Monthly Archive

RVCA Officially Opens New Conservation Area

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) and its many partners gathered on June 23 to celebrate the official opening of its newest conservation area. The new Motts Mills Conservation Area is a small but beautiful site that sustains a significant piece of wetland habitat and is home to the recently decommissioned Motts Mills Dam.

“Thanks to the RVCA, Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) and many special partners, a crucial piece of wetland and local history is now protected in public ownership,” said Lyle Pederson, RVCA Chair and member of the Motts Mills Restoration Committee. “We are celebrating several achievements today and acknowledging the commitment, dedication and vision of many partners.”

For several years, the aging Motts Mills Dam and struggling wetland was identified as an important project. The dam, constructed in 1952 to maintain water levels on the Hutton Marsh, was in need of replacement. The wetland, once home to a diverse number of waterfowl and wildlife, was slowly being overtaken by cattails. The Motts Mills wetland is ecologically significant and is greatly valued by many local residents because of its migratory, living and breeding habitat for Ontario waterfowl and migratory birds.

“The interest in dealing with the dam and wetland has been there for years, it just took time for key pieces of the puzzle to fall into place,” said Pederson. “Everyone’s patience and support is greatly appreciated.”

What jumpstarted the project was South Kanata Development Corporation’s voluntary decision to make a $250,000 contribution to the RVCF to assist with the dam replacement and wetland restoration. Additional funds were achieved through a grant from Wildlife Habitat Canada to conserve, enhance and restore wildlife habitat in Hutton Marsh.

Last spring, the RVCA obtained full ownership of the dam by purchasing the west half of the dam from Bill and Heather Griffith. The dam was then decommissioned in the fall and replaced with an earthen berm. The berm structure, built by Ducks Unlimited Canada, is pivotal to the next stage of wetland restoration. The RVCF was also the benefactor of a generous partial land donation from the Griffiths of a parcel downstream from the dam. This new landholding supports the RVCF’s goal to protect wetlands, plant trees and pursue species at risk projects.

“Now that we have a water control option we hope the momentum continues. We look forward to developing a plan to rehabilitate and create a healthy upstream wetland,” says Pederson. The RVCA will continue to work collaboratively with Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Leeds-Grenville Stewardship Council, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley to develop a long-term management plan for the berm and wetland restoration.

A special thank you to local landowners for their cooperation and involvement in this project and to representatives on the local steering committee who have worked successfully to bring landowners, agencies and funders together to move this project forward.

230,000 Trees take Root Across Rideau Watershed

The 2016 Rideau Valley Conservation Authority tree planting season is complete with some 230,000 trees being planted across the watershed. RVCA is proud to be working with Forests Ontario to help deliver the province’s promise of 50 million trees by 2025.

“We saw over 90 thousand trees planted in the City of Ottawa which is quite impressive,” said Scott Danford, RVCA Forestry Program Manager. “The remainder was planted throughout the upper and middle watershed thanks to our participating property owners.” The RVCA offers private landowners tree planting programs that help landowners get technical advice, planting plans and funding for trees. “We have numerous community-minded partners providing funding to projects to help reduce landowner costs,” says Scott Danford. “We offer planting programs that make it easy and affordable for landowners. At 15 cents a tree — it's a great deal.”

For those considering tree planting in 2017 now is the time to book a free site visit where RVCA forestry staff will meet to discuss the landowner’s objectives and evaluate the best way to reforest the land.

“Every site and every landowner needs something different,” says Danford. “We do our best to design a plan that will see trees survive and meet landowner objectives.”

The program is made possible thanks to the RVCA’s 18 member municipalities, the City of Ottawa’s Green Acres Program, the Province of Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program, Forests Ontario and numerous private businesses and watershed residents who donate to the tree planting program including Belvedere Vodka, Christopher Simmonds Architect, Comfort Hub, Golder Associates, Hulse, Playfair and McGarry, Little Ray’s Reptiles, LiVE 88.5, Pratt and Whitney, Queen’s Tea Room, TD Friends of the Environment and Vélofix.

We celebrated the planting of our 5 millionth tree in 2015,” says Danford. “At this rate, we hope to reach 6 million by 2020.”

If you are interested in planting trees next spring, now’s the time to get more information or to book a free site visit — contact Scott Danford, RVCA Forestry Program Manager at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-387-5304, ext. 1175. Now is the time to take root and grow a green legacy.

Searching for New Chair of Source Protection Committee

The Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Committee is in need of a new Chair. Under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, a Source Protection Committee representing multiple stakeholders is required for each source protection region in Ontario. The Source Protection Committee oversees the drinking water source protection program and the composition ensures that a variety of local interests are represented at the decision making table.

The Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Committee has been in place since 2007 with many of the original members still in place representing municipalities, industry, small business, environmental interests, First Nations, agriculture and the general public. They have worked hard to establish effective and fair policies to protect drinking water sources in our region, specifically the rivers and groundwater that supply municipal drinking water systems.

A new Chair is required to provide on-going leadership to the Committee and be a local champion for the protection of our precious drinking water sources. The position of Chair is a government appointment and is currently being advertised by the Public Appointment Secretariat at https://www.pas.gov.on.ca/scripts/en/advertPositions.asp with an application deadline of June 21, 2016.

How Healthy is the Middle Rideau? RVCA Reports on State of Middle Rideau Subwatershed

How healthy is the Middle Rideau? Readers can learn all about it in the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s (RVCA) Middle Rideau Subwatershed Report. This information-loaded report summarizes the subwatershed’s health by looking at four indicators: forests, wetlands, shorelines and water quality. This is the second subwatershed report for the Middle Rideau and compares baseline information that was collected in 2008. Changes are small, but understanding how to prevent cumulative long-term changes is essential.

“RVCA has a great deal of information. Our monitoring efforts help us better understand watershed trends and help focus stewardship activities where they are needed the most,” said Martin Czarski, RVCA Watershed Ecologist. “Subwatershed reports are valuable tools for decision-makers at all levels — individuals, families, municipalities, counties and the province.”

The Middle Rideau is nicely nestled in the middle of the Rideau system and drains over 825 square kilometres. Water flows from the higher, rocky Rideau Lake Subwatershed into the flatter, farmland of the Middle Rideau Subwatershed. The subwatershed includes communities such as Jasper, Lombardy, Smiths Falls, Merrickville and Motts Mills. Water flows through the Middle Rideau on to the Lower Rideau at Burritts Rapids.

“The Middle Rideau’s conditions are mostly fair and good,” says Czarski. “But human demands and impacts continue to grow. Now is the time to take important steps to maintain, protect and improve our current conditions.”

Efforts can be simple things like keeping shorelines natural and planting trees to more complicated municipal planning and development projects that protect surface water quality and aquatic habitat through the creation of riparian buffers, and application of stormwater best management practices. The report identifies what the RVCA, municipalities, landowners, businesses and community groups can do to help make environmental gains.

For landowners looking to do their part, the RVCA provides a number of stewardship programs designed to improve watershed health. The programs provide technical expertise, grants and manpower. By connecting with landowners, the goal is to make real, on-the-ground improvements. Landowners who are interested in learning about possible projects can call the RVCA for details.

This report is part of a series including reports on the Jock River (2010), Tay River (2011), Lower Rideau (2012), Kemptville Creek (2013) and Rideau Lakes (2014). Next year, similar comparisons on watershed health will be made for the Jock River Subwatershed.

For your copy of this and other subwatershed reports, call the RVCA at 613-692-3571 ext. 1177 or visit watersheds.rvca.ca. For those looking for more scientific information, monitoring results are available through the detailed catchment reports which are also available online at watersheds.rvca.ca.