The Living by Water Project (LbW) is a non-profit water stewardship outreach program on the importance of protecting and restoring natural shorelines, so absolutely essential to maintaining water quality and ecosystem health in our lakes and rivers.

It is designed for shoreline residents, community groups, realtors, municipal leaders and other water resource stakeholders. Centre for Sustainable Watersheds (CSW) offers an array of invaluable initiatives and resources to raise public awareness, as well as train and support grassroots organizations.

CSW has been the Ontario coordinator of this national program since 2003. Please contact us at (613) 272-5136 or email lbw@watersheds.ca

Living by Water Professional Development Training and Programs

CSW has been helping to develop and implement the Living by Water mandate for more than 10 years. In collaboration with LbW’s founders, we have put together a comprehensive training program for organizations that wish to carry out Living by Water activities. Our training programs consist of a combination of indoor and outdoor sessions with hands-on learning. We can customize every session to meet your requirements. See more presentations, workshops, and professional development resources.

Dock-to-Dock or Door-to-Door Visits

This is a contact program to efficiently distribute timely information on healthy shoreline living practices through a person-to-person approach. See more

Demonstration Sites

These offer excellent opportunities to provide hands-on learning in order to show individuals the components and appearance of a healthy shoreline and what it means to soften a shoreline. See more

Shoreline Home Visit Program

This is a one-on-one, confidential landowner contact program, designed to advise waterfront residents on healthy shoreline living practices. See more

Shoreline Survey Training

CSW can provide shoreline survey training following the M.A.P.L.E. (Mutual Association for the Protection of Lake Environments) Shoreland Classification Survey. Training takes place both in class and in the field to develop the needed skill sets required to carry out a Shoreline Survey successfully.

What is a Shoreline Survey?

A shoreline survey is a comprehensive inventory of the shoreline land use and characteristics of a lake or river. Shoreline properties are first identified, then surveyed using photographs, while gathering vegetation, shoreline, wildlife and habitat data for each property. Recommendations for erosion control are recognized, as are identification of restoration and protection opportunities.

Benefits of completing a Shoreline Survey

• Identifies habitat areas on shoreline properties that should be protected or rehabilitated and aids in the development of habitat protection and restoration plans
• Information collection can be used to create individualized property reports
• Provides an opportunity to speak with and engage community members

Social Marketing Training

This training introduces a suite of tools and techniques that participants can apply to strengthen their effectiveness in conservation outreach and behaviour change. This includes information traditionally aligned with ‘Social Marketing’ but also teaches a broader set of skills. The course content includes an introduction to conservation outreach and behaviour change, outcomes and impacts, trends and strategic factors, how to identify your target audience. It also surveys any barriers or benefits that may be present: the four P’s (product, place, price and promotion), project evaluations, indicators, and communications.

Project Planning and Management Training

In this two-part training session, CSW staff demonstrates how to plan, manage and implement an environmental project from concept to completion. This ‘procedural’ training workshop teaches all the steps required to develop a project from start to finish. Using detailed examples, proven methods, tips and hands-on exercises, this exceptional training program can be applied to carry out any environmental project. By focusing on hands-on activities, the training enhances the learning experience, ensuring knowledge retention and application of lessons learned.

Realtor Training

During this session, CSW will provide tips and information to help realtors meet their needs for due diligence and improved client service when selling shoreline properties.

Planner Training

These sessions include information to help improve a planners’ understanding of the complex nature of shoreline properties and the necessary policies and measures to protect them.

Living By Water Workshops

CSW staff will provide a hands-on learning experience targeted at Shoreline Property owners and the actions they take on their land. Workshops can either be indoors or out on a property depending on your learning objectives and time of year.

1. Habitat Protection Workshop

   CSW staff will provide a practical learning experience targeted to Shoreline Property owners of techniques to create, protect and restore habitat which can be applied in their own backyards. They will learn about flora and fauna that may be present on their lake which will encourage them to examine their own properties and protect the habitats contained within. They will also gain an understanding of the complex interactions between species and their habitats. This may dispel fears of ‘pest’ species, increase understanding of the role each species plays in a balanced ecosystem and thereby help maintain biodiversity.

2. Shoreline Living Workshop

   Property owners will be informed on how simple actions can improve water quality and protect biodiversity in their own backyard. Topics discussed during this workshop could include the prevention and control of shoreline erosion, simple ways to protect water quality, creation of wildlife habitat, native plants, lawns and gardens, shoreline access, fish habitat, invasive species and septic system maintenance. Staff will also be available to answer questions and provide advice on shoreline naturalization and habitat protection.

3. Naturalization Workshop

   CSW staff will engage community members in this interactive workshop on how to naturalize their own properties by demonstrating the art of choosing and planting native plants based on property characteristics and minimizing disease transferral. Other considerations will include location, seasonality, securing and improving habitat.

4. Conservation Action Marketing – Working with Conservation Issues and People

   This workshop will lead participants through the process of understanding behaviour change principles through discussions on: understanding audience needs and barriers; tools and techniques of conservation action marketing; communication principles; and working with the media.

5. From Information to Action: Educating for Behaviour Change

   Participants will be led through a comprehensive program planning process including problem definition, outcomes, understanding your audience, meeting audience needs, choosing tools, evaluation, etc. in order take action within their own communities for change.

Living By Water Presentations

1. Living with a Wastewater Systems-What You Need to Know

   This presentation, designed for the landowner, teaches everything they need to know about living with a septic system. We take an ‘inside look’ and explain the function and maintenance required to protect water quality. Participants will also learn about alternative technologies such as our own ECOCYCLET. ECOCYCLET ZeroDischarge Wastewater Systems, take advantage of plants' requirements for water and nutrients to grow away pollution through evapotranspiration - with no discharge or drainage to the ground.

2. Shorelines, Lakes, and Wetlands – Assets for your community

   Participants will learn about the benefits of having a healthy shoreline and its impacts on water quality, including details on the values of wetland and riparian areas, potential impacts of climate change and “soft” shore restoration techniques.

3. If We Snooze – Do We Lose? Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change on Water

   We will discuss the potential impacts of climate change on water resources and shorelines. We will take a closer look at adaptation options for communities and planning tools to protect shoreline and wetland buffers.

4. Adapting to Climate Change-Shorelines and Water

   CSW will lead discussions on planning tools, climate change trends, possible impacts, implications on planning and local government policy, stormwater management, flood and land use policies.

5. Living by Water

   This workshop, designed for the waterfront property owner, will guide them through actions they can take to help protect water quality and wildlife habitat. Topics include riparian areas and buffers, wastewater systems, “soft” erosion control methods and simple tips on ‘what you can do’.

6. Getting Wise about Water – Shorelines, Water Quality and Climate Change

   We examine non-point source pollution including septic systems, runoff, yard practices and introduce the concept of ‘the stormwater friendly house’. We also examine the roles and values of riparian areas as well as the impacts climate change may have on water quality.

7. Shoreline Stewardship Support for Local Governments

   CSW will discuss shoreline stewardship from a municipal perspective, detailing ways of supporting due diligence and informed decision-making at the local level. Topics include the value of riparian areas, beyond fish habitat.

8. From Science to Action – Educating for Behaviour Change

   We will look at the behaviour change process, how you can identify your audience’s needs and barriers, along with Living by Water tools and techniques.

New! BioBlitz Protocol Development

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is an educational tool which brings specialists and community members together for 12-24 hours to identify as many plant and animal species as possible. It engages community members in identifying flora and fauna in the area. Program staff will offer tips and training on identifying species and recognizing habitat areas. Detailed guidance will also be provided to avoid disturbing habitat while uncovering wildlife. CSW has found hands-on learning improves retention – learning to recognize habitat areas and identify species interactively increases the chance community members will feel confident using these techniques in their own backyard.

What are we currently doing – an eastern Ontario initiative

CSW is currently in partnership with the Community Stewardship Council of Lanark County (CSCLC) to develop a BioBlitz protocol which should be completed before the summer of 2010. This protocol will be used to organize, deliver and maximize the value of the BioBlitz. This protocol will also be provided to organizations throughout Ontario to aid them in conducting a BioBlitz in future. Check our website in the spring for a downloadable draft protocol or contact us if you are interested in organizing a BioBlitz!

Benefits of carrying out a BioBlitz

This tool will teach and engage community members in an intensive hands-on interactive experience. They will learn about flora and fauna present on their lake, which will encourage them to examine their own properties and protect those habitats. They will also gain an understanding about the complex interactions between species and their habitats, which will support increased proactive activities.

Strategic Directions for Shoreline Stewardship in Ontario

Having conducted an extensive province-wide survey in the summer of 2004, CSW circulated a draft ‘Strategic Directions for Shoreline Stewardship’ document to some 140 community groups for review that fall. In March 2005, a meeting of these stewardship leaders was held near Toronto to elicit feedback and facilitate the development of a common vision for shoreline stewardship in Ontario.

Using all this extensive input and commentary, CSW published the revised document, now on the web: Shoreline Stewardship 2006.

RESOURCES

Living By Water handbooks, brochures, posters, and more.

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT

Dock-to-Dock and Door-to-Door

Demonstration Sites

Shoreline Home Visit Program

USEFUL LINKS

Lake Links