Working to Protect Ontario’s Watersheds, their Natural Heritage, and our Receiving Waters

Education means sharing our perspective and learning from others on the roles that watersheds, natural heritage, and healthy headwaters play in regional ecological integrity, biodiversity, and economic & social vitality.

Efforts described below include Brochures & Fact Sheets, our YouTube Channel, a set of self-guided Headwater Hikes, and a description of OHMapping. Other items not listed below include powerpoint presentations to numerous meetings and symposia on a variety of watershed and headwater issues and that can be the basis of a future presentation to your organization.

 Brochures & Fact Sheets

OHI Brochure January 2021, describing our vision for watershed management

OHI Backgrounder on Watershed Management Jan 2021

OHI Fact Sheet on Wetlands Jan 2021

OHI Fact Sheet on What Can I Do Jan 2021

The OHI YouTube Channel

For general information about watersheds and headwaters, please visit our YouTube Channel, with the following sets of 3- to 4-minute videos:

Educational PowerPoints *                                         Video Experiences

Water and Watersheds                                                Watershed Portraits
Watershed Characteristics                                          Three Small Streams
What are Headwaters                                                  Spring Freshet
Why Headwaters are Important; and
Headwaters of the Greater Golden Horseshoe

*Teachers can request click-to-advance versions of the educational powerpoints

 Headwater Hikes

We offer two-page summaries of 11 headwater hikes, from Niagara Falls, north and then east in an arc across the GTA, over toward Lindsay. Each summary provides information for a self-guided hike with a map, an indication of the degree of difficulty, and a description of key headwater features you will encounter. There is also a backgrounder on how headwaters reflect the characteristics of their watersheds, and how they vary across South-central Ontario. Put on your boots and head on over to Headwater Hikes.

OHMapping

Although no longer being delivered, OHMapping colour-coded watercourses by stream order and mapped their headwater catchments, which provides a meaningful opportunity for people to see the basic conditions of their watersheds, such as the absence of forests and streams that have been straightened, hardened, put underground, and had their banks depleted of vegetation. Some of these outcomes are clearly evident on the sample we retain, and led the OHI to develop suggested indicators of headwater health for watershed report cards. Select this link to see the summary of OHMapping.