What if helping your community started with something as easy as just noticing?

Lake Banook in Nova Scotia, Canada, is a world-renowned paddling hub—home to elite canoe and kayak clubs, and a cherished spot for year-round recreation. With the help of eOceans, the community has been monitoring the health of Lake Banook for a number of years.

The community uses eOceans to make daily observations, tracking the seasonal changes of the lake. Any anomalies can be easily identified by comparing them to the baseline data that has already been collected. As climate change accelerates, many ecosystems are shifting, including Lake Banook—and community science is key to keeping it healthy.

Be prepared, not surprised

In August 2023, community members began observing dead eels along the shoreline. In other cases, this may have been overwhelming and shocking, but since eOceans had already established a baseline for Lake Banook—the community was able to turn simple, everyday observations into critical insights. When reports of the eel die-off surfaced, they weren’t isolated—they were part of a bigger picture. What started as community science soon triggered action, shedding light on a serious event affecting an endangered species.

The eOceans mobile app, purpose-built for scientists and citizen observers alike, simplifies and accelerates monitoring. With every entry, real-time graphs and maps are generated, helping identify changes as they happen—not months later. And when authorities are equipped with this kind of timely evidence, they’re more likely to act.

Measuring what matters: the purpose behind the data

eOceans empowers communities to better understand and protect their local ecosystems. By tracking changes in biodiversity, monitoring pollution, and recording how people use and value these spaces, eOceans helps uncover the connections between environmental health, community activity, and even economic potential.

These insights support smarter decisions—whether it's identifying threats early, improving water quality, or finding new ways to keep ecosystems thriving for generations to come.

Looking ahead: community science for local change

Lake Banook is just one example of what’s possible when the right tools are in the hands of the right people. With the eOceans platform, anyone—from scientists to swimmers—can help protect the places they care about most.

As this model scales, it opens the door for communities everywhere to become guardians of their local waters, using science and technology to act before it's too late.

Because protecting what you love starts with knowing what’s changing—and why.