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.

May 17, 2018 — RIDEAU VALLEY WATERSHED — More than 30 new classes will be visiting the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s two flagship outdoor education centres thanks to special funding through the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation, the Ottawa Community Foundation and TD Friends of the Environment. Subsidies are now available to cover busing costs for schools visiting Baxter and Foley Mountain. Separate subsides are also available to priority schools visiting Baxter who need assistance covering program and busing costs.

Baxter Conservation Area, located in the City of Ottawa near Kars and Foley Mountain Conservation Area in Westport will welcome some 1,800 additional students during the 2018-2019 school year thanks to this funding. Owned and operated by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) these two popular outdoor destinations offer education programming year-round to nursery schools, day cares, home schooling groups, public and private schools and community groups. Each year, over 10,000 children participate in these interactive, curriculum-based programs.

“Our outdoor programs are carefully crafted, innovative and reflect the Ontario curriculum,” said Andrea Wood, Baxter Conservation Area Supervisor and Interpreter. “We are so excited to offer this special funding — we want everyone to access our programs because the best way to learn about nature is to experience it.”

Programs can be a half-day or a full-day and look to provide students with a strong understanding of our natural world, how it functions and how humans fit into it. Topics include beaver pond ecology, forest habitats, orienteering and snowshoeing. All programs are interactive and experiential to provide students with a “hands-on” approach to learning about natural science in our “Ecology Lab.”

"We are constantly looking for ways to make our programing more accessible,” Rebecca Whitman, Foley Mountain Conservation Area Supervisor and Interpreter. “We look to remove barriers — through accessible trails, low program cost and now special subsidies.”

Teachers who are interested in this opportunity are invited to contact Baxter and Foley Mountain Conservation Areas directly.

“We are looking to foster a lifelong relationship between children and the natural world,” said Ms. Whitman. “Learning outdoors is a wonderful adventure and we believe children learn best by doing.”

To learn more about outdoor education programs, day camps and other outdoor learning at Baxter and Foley Mountain Conservation Areas, visit www.rvca.ca.

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The Ottawa Community Foundation is a public, non-profit organization created by and for the people of Ottawa. It connects donors who care with causes that matter and serves as a trusted resource for addressing issues and leveraging opportunities in the community. It attracts and manages a growing endowment, the invested earnings of which provide grants to charitable organizations. For more information, visit www.ocf-fco.ca.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority is one of Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities. The RVCA is responsible for furthering the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in the watershed. The Rideau watershed covers 4,234 square kilometres in eastern Ontario and is home to over 620,000 people. For more information, visit www.rvca.ca.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is a registered environmental charity working to help protect and conserve the lands and waters of the valley of the Rideau River in Eastern Ontario. The Conservation Foundation builds partnerships and seeks new individuals, corporations and groups wanting to get involved in the vital work of taking care of our own natural environment. For more information, visit www.rvcf.ca


TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) is a national charity that funds environmental projects across Canada. With the support of more than 180,000 donors, TD FEF has provided approximately $89 million to over 26,000 environmental projects and programs. For more information, visit https://fef.td.com/. 

May 15, 2018 – By this statement the Flood Warning issued on April 30 for Bobs and Christie Lakes is terminated.

The water level on Bobs Lake has receded to the ‘Full Supply’ threshold. No significant rain is presently forecast for the next four days. Therefore, levels on both Bobs and Christie Lakes can be expected to continue to recede toward normal summer levels over the rest of the week. Rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday is not expected to be enough to raise levels again.

Caution is still needed around lakes and rivers with water still cold and above normal in some locations.

May 15, 2018 – By this statement the Flood Warning issued on April 30 for Bobs and Christie Lakes is terminated.

The water level on Bobs Lake has receded to the ‘Full Supply’ threshold. No significant rain is presently forecast for the next four days. Therefore, levels on both Bobs and Christie Lakes can be expected to continue to recede toward normal summer levels over the rest of the week. Rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday is not expected to be enough to raise levels again.

Caution is still needed around lakes and rivers with water still cold and above normal in some locations.

May 10, 2018 – The Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Conservation Authorities are advising residents that water levels appear to be stabilizing. Some nuisance flooding (Petrie Island, Boise Wood) has occurred. Rain that fell this morning was not enough to have an impact and there is no rain forecast for the next five days that would cause levels to increase again. Water levels will gradually decline to normal summer levels over the next two weeks barring the development of a significant weather system..

Note that streambanks are slippery along the Ottawa River, water is fast moving and still very cold. Children should be informed about the hazards and kept away from all watercourses as levels fluctuate with the spring weather.

This message will lapse on May 15, 2018 unless conditions warrant further messaging.

Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board http://ottawariver.ca/river-levels-flows.php#river-levels-flows-7-days for more information.