News from: April 2018

May 25, 2018, OTTAWA — Funding partners and over 60 guests gathered to celebrate the opening of the newly refreshed and rehabilitated Baxter Pond.

Located at the Baxter Conservation Area, the Baxter ASL Pond is visited annually by over 5,000 students from kindergarten to university looking to learn about pond ecology. It is home to frogs, fish, turtles, birds and aquatic invertebrates and visited by children who get to observe the diversity of life hiding along its shores and in its cool waters. It is here where students learn about freshwater pond habitat and how animals adapt to life under water. Equipped with nets, basins and sporting good old-fashioned rubber boots, students get up close and personal with the animals that call the pond home.

Although still teeming with life, the pond wasn’t as healthy and resilient as it could be. Dry summers were taking a toll on the shallow pond. It was time to gently deepen its bed, thin-out excessive vegetation, add wood materials as habitat, plant shoreline shrubs and install new platforms for future outdoor learning. And thanks to several community-minded partners, the pond was able get the TLC it well deserved.

The project was jumpstarted with an in-kind donation by ASL Agrodrain – Earth Works Contractors. From here, additional funders were quick to jump onboard and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s (RVCA) rehabilitation plan was put in motion.

“The pond is a remarkable, vibrant area — and these restoration efforts will only make it better,” said Jennifer Lamoureux, RVCA Biologist who oversaw the project. “Last summer was quite wet, this meant that the pond habitat was really robust and meant that over 4,000 fish, frogs, tadpoles and turtles were relocated by RVCA staff last fall before the restoration project began. This included six largemouth bass and a brown bullhead with eight yearlings. We are confident that deepening the pond will only improve its biodiversity and ensure it continues as a special spot for children to explore and learn.”

The newly restored pond now boasts a variety of side slopes that allow for more diverse plant growth and also provide safe learning areas for keen kids. Wood material, in and out of the water, now acts as homes for fish, frogs and turtles while freshly planted native trees and shrubs will add to the pond’s shoreline vegetation. 

In the meantime, educations programs are fully booked over the next few months to the end of the school year. “We are excited to welcome children back to the pond,” said Andrea Wood, RVCA Area Supervisor and Interpreter. “Our programs are interactive and provide students with a hands-on approach to learning and the Baxter ASL Pond is an important part of the experience.”

Special thanks to the funders who made the restoration project possible: ASL Agrodrain, the Canadian Armed Forces Fish and Game Club, Canon Canada, City of Ottawa, Don Maciver Memorial Fund, Kiwanis Club of Manotick, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Zone F, TD Friends of the Environment, along with Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation.

Photo: Funders of the Baxter Pond Restoration Project gather to unveil the new interpretive sign developed as part of the improvement efforts — (left to right) Jeanine Maciver (Don Maciver Memorial Fund), Michael Poliwada (RVCF Executive Director), Adrian Smith (Manager TD Bank, Manotick), Ryan Polkinghorne (Project Manager Surface Water Engineering Support Services, City of Ottawa), Bill McShane (ASL Agrodrain President), Sommer Casgrain-Robertson (RVCA General Manager), Sandro Ricci (ASL Agrodrain Vice President of Business).

Project Status: Complete

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) has completed a hazard mapping study for Nichols Creek from the Montague Boundary Road to the Jock River.

These maps are typically known as “floodplain mapping” and they show areas that are prone to natural hazards such as flooding, erosion and natural environment features such as wetlands. 

When completed, the mapping will be used by the City of Ottawa when updating their Official Plan and Zoning Schedules and in the review of development applications under the Planning Act. RVCA will also use the mapping to guide the review of development applications submitted under the Province’s Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses Regulation.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend our open house (date to be announced) and/or provide comments on the mapping below. Conservation Authority staff welcome historical records of past flood events, news clippings, photographs and even anecdotal stories to help confirm the reasonableness of calculations and resulting hazard mapping. For those unable to attend the open house, comments can be sent to Ferdous Ahmed, RVCA Senior Water Resources Engineer at .

These mapping studies are being completed as part of the City of Ottawa Hazard Mapping Project.

These studies are being done through a collaboration — known as the City of Ottawa Hazard Mapping Project — involving the City of Ottawa and the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation Conservation Authorities. The City recognized a need to update its zoning schedules based on up-to-date flood risk mapping and has provided contributions enabling the Conservation Authorities to move ahead with these studies sooner than would otherwise be possible. The RVCA is currently working on several studies in the Ottawa area. Get more details on RVCA ongoing Flood Risk/Hazard Mapping Studies here.

May 22, 2018, OTTAWA — The City Stream Watch Program is looking for volunteer “scientists” to help monitor, protect and cleanup Ottawa streams. Now is the best time to get involved — a Stream Watch Training Session will be held for volunteers on Saturday, June 2. The training session will welcome new volunteers and introduce them to the basics of stream sampling and environmental data collection. 

“The City Stream Watch program is driven by volunteer participation and gives the community a chance to contribute to the health of their local streams,” said Chelsey Ellis, City Stream Watch Coordinator. “By helping to assess these unique urban features, volunteers play a crucial role in environmental protection and enhancement.”

This year’s City Stream Watch Training Session is scheduled for Saturday, June 2 from 10 a.m. to noon along the shores of Sawmill Creek. All necessary equipment is provided and there is no cost to volunteers; however, pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, please contact Chelsey Ellis, City Stream Watch Coordinator at .

This year the City Stream Watch Program is collecting data on Taylor (Orleans), Mud (Gloucester), Black (Gloucester/Mer Bleue) and Nepean Creek (Nepean). The 2018 sampling season will focus on assessing the habitat, water and shoreline conditions of the stream, and includes fish community sampling. There are also additional opportunities for cleanups, shoreline planting and invasive species removals.

“Over the last 16 years the City Stream Watch Program has enlisted the help of over 2,400 volunteers, contributing over 14,000 hours towards conservation projects and monitoring,” said Ellis. “Anyone who wants to get involved is welcomed.” 

The City Stream Watch program is a community-based partnership, which includes the City of Ottawa, the Canadian Forces Fish & Game Club, the Ottawa Flyfishers Society, the Rideau Roundtable, the Ottawa Stewardship Council, National Capital Commission and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. 

For more information about the program, including the reports of streams previously studied, please visit www.rvca.ca/volunteer/city-stream-watch.