Water quality and conservation is a topic of concern that means the most to me because growing up in Southern Ontario I was blessed like every Ontarian, to be surrounded by a tremendous network of fresh water bodies of the Great Lakes and the watersheds that connect them. The Great Lakes define Ontario and Canada geographically, economically, culturally, and environmentally these fresh water lakes are pinnacle cornerstone in Canada’s history, present, and future.

Canada is a natural resource rich country, especially in terms of freshwater which bears a grave global responsibility to protect and conserve approximately 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater resources. Over the years there has been and continues to grow a wide a range of issues and concerns in the Great Lakes surrounding; water levels, water quality, eutrophication, development pressures, endangered species, invasive species, runoff and recharge, fish populations, among many others.

Water conservation has been a big part of my academic career through studying the transboundary water governance of the Great Lakes and eutrophication process occurring in Lake Erie. Further, as well as my professional career development I have been involved as a water resources assistant assessing the water quality of water channels across a watershed.

I hope to continue to gain knowledge and perspective on this issue with the Canadian Conservation Corps (CCC) program. I believe being a part of CCC will allow myself to explore the diverse fluvial process across different provinces of Canada, and ultimately grow my appreciation for water conservation. Further, I feel my passion for water resources will expand from interacting with a diverse group of peers and partners, thus, I hope I able to make a positive impact on others about this issue. I plan to focus my future endeavors with CCC towards learning and growing my skills sets to address conservation efforts and education in the realm of water resources, especially the Great Lakes.

I can’t wait to get started with CCC and look forward to seeing where this chapter takes me!

The opinions expressed are those of the participant and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Canadian Wildlife Federation.