LOMBARDY, Dec. 4, 2023 – A broad swath of sensitive wetlands, forests and meadows will be protected in perpetuity thanks to a generous land donation near Hutton Marsh this fall. 

The private land donation from Bill and Heather Griffith will be rolled into the RVCA’s abutting Motts Mills Conservation Area, adding 215 acres of wetland, 70 acres of mature forest and 75 acres of meadows suitable for species at risk like bobolink and butternut. It will also protect another 2.4 km of natural shoreline in perpetuity.

It's the second time the Griffiths have donated land to the RVCA. The first donation in 2014 expanded Motts Mills Conservation Area from a mere 3.5 acres into an important 200-acre wetland conservation site. Now the Griffiths have contributed nearly all of their remaining land, reserving just 30 acres for their home and hobby farm. 

“Repeat donations, especially sizeable ones like this, really speak to the value of the program for landowners,” said Dan Cooper, Director of Conservation Lands at the RVCA. “This donor gets the double benefit of receiving a fair-market tax receipt for their property as well as peace of mind knowing the land will be preserved in its natural state for future generations.”

The donation was processed through the federal Ecological Gifts program, which further boosts available financial and tax benefits for the donor.

The expanded conservation property is critical to the RVCA’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate Hutton Marsh to a more natural state. RVCA has been working with the Hutton Marsh Steering Committee, local landowners and stewardship groups since 2011 to improve the marsh by adding open water ponds and channels to increase biodiversity and to help naturally manage water levels in conjunction with the Hutton Marsh dam. 

RVCA and its charitable partner the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) actively seek suitable land donations to help preserve the watershed’s natural infrastructure that protects against flooding, erosion and climate change impacts. Donated properties can also be used to protect and create critical wildlife habitat at a time when global biodiversity is on the brink of collapse. 

The Griffith property is a perfect example: staff have observed endangered species such as monarch butterflies, bobolink, Eastern meadowlark, Blanding’s turtle and butternut trees on site. The site also contains habitat for other species at risk such as snapping turtles, the Eastern wood pewee, golden-winged warbler and the least bittern. 

“Land donation is such a win-win,” Cooper said. “Families can unlock the value of their property while protecting its natural legacy. And we can help the property reach its natural potential to support a thriving, functional watershed.”

The RVCA and RVCF currently own or protect more than 8,200 acres of critical green infrastructure, much of it acquired through private donations. To learn more about the benefits of land donation and how you can get involved visit https://www.rvcf.ca/ways-to-give/land-donation

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MONTAGUE, Oct. 27, 2023 – Local farmers, politicians and sustainability advocates came together with a common goal on Saturday, Oct. 21: to celebrate a new program supporting farmers in Lanark County. 

ALUS Lanark was officially launched at Milkhouse Farm + Dairy in Montague during the sheep farm’s popular Open Farm event. Officials from Lanark County, Climate Network Lanark, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) and Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) joined Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP John Jordan, Ducks Unlimited staff, neighbouring farmers and other guests to tour the farm and learn more about its new ALUS project, one of the first to be completed in the county.

Milkhouse owners Cait and Kyle White worked with ALUS Lanark to add two new wetlands in areas where it was already too wet to mow or graze their sheep. ALUS Lanark covered construction costs and will provide annual compensation for the ecosystem services the wetlands provide, such as cleaner air and water.

“We saw an opportunity to create some habitat that would contribute to a more interesting and diverse farm,” said Kyle White, who sells their cheese, grass-fed lamb and wool products at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. “It's been great for us. We always wanted to create these wetlands, but we needed the financial support to get it done."

Guests could see the completed wetlands were already hard at work storing runoff, filtering contaminants and providing flood storage.

“This is really a win-win for everyone,” said Derek Matheson, ALUS Lanark co-ordinator for RVCA. “Farmers can put otherwise marginal land to work while supporting better water quality and a healthier environment.”

ALUS is a national non-profit organization that works with local farmers to help them undertake environmental stewardship projects on their farms. ALUS communities are overseen by local partnership advisory committees (PACs) and administered by local organizations. In the case of ALUS Lanark, RVCA and MVCA administer programs on the ground alongside their other longstanding stewardship programs.

The push to bring the program to Lanark County was spearheaded by Climate Network Lanark, which got Lanark County officials on board before approaching the conservation authorities to administer the program. Since the program was officially created in January 2022, ALUS Lanark has recruited a PAC comprised of local farmers, business owners and residents, and set project priorities for the county. Matheson and his MVCA counterpart Marissa Okum have already sought out and approved 26 projects to receive ALUS funding, for a total projects value of more than $202,000. More than half those costs have been covered by ALUS Lanark, with RVCA, Ducks Unlimited and Environment and Climate Change Canada covering almost everything else. 

To learn more about ALUS Lanark or to apply, visit https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/rural-clean-water-grants/clean-water-grants

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RIDEAU LAKES, Oct. 12, 2023 – Book it to Foley Mountain Conservation Area this fall to catch its latest family feature: a permanent Story Trail near the Interpretive Centre. 

Thanks to generous community funding with support from the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF), this new activity includes a series of permanent, weather-proof displays installed along the Jack Herbert Mobility Trail. Each stop displays a new page of the featured book so families can read
 along as they follow the 400-metre accessible path. 

“We’re excited to bring so many of Foley Mountain’s core values into one project,” said site supervisor Rebecca Whitman, who helped unveil the new Story Trail on Sept. 22. “Story Trails encourage literacy, getting outside and learning about nature in a really accessible way, and we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to make it permanent for all families to enjoy.”

Foley Mountain first installed a temporary Story Trail during the early days of the pandemic to help families get outside in the absence of formal programming. It was so popular, staff began to look for ways to make it permanent. Thanks to generous support from the Lawson Foundation, Westport Lions Club, Friends of Foley Mountain and the RVCF, the dream has finally become a reality.

“We’re so grateful to have such supportive partners in the community,” Whitman said. “Our visitors benefit so much from their ongoing generosity.”

The current book is A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer, which follows the fate of an oak tree that has fallen in a storm. As the giant log slowly returns to the soil, new life springs forth in its place. 

“The Story Trail is a fantastic opportunity to introduce concepts that tie into what families are seeing around them in the forest,” Whitman said. “It really is just the perfect activity on so many levels.”

The featured book will be changed with the seasons and the trail will be open year-round. Learn more about Foley Mountain and plan your visit: https://www.rvca.ca/conservation-areas/fee-required/foley-mountain-ca

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RIDEAU LAKES, Oct. 5, 2023 – Mill Pond Conservation Area will close in mid-October while forestry operations are completed on the property. 

The 1,300-acre conservation area on Briton-Houghton Bay Road is owned and operated by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA). It includes a red pine plantation which requires routine maintenance. For public safety, the entire property will be closed to the public while this work is carried out. 

The work will take between seven and 10 days to complete, and will likely begin the week of Oct. 16. Dates will be confirmed closer to the time at www.rvca.ca and on our social media channels: 

       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RideauValleyConservationAuthority 

       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rideauvalleyca/

       Twitter: https://twitter.com/RideauValleyCA 

For more information contact RVCA at  or 613-692-3571. To learn more about Mill Pond Conservation Area visit https://www.rvca.ca/conservation-areas/no-fee-required/mill-pond-ca.

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WESTPORT, Sept. 29, 2023 – Foley Mountain Conservation Area officially marked its 50^th anniversary with a community reception on Friday, Sept. 22 – in the very same spot it celebrated its official opening in 1973. 

Past and present RVCA staff and board members, special guests, local residents and community partners gathered at the Interpretive Centre to reminisce about the conservation area’s long history in the community.

The 833-acre site, owned and operated by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), was acquired in 1970 thanks to a donation from prominent Westport resident Harold Foley, who wished to see the property remain natural. Other land donations, purchases, land swaps and leases over the years completed the largely forested property. Today it boasts 10 kilometres of public trails, a swimming area, a group camping site and, of course, the famous Spy Rock lookout overlooking the village of Westport. 

Since 1974, Foley Mountain has also developed a suite of popular outdoor education programs, which have inspired multiple generations of school children to better appreciate the natural world. The program began by offering school field trips and overnight camping, followed by the addition of popular day camps and forest school programs in more recent years. 

The celebration on Sept. 22 focused on the site’s many successes and partnerships over the years, including support from the Friends of Foley Mountain, which was founded in 1996 to support the conservation area in the face of provincial cutbacks. It has since leveraged more than $300,000 in fundraising toward accessible infrastructure, bus and tuition subsidies and programming. 

“50 years is an incredible milestone for an organization,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, while addressing the crowd. “You can’t get to this level of success without tremendous staff, tremendous board members and tremendous volunteers. And that’s one of the real things that I think separates this area from many others, the fact that so many people work together.”

Rideau Lakes Mayor Arie Hoogenboom and Westport Mayor Robin Jones also offered their congratulations and noted the central role Foley Mountain plays in both their communities. 

RVCA general manager Sommer Casgrain-Robertson said Foley Mountain wouldn’t be the success it is today without the support of the watershed’s 18 member municipalities, which have consistently recognized the value of conservation areas for their residents. 

“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from Rideau Lakes, Westport and our other municipalities that enables Foley Mountain to continue to serve the community,” Casgrain-Robertson said. “This support has also played a critical role in protecting these lands for a healthier watershed today and into the future.”

Learn more about Foley Mountain and plan your visit at www.rvca.ca/conservation-areas.

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OTTAWA, Sept. 8, 2023 – If you’ve ever considered planting trees on your rural Ottawa property, there’s no better time than now.

Thanks to generous subsidies from Forests Ontario and the City of Ottawa, Ottawa landowners only pay $0.15 per tree, or about $150 per acre, to reforest their properties – compared to about $3,000 to plant the same trees through a private company. 

“It’s an incredibly good deal, and we do all the work for you,” said Ian Cochrane, forestry manager for the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), which implements the program in the Rideau And Mississippi Valley watersheds. “We consider your objectives for the property, the site conditions and the types of trees that will thrive there and we make a custom plan.”

Green Acres targets rural properties within city limits with at least 1.25 acres available for tree planting. That could be an unused field, marginal or unproductive farmland or even windbreaks around crops and pasturelands. 

The full-service program is delivered by your local conservation authority and includes a free site visit, custom planting plan, site prep and, of course, the tree planting itself. Staff will also conduct survival assessments for up to five years and refill any sites with low survival.

Tree planting is a practical and cost-effective way to control erosion, increase crop yields, conserve soil and water, reduce heating and cooling costs on your property, support wildlife habitat and reduce your carbon footprint – among many other benefits. 

“I started planting trees in 2016 and the RVCA has provided me with numerous trees,” said Kinburn resident Richard Montague. He said the trees have improved water quality for him and his neighbours, while providing more privacy and adding more beauty to the landscape. 

“The RVCA has been just great,” Montague said. “If you’ve got the land, you should do it.”

Forestry manager Ian Cochrane is currently booking site visits for Ottawa properties in both the Rideau Valley and Mississippi Valley watersheds to plan for Spring 2024. South Nation Conservation Authority provides tree planting services for City of Ottawa properties within its watershed. 

Landowners in the Rideau Valley who live outside the City of Ottawa are also eligible for tree planting grants, with costs depending on the number of trees planted. 

Learn more and book a site visit today: https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/tree-planting

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WESTPORT, Sept 1, 2023 – Want to own a unique piece of Foley Mountain memorabilia? How about 500 pieces? This fall, Foley Mountain fans can bring the famous Spy Rock lookout home with them in the form of a custom jigsaw puzzle. 

The non-profit Friends of Foley Mountain group is selling the 500-piece commemorative puzzle to mark 50 years since Foley Mountain officially opened as a public conservation area. The puzzle features the iconic view of Westport from the top of Spy Rock.  

This limited-edition puzzle will be available for sale this fall at Westport retailers Lower Mountain Mercantile, Village Green and Rosie Yumski's. It will also be sold at special events in the village throughout the fall. 

The puzzle includes 500 jigsaw pieces and measures 20.5 x 15 inches when complete. Packaged in a compact cardboard box, the puzzles will make perfect stocking stuffers for every Foley Mountain fan this winter.

Proceeds will raise critical funds for Foley Mountain’s outdoor education programs as well as future capital projects at the site. 

“This is a unique way to support our treasured mountain,” said Rob Struthers, president of Friends of Foley Mountain. “We hope residents and visitors will jump at this chance to take a piece of Foley Mountain home with them.”

The 833-acre conservation area is located in Rideau Lakes Township just east of the Village of Westport. It is operated by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and offers a range of outdoor education programs for schools, families and community groups. It also offers 10 kilometres of trails, a swimming area on Upper Rideau Lake and group camping. The conservation area officially opened to the public in June 1973 and is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. 

To learn more about Foley Mountain visit www.rvca.ca/conservation-areas. To learn more about the Friends of Foley Mountain visit www.friendsoffoley.ca. 

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