World Lake Day: Lifeblood for Our Planet, and for Children’s Futures

This summer, the United Nations will mark the first-ever World Lake Day on August 27. For Camp Scugog, it is more than a date on the calendar. It is a celebration of the water that has shaped thousands of lives.

For much of my life, I have been lucky to spend my summers by a lake. First, as a child at Camp Oconto, where I discovered the joy of long days outdoors. The last five decades, on the shores of Lake Scugog, where I have witnessed generations of children, youth, and mothers discover not just water, but wonder.

At Camp Scugog, many campers arrive having never stepped into a lake before. Some come from shelters, some from newcomer families, some from communities where nature feels far away. On their first day, they may dip a cautious toe in the water. By the end of the week, they are paddling, laughing, and proudly wearing their first swim badge.

The lake is more than a backdrop. It is a classroom and a healer.

• It is where friendships are forged on the dock.

• Where resilience is built in a canoe.

• Where quiet reflection happens lakeside, under the stars.

• Where every child, no matter their circumstances, is simply a camper.

Through our Leadership Centre and Nature School, campers learn teamwork, responsibility, and respect for the ecosystems beneath the surface: minnows darting through reeds, loons calling across the bay, turtles basking in the sun.

But lakes everywhere are at risk. Pollution, climate change, and overuse threaten the ecosystems and experiences they provide. Protecting them is not only about biodiversity or climate systems. It is about protecting the childhood experiences that shape who we become.

This World Lake Day, we invite you to pause and remember the lakes that shaped your life. For us at Camp Scugog, Lake Scugog is more than water. It is lifeblood for our planet, and lifeblood for children’s futures.

— Dana Leahey, Executive Director, Camp Scugog