Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
Gratitude Swim celebrates Swim Drink Fish movement and Gord Edgar Downie Pier
On Thursday, July 26, 2018, the Gratitude Swim follows the Gord Edgar Downie Pier dedication with the City of Kingston and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation. It celebrates decades of hard work, from you and many others. Read more and find out how to participate.
Gord Edgar Downie Pier at Breakwater Park reclaims Kingston’s waterfront
As you stand on the edge of the new Gord Edgar Downie Pier on July 26th and prepare to jump in, we ask you to take a moment. Pause. Reflect. This day has been decades in the making. Find out more about Waterkeeper’s history with Kingston and this new swimming pier as a beacon for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water.
Thank you for making this summer amazing.
Thank you for making this summer amazing and for being apart of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s Kingston Kingston and Wolfe Island Culture Festival. We had a blast and hope that you did too!
As the Culture Fest comes to a close we begin something new in Kingston
Today marks the closing of the first ever Kingston and Wolfe Island Culture Festival. Over the past 7 weeks we have explored what the Great Lakes mean to Kingston and Wolfe Island, how they’ve shaped our geography, our history, our identity. And, how they will shape our future.
My Summer in Kingston has given me hope.
My name is Rebecca Harrison and I am the Manager of Programs at Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Our organization started in Kingston over a decade ago. We launched there because even before we officially became Lake Ontario Waterkeeper we worked hand in hand with community organizations and local activists on a variety of cases. Our goal has always been to identify leaders within a community and assist their efforts for a swimmable drinkable fishable future on the Great Lakes.
Change is coming to Great Lakes Restoration
When we started Lake Ontario Waterkeeper in 2001 we had a simple approach to going after polluters: investigate the problem, find the polluter and make the government enforce the laws. This disconnection between people and water meant most people didn’t seem to care about the issues we were fighting for.
What can you do: Waterkeeper & Citizen Science
Big change requires lots of hands. One of the reasons water quality monitoring programs are some of the most popular citizen science programs is because people will show up for their beach, their favourite creek, their swimming hole, and fishing spot. They love their waterbodies and they will do what they can to protect them. Science benefits both the work being done to protect and restore swimmable, drinkable, fishable water and increase the information available to the public.
Join Waterkeeper for water sampling at Breakwater Park
By Hannah McDonald — This summer I am working for Lake Ontario Waterkeeper as the Water Literacy Assistant in Kingston. Part of my job is to test water quality in popular swimming areas along the waterfront.
Each week, I sample water from points along Breakwater Park and the Wolfe Island Boat Club. Then I take the samples to the lab where it is tested. I take those results and post them on Swim Guide so that recreational water users can make informed decisions about using the water.
History Week: Looking back at Kingston and Wolfe Island’s waterfront over the years
Come out and learn something new - something spooky - something ancient - about our lake’s history. Because, how does that saying go - something about those who don’t know their history…?
Swim Drink Fish Canada Celebrates the Groundbreaking of the Breakwater Park redevelopment
KINGSTON — Today the City of Kingston along with their project partners officially broke ground on the redevelopment of Breakwater Park, a part of the Kingston Waterfront Master Plan.
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation generously provided a $500,000 donation to Swim Drink Fish Canada to support renovations, that will include: a new park promenade, a pedestrian bridge, pier upgrades, steps and seating, shoreline works – including water access – landscaping and tree planting.