Displaying items by tag: erosion

June 10, 2019 – Planting trees and shrubs along your shoreline can protect your property from flood damage – and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority is now booking site visits to help get the job done.

The RVCA’s Shoreline Naturalization Program offers landowners low-cost technical guidance, project management and all the native trees and shrubs you need to build a robust natural buffer along your waterfront.

These strategically-placed plants have hearty roots that hold soil in place so it doesn’t wash away during periods of high water, or in high-wake areas. There’s no need for expensive rock “rip rap” or other high-tech engineering – Mother Nature already knows what to do.

A three-metre natural buffer also discourages geese, reduces runoff and provides crucial wildlife habitat.

This spring, RVCA staff installed a total of 11,500 native plants on 63 private properties across the watershed. They also worked with a number of community groups to naturalize public shorelines.

Staff are now booking site visits for the 2020 spring planting season, and this year waterfront residents in the Tay Valley subwatershed can participate completely free of charge.

How does it work?

RVCA staff will visit your property between June and October to discuss your vision and assess planting potential. Then they’ll develop a unique plan for your property, including recommendations for the best native species for your property’s growing conditions. They’ll also discuss how you’d like to maintain your water access, seating areas and view.

From there, you can choose which subsidized plants you’d like based on your custom planting plan and the RVCA’s available species list, and staff will order them for you. In spring 2020, staff will deliver your plants and, if you choose, even do the planting for you!

Why naturalize?

Ninety per cent of all river life depends on a healthy shoreline to survive. But this “ribbon of life” also plays a crucial role in filtering out pollutants, reducing erosion and easing flood risks. By adding a natural buffer between your home and the water, you are protecting the health of our drinking water, ecosystems and shores.

For more information, visit https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/shoreline-naturalization/shoreline-naturalization-program. To book a site visit contact Meaghan McDonald.

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PERTH, May 15, 2023 – Staff and volunteers duelled thick grass, invasive species and hardened shorelines last weekend as they planted nearly 1,200 native trees, shrubs and wildflowers along the Tay River in Last Duel Park.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) partnered with the Town of Perth to implement the major shoreline naturalization project at the former campground. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund provided funding.

All told, staff and volunteers helped naturalize more than 350 metres of shoreline on May 13. 

The new plantings in three areas along the existing pathway left room for three lookouts over the Tay River, and in some areas favoured low-growing plants to preserve the view for path users.

Natural shorelines are the “ribbon of life,” with more than 90% of lake and river species depending on the intersection of land and water at some point during their life cycles. Natural shorelines also help to reduce erosion as deep-rooted native plants and trees hold the soil in place in the face of wake, wind and runoff. They also slow stormwater so it has time to soak into the ground, filtering contaminants in the process and improving local water quality. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Town of Perth to bring this project to life,” said RVCA’s shoreline naturalization co-ordinator Brandon Holden. “It may not look like much right now, but once these plants and trees take root residents will reap the benefits of this healthy shoreline for decades to come.”

This won’t be the last duel for the new shoreline plants, though. They’ll contend with competing grasses and invasive species for at least three years as the new plants take root and begin to grow. To aid them in their battle, coir mats have been deployed to suppress weeds and grasses around many of the seedlings. While the planting areas are designated no-mow zones, some maintenance may be required if existing grasses or invasive species begin to out-compete the native plants. 

“We extend a huge thanks to the volunteers who came out over the Mother’s Day weekend to improve their park and support natural climate solutions in their community,” said Shannon Baillon, Director of Community Services at the Town of Perth. “We look forward to enjoying a more beautiful shoreline for years to come.”

RVCA offers generous financial and technical support for shoreline naturalization for any waterfront landowners in the Rideau Valley watershed. Learn more and book a site visit at https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/shoreline-naturalization/shoreline-naturalization-program.

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