A three-part webinar series on January 20, January 27 and February 3, 2026, in partnership between Friends of the Muskoka Watershed and the Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre. Register
Part 1: January 20, 2026, 7 to 9 pm
Speakers Sapna Sharma and Neil Hutchinson
On Thin Ice: Are lakes feeling the heat?
Sapna Sharma, York University
Abstract: Our planet is experiencing accelerated climate warming, with dramatic consequences not only on lake ecology, but also on the ecosystem services we rely on from our freshwater resources. Lakes with seasonal ice cover, which represent more than half of the world’s lakes, are especially sensitive to a changing climate. Lakes are losing ice cover at unprecedented rates. In the past 25 years, lake ice loss is 6 times faster, with some lakes not freezing every winter. By the end of the century, over 200,000 lakes may no longer regularly freeze and almost 6,000 lakes may permanently lose ice cover with climate warming. With reduced ice cover, lakes may stratify earlier which can lead to elevated water temperatures, primary production, and likelihood of algal blooms, some of which may be toxic. Mitigation of greenhouse gases is essential to preserving this ecological, cultural, and economically important resource.
Biography: Sapna Sharma is a Professor in the Department of Biology at York University and York Research Chair in Global Change Biology. She was the Inaugural Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Global Water Academy. Her research highlights how lakes worldwide respond to climate change, including rapid ice loss, warming water temperatures, degrading water quality, and changing fish distributions. Her research has led to an induction to the Royal Society of Canada – College of New Scholars and she has been named one of Canada’s Top 10 Women Water Scientists. She is a dedicated science communicator and is the founder of SEEDS, an outreach program for refugees.
Lake Physics: The things we can’t see
Neil Hutchinson, Friends of the Muskoka Watershed
Abstract: While most of us are fascinated by the variety and abundance of the life in a lake, or by how our favourite lakes may change over the seasons, our appreciation of how the lake works to support that life is gained when we understand how physical processes, driven by reactions at the molecular level, are responsible for the behaviour and ultimately the ecology of our temperate lakes. Lake dynamics are driven by two simple principles of physics. The first is the temperature-dependent density of water and the second is the molecular structure of ice, which means that it floats. Together, these processes drive the seasonal cycles of lake overturn and stratification and ensure that there is suitable habitat for aquatic life year-round. A final factor of interest is also physical, and that is the role of wind in the movement of large water masses and the dynamics of internal water movement.
Biography: Neil Hutchinson completed his Ph.D. in Aquatic Toxicology at the University of Guelph in 1985, and came to Muskoka to work on acid rain with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in 1984. He left to work as an environmental consultant from 1998-2022. In that role he worked on water quality from Newfoundland to BC and southern Ontario to Nunavut. His major career highlights were working across this great country, presenting to a special committee of the Senate of Canada and being once introduced as “The Mick Jagger of Lake Management”. He was a founding board member of the “Muskoka Heritage Foundation” (now The Muskoka Conservancy) and now sits on the Board of the “Friends of the Muskoka Watershed”, on the Science Committee for “Georgian Bay Forever”, and he is an active member of the Muskoka Watershed Council and the Rotary Club of Bracebridge.
Part 2: January 27, 2026, 7 to 9 pm
Speakers Gord Miller and Norman Yan
The Littoral Zone: Lots of action at the lake’s rim
Gord Miller, Earthroots
Abstract: The presentation will introduce the audience to the concept of the littoral zone of lakes by focusing on four questions. What are the parts of the littoral zone? How does it function ecologically? How important is it to the whole lake ecosystem? And, how is human interaction with the littoral zone important? Participants will be exposed to a new lexicon of terms and concepts that will inform them of the dynamics of how lakes work.
Biography: Gord Miller is a retired ecologist living in Muskoka. He has published scientific papers in the aquatic sciences and worked as a researcher, environmental field officer, teaching professor and environmental consultant. He is best known for his 15 years as the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario overseeing government decision making on matters relating to the environment.
For the Love of Daphnia: How tiny creatures make our lakes work
Norman Yan, York University and Friends of the Muskoka Watershed
Abstract: There are 1000s of species that inhabit the offshore waters of Muskoka lakes. While almost all are invisibly small, they are vital to the health of our lakes. Norman will introduce you to one of them, the water flea Daphnia. Despite being only 1 mm long, she’s amazing. She’s a good mother, nurturing the young she carries on her back with fresh, filtered, water. She swims the equivalent of a marathon every day seeking food. When she finds it, often in the form of diatoms encased in silica shells, she crushes them producing a steady rain of tiny glassy bits to the lake bottom. It’s like eating the glass bowl to get at the salad. She and her kin filter the equivalent volume of the whole lake free of algae every 1 to 2 weeks, keeping lake waters clear. She changes her shape to avoid predators. And she’s a she most of the time. All spring and summer she produces only daughters asexually, but in November she senses it’s time for some of her grandchildren to be male. The resulting sex (about time!) produces overwintering eggs that will survive the coming cold and dark. Norman will share Daphnia’s story to help you understand the importance of protecting even the tiny creatures in our lakes.
Biography: With the Ontario government, then York University and Friends of the Muskoka Watershed, Norman Yan has worked for over half a century to understand and where possible resolve the threats to the health of Ontario’s lakes. He has focused his research on the threats to animal plankton, the so-called “little living lawnmowers” in lakes. He has published mainly on effects of acid rain, metal pollution, invading species, calcium decline and road salt in over 200 papers and reports, a body of work which has received over 13000 scientific citations and was recognized with his induction as a fellow in the Royal Society of Canada in 2012.
Part 3: February 3, 2026, 7 to 9 pm
Speakers Andrew Paterson and Christopher Stock (TEHONATÁHNHEN)
When Lakes Fall Ill: A review of current threats to lake health in Ontario
Andrew Paterson, Department of Biology, Queen’s University
Abstract: Across the globe, inland lakes are being altered by climate change, pollutants, landscape degradation, and the introduction of non-native species. Long-term monitoring and new research shows us that lakes respond to these stressors in complex and surprising ways, with important implications for water quality and aquatic biota. However, these data also show us that lakes can respond positively and rapidly to restoration efforts, underscoring their remarkable resilience, and the value of creating effective environmental legislation and policies. In a review of the latest science, this presentation will explore current threats to lake health in Ontario, and how these threats may interact to impact aquatic ecosystems. Where possible, it will also discuss the steps we can take to help protect these sensitive ecosystems for future generations.
Biography: Andrew Paterson is a senior research scientist with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and an adjunct professor at Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo. He leads a 50-year monitoring program of sentinel lakes in south-central Ontario, and conducts collaborative research to understand how lake water quality and ecology is impacted by multiple environmental stressors. Andrew has studied lakes across Ontario, from Lake of the Woods in the northwest, to shallow lakes and ponds in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and remote lakes in the heart of Algonquin Provincial Park. His research is sharply focused on science that informs or improves environmental policy and lake management. Over his career, Andrew has published >175 peer-reviewed papers and technical reports, and supervised more than 30 graduate students.
She is Resting: Winter and the important role of ice
Christopher Stock (TEHONATÁHNHEN)
Abstract: Restoring Our Relationships – With Nature and the Natural World. Winter. the time of rest. Our mother Earth is covered with a warm blanket of snow allowing her to sleep and rest up before Spring. All of the lakes are covered over with a thick layer of ice to cap off and allow the waters to still and settle and reset and all of the life in the water continues yet slowly. For some, they bury themselves into the mud and slumber, while others seek refuge in the deep waters and continue in a slower pace. The Earth goes through its natural rhythm and cycle to reset the balance and the natural order of things. The Natural order of the Earth’s rhythm and cycles typically follow a circle, and cycles of the moon and sun. Winter Solstice – Spring Equinox – Summer Solstice – Autumn Equinox. Winter a time of rest, Spring a time of awakening and growth, Summer a time of growth and ripening, Autumn a time of Maturity, harvest and a time of release and letting go (leaves turn colour and fall from the trees) Seven Generation thinking has been a fundamental principle for all indigenous people world wide. The Haudenosaunee people follow this principle as it is the premise of the original instruction, our worldview – The Thanksgiving Address and the Great Law. The role of responsibility, stewardship and of a reciprocity relationship with all of Creation in order to foster balance and Harmony for all. Our way of existing on this planet is coexistence with the natural world, not to try to control the natural world. “
“The One Dish with One Spoon” Treaty is an agreement accepted by more than 50+ nations from the Arctic Circle to Mexico and East of the Great River – The Mississippi River, including Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador. Indigenous peoples strive for peace, balance, unity, harmony, honour, respect, love, thanks and gratitude for all life. These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone, as I understand the teachings from the ancestors both Indigenous and non Indigenous. Nià:wen kowa Chi Miigwetch
This three-part webinar series is organized in partnership between Friends of the Muskoka Watershed and the Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre. Email Sandy Lockhart with questions at sandy@fotmw.org or Register here