka’s watersheds
By Don Smith | May 2nd, 2026
When it comes to contributing positively to the health of Muskoka’s environment, some of us take a long and winding route that meanders from one experience to another.
Unlike those who are educated in the many sciences relevant to study of the watershed, I am a generalist. From my earliest memories, I can recall an appreciation of the watershed was naturally ingrained in my life.
At a time when Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking Silent Spring was making headlines, family discussions in the Smith household often centred around man’s impact on the environment, political responses and advocacy. Concern about the environment, and life in a Toronto suburb, were among the forces driving my father to lead our family to Muskoka.
It was here that he felt connected to the world around him. Well-read, he instilled a strong desire to do what was right for the environment. I shared those thoughts by heading out in my rowboat, inhaling the scent of pine gum that wafted through the air on a hot summer day and studying the many creatures that made the lake their home. Those experiences made the move from the big city to Muskoka all the more worthwhile.
It was natural then for me and a classmate to set out in the middle of winter on the frozen lake in front my family’s home. Our class assignment was to drill holes for water sampling, taking Secchi measurements and determining the depth of the lake. Our report, complete with graphs, scored well.
That was followed by my first advocacy project. I hoped to garner enough signatures on a petition from property owners to convince the then Ministry of Lands and Forests that our lake deserved to be stocked with more game fish. With clipboard and petition in hand, off I went, going door to door around the lake. While my efforts received a positive response from the ministry, I was never quite sure that any fish made their way into the lake.
With those interests, it seemed only natural that I would want to study environmental sciences, biology or maybe forestry. While I had acceptance at three universities, I thought a year away from school was appropriate and that led me to applying for a job at the local newspaper, The Herald-Gazette. Hired as a cub reporter and photographer, I was fortunate that my employment included a mentorship with respected publisher and politician Bob Boyer. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Almost 55 years later, I look back on the many times concerns about the Muskoka watershed were a part of my life: Reporting on the international campaign to stop acid rain. Tromping around the perimeter of commercial sewage lagoons with concerned cottage association members. Chairing a committee that hired students to swap phosphorous-laden detergents with alternative products. There was no lack of ways to engage a young journalist.
At every turn, through volunteer groups, it seems my life experiences have remained rooted in my interest in the environment. More recently, serving with other Muskokans on the Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group that provided advice to the provincial government, I have been at the heart of significant recommendations on the Muskoka watersheds.
Today, as I meet with the board of Muskoka Watershed Council or listen to the informed discussions at regular MWC meetings, I sit in awe at some of the compelling arguments that are brought forward by the well-educated and learned members of this esteemed volunteer group — people who have devoted a lifetime to the study of watershed-related sciences.
Muskoka Watershed Council volunteers bring a wealth of knowledge to their good works. They are not unlike the biodiversity that is so necessary for the well-being of the watershed. Their interconnected specialties are woven together to produce well-researched reports and educate the broader community. Through the knowledge of the volunteers of Muskoka Watershed Council, much is being done to ensure the health of our most precious resource
This article was first published by MuskokaRegion.com.
Don Smith
This is article No. 18 in the current series, Nurturing Our Watersheds, from Muskoka Watershed Council. Its author is Don Smith, a longtime Muskoka resident, who is a local business leader, municipal councillor, a member and current Chair of Muskoka Watershed Council. The series is edited by Peter Sale.