We get it: summer is brief, and aquatic plants and algae can be annoying when you're trying to make the most of #docklife. It can be tempting to rip them out, install an expensive water circulator or even use an herbicide to get rid of them.

But many of the plants growing in and around your shoreline are actually good for you, the water and the thriving ecosystem that makes your waterfront getaway so great. 

A 15-acre swath of Hydro Ottawa land will soon be a buzzing metropolis of bees, birds and butterflies as the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) helps plant one of the largest pollinator meadows in Eastern Ontario.

We get by with a little help from our friends, and Foley Mountain Conservation Area is no exception.

Friends of Foley Mountain, a charitable group that has aided the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority's Westport site since 1996, has continued its support despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The RVCA's tree planting program has many branches of support, but it's the sturdy trunk of Forests Ontario that holds it all together. 

The provincial not-for-profit manages the 50 Million Tree Program, which provides two-thirds of RVCA's tree planting funding each year to help private landowners undertake largescale afforestation (the creation of new forests) for just pennies per tree.

Water quality in our local lakes and rivers start right at home, where you wash your car, walk your dog and plant your gardens. The more you can reduce the amount of rain, meltwater and chemicals like fertilizers and detergents that drain into the storm sewer, the better our water quality will be. 

Check out our interactive graphic to see which side of the street you're on. 

Ian Cochrane has a family history of forestry and conservation. As the RVCA's new forestry manager, he has fully embraced his calling – bugs and all – to plant more than 200,000 trees a year for a more resilient community, planet and future.

Compared to the thrum of a thriving summer wetland, winter wetlands may seem as silent as outer space.

But they're not empty, nor are they vacant – life's just a little slower, a little less showy, in an ice-covered marsh or swamp.

So, you're buying in the country for the first time: congratulations! Moving out of the city can be one of the most rewarding decisions you'll ever make – especially now that many of us can work from home.

But rural and waterfront properties come with unique challenges, and without the right help you could end up with a lemon. 

Here are our top five tips to consider before you sign on the dotted line.

If your kids start complaining the moment you say "walk," the snowsuit struggle might not seem worth it. But inside every kid is an outdoorsperson waiting to blossom – and these tricks might just help! Try these activities at one of our 11 conservation areas and let us know what got them moving.

'Twas the week before Christmas

Quarantined in your house

When you finished your shopping

With the click of a mouse! 

Fresh air. Open space. A mental balm. Or perhaps just somewhere – anywhere – to take the kids. Yes, outdoor spaces have been the saviours of the pandemic.

It was a cold, crisp day in December 2019 when Rosemary (Rose) Fleguel, RVCA's resident butternut expert, pulled up in her truck to meet North Grenville woodlot owner Warren Dool at his 47-acre property. Her mission? To find any and all living and healthy butternut trees - a cause to which she has dedicated the bulk of her long career.  

We all know it: the holidays can be stressful, expensive and wasteful. All that running around buying things people don't need, trying to read everyone's minds, bracing for Boxing Day returns once everything's been unwrapped.

STOP!

Why not skip the hassle and give the gift of conservation instead?

There's a misconception out there that your local conservation authority is out to stop all development. But in reality the RVCA approves more than 90% of the applications it receives; our regulations inspectors and planners work with applicants to come up with plans that can suit the property owner, the provincial regulations and the watershed all at once. 

Not convinced? Meet Hal Stimson, long-time inspector with the RVCA:

The RVCA spearheads a huge range of watershed management activities, and one of them is keeping harmful contaminants out of our drinking water through septic inspections. Not sure what that means? Meet Adam Dillon, your friendly, neighbourhood regulations inspector, to find out:

Simon Lunn knew he needed to drill a new well and decommission his old one. What he didn't figure was that the conservation authority would hand him $1,000 towards his costs.

Mr. Lunn, a long-time Smiths Falls resident near the Smiths Falls Golf and Country Club, received the funds through the Rural Clean Water Grants program, which covers up to 90 per cent of costs for projects that protect water resources in the watershed.

Autumn is upon us, and the fabulous fall colours are painting our watershed red, gold and yellow. 

Foley Mountain is famous for its fall views from Spy Rock Lookout, but it can get very busy. This year, don't be afraid to break with tradition and get your fall fix from lesser-known hikes inside the park. We promise the colours are just as spectacular, and you won't be fighting for a spot on Spy Rock!

Try these three hikes for a refreshing take on Foley's fall splendor.

Christmas has come early for the fish of Wolfe Lake.

RVCA staff and volunteers could be spotted sinking bundles of old Christmas trees into the Westport-area lake on Sept. 5.

But this wasn't just an extreme head-start on underwater holiday décor; the donated brush bundles will also provide valuable habitat for several fish species in the lake, according to RVCA aquatic biologist Jennifer Lamoureux.

Autumn is beginning to paint the watershed red, and if you're looking to catch the fall splendour in a quiet, uncrowded location, you can't go wrong at Mill Pond Conservation Area this season.

What Mill Pond CA may lack in hayrides and pumpkin patches it makes up for with 1,300 acres of maple forests, wetlands and natural shoreline around Mill Pond near Big Rideau Lake.

 The RVCA and its partners are angling to help walleye stocks recover in Wolfe Lake.

With a generous grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Fund, RVCA staff teamed up with volunteers from the Wolfe Lake Association and the Westport Area Outdoors Association to create two new spawning beds on Scanlan Creek at the end of August.