Celebrating Citizen Science Day 2019
April 12, 2019
Happy Citizen Science Day! This April 13, we are celebrating the countless community-based monitoring groups and citizen scientists contributing their knowledge and energy to understanding the health of watersheds all across the country.
To celebrate Citizen Science Day, now in its third year, we are pleased to share a collection of featured case studies showcasing the breadth and diversity of CBWM initiatives across Canada from East to West and the high arctic – including water stewardship organizations, Indigenous Guardians, networks of citizen scientists and many more.
Selected case studies span Canada from coast to coast and the high arctic.
These case studies complement a year-long initiative led by The Gordon Foundation, Living Lakes Canada and WWF-Canada with the aim of identifying how the federal government can meaningfully and effectively engage with and support CBWM in Canada. The outcomes of the initiative include a wide range of recommendations on capacity building, effective monitoring, regional and national collaboration, data management and informing decision-making. You can read more about this project here.
Community-based water monitoring roundtable documents now available in French
Recommendations that address how the federal government can strategically support community-based water monitoring (CBWM) efforts across Canada are now available in English and French.
DataStream Data Informs Assessment of Freshwater Health
The recently released WWF Canada 2020 Watershed Reports provide a national assessment of Canada’s freshwater. WWF Canada was able to efficiently draw on community based water monitoring (CBWM) data thanks to DataStream.
National Water Quality Guidelines on DataStream
DataStream’s visualization tool enables users to apply national water quality guidelines to datasets. Some key guidelines used by DataStream include the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life, which are national standards set by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). These guidelines provide recommended ranges for some of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics that are commonly monitored in rivers, lakes, and oceans.