Monitor Lake Health with Benthic Biomonitoring Projects!
Support the ongoing health of Haliburton County and Kawartha region lakes by assisting local cottage associations, property owners and lake groups in assessing their water ecosystems through benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and analysis. These Community-Based Research (CBR) projects offer hands on experience in:
- Collecting, identifying and analyzing benthic macroinvertebrates
- Contributing meaningful data to lake associations and stewardship efforts
- Developing applied skills in aquatic biomonitoring
Nymph stage Mayfly (Ephemeroptera) - Photo Credit: Aaron Belanger - Environmental Resource Science, Trent University 2024
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Available Benthic Biomonitoring Projects for 2024-2025
#5039 Redstone Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 4 #6061 Upper Stoney Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 4 #6066 Twelve Mile and Little Boshkung Lakes Benthic Assessment - Year 4 #6256 Koshlong Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 3 #6387 Kabakwa Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 5 #6388 Bob Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 5 #6389 Grace Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 5 #6390 Drag and Spruce Lakes Benthic Assessment - Year 1 #6391 Paudash Lake Benthic Assessment - Year 1 Table 1. below outlines the benthic biomonitoring schedule for lakes in Haliburton County (and Upper Stoney in the Kawarthas). Monitoring is being conducted as part of a coordinated effort to establish 5-year baseline datasets for each lake or lake cluster. These data will inform long-term trends in aquatic ecosystem health and support evidence-based decision making by lake associations, municipalities and conservation partners. |
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Table 1. Benthic biomonitoring schedule for participating lakes in Haliburton County and Kawartha Region.
Prior to 2019, data from OBBN showed a significant under representation of sampling sites in Haliburton County, despite dense coverage across much of southern and central Ontario. This lack of data limited the capacity of local lake associations, municipalities, and environmental organizations to assess aquatic ecosystem health or detect emerging concerns.
As of 2025, thanks to the collaborative efforts of U-Links and its Lake Association partners through the Woodlands and Waterways EcoWatch (WWEW) program, benthic biomonitoring efforts in Haliburton County have expanded to include 90 sampling sites across 28 lakes. This spatial coverage supports the development of five-year baseline datasets, enabling long-term ecological monitoring and more informed lake stewardship across the region.
As of 2025, thanks to the collaborative efforts of U-Links and its Lake Association partners through the Woodlands and Waterways EcoWatch (WWEW) program, benthic biomonitoring efforts in Haliburton County have expanded to include 90 sampling sites across 28 lakes. This spatial coverage supports the development of five-year baseline datasets, enabling long-term ecological monitoring and more informed lake stewardship across the region.
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