Background
Lakes are essential for ecological function and social economic needs. Properties along a lake’s shoreline can have a significant impact on the lake. Participating in Love Your Lake is a great way to gauge the health of your shoreline and lake, and the program gives you tools to make these areas healthier. We can help you become stewards of your lake.
Lakes are an important sustainable source of fresh water for humans and wildlife. Canada has more lake area than any other country, so we have a responsibility to protect it.
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Goal of Program
The program, in partnership with Watersheds Canada, invites lake associations and organizations to nominate their lake to be part of the program. Every property on the lake will be assessed using a standardized assessment protocol and datasheet, and shoreline property owners will get a personalized property report with details on the state of their unique shoreline, including recommended voluntary actions for improving their shoreline and lake health for people and wildlife.
What You Can Do
Love Your Lake
Did You Know?
100,000
Freshwater bodies support over 100,000 species.
80%
The Great Lakes provide drinking water to more than 80 per cent of Ontario and 40 per cent of Canada.
39,567
The number of shoreline properties assessed since Love Your Lake started in 2013.
Program Lead
Terri-Lee Reid
Conservation Researcher
Terri-Lee Reid is a Freshwater Conservation Researcher at the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). She helped design and now coordinates the Love Your Lake program in partnership with Watersheds Canada. In addition, she researches, writes and reviews a wide variety of CWF’s content.
“Canada’s lakes are facing many threats, but Love Your Lake gives people the tools to help change this. Providing shoreline property owners with recommendations that are specific to their properties is very rewarding. These actions may not be difficult, but they do make a real difference for the health of Canada’s lakes – not only for us but for wildlife too!”
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Stay up-to-date on the Love Your Lake program by receiving free updates on Canada’s lakes and rivers.