Oct
23

Perth Wildlife Reserves marks 50 years as public nature destination

Perth Wildlife Reserve

It's been 50 years since the Perth Wildlife Reserve officially opened to the public – and while much has changed in and around the conservation area, one thing has remained the same: its commitment to wildlife preservation. 

The 583-acre reserve was originally established in 1968 through a lease agreement with the Town of Perth, but the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) began slowly purchasing parcels in and around the reserve beginning in 1971. The conservation area officially opened as a recreation destination on Oct. 19, 1974.  

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Dec
01

Family's wetland donation shores up west Ottawa ecosystem

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It's not very often a 50-acre swath of provincially-significant wetland becomes available in the City of Ottawa – but when it does, the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is keen to protect it. 

The Foundation accepted the substantial section of Manion Corners Wetland this fall from siblings Paul Lackner and Colleen Green, who decided their family's natural property – lovingly referred to as "the farm" – belonged in a land trust for perpetual protection. 

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May
05

Photography exhibit speaks language of the landscape

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When photographer Jon Stuart first visited the Stillwater wetland off Moodie Drive in the early days of the pandemic, he could tell something was a little off.

Tree branches stuck out of the water, but there were no trees nearby. In the distanced towered a lone mature elm tree – an unusual wetland resident. 

  1546 Hits
Jan
26

Winter wetlands: what's happening under the ice?

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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.

  7468 Hits
Aug
14

Restored Black Rapids wetland keeping Rideau River clean

No Swim advisories are no fun, but our aquatic experts are working hard to keep our water and beaches clean – one wetland restoration at a time.

The Black Rapids wetland project is a perfect example of how a natural feature like a wetland can act as a water treatment plant to filter pollution out of the water - reducing the impact on our summer fun at the same time.

  2839 Hits
Aug
07

Wildlife reclaiming wetlands near DND campus

You know what they say: "If you build it, they will come." But that old adage isn't just for haunted baseball fields – it also applies to wetland projects right in the heart of Ottawa's greenbelt.

Last fall, staff at the RVCA and the National Capital Commission created 10,000 square metres of new wetland habitat along Stillwater Creek, just south of the new DND headquarters off Moodie Drive and Highway 417.

Thanks to observations from the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, which is located nearby, staff at the NCC and RVCA discovered the wetland had been suffering annually from extreme low water conditions. Most of the year the wetland was completely dry, dominated by long, reedy grasses that don't encourage much biodiversity.

  2400 Hits

Contact Us

Address:
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
3889 Rideau Valley Drive
Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5

Phone:
613-692-3571, 1-800-267-3504

Email:

Hours:

Regular Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Member of: conservation ontario