Displaying items by tag: wetlands

Sept 30, 2019 – They say hindsight is 20/20 – and future generations may not like what they see if we don’t act now to protect and conserve our natural areas.

That’s why the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is excited to launch Conservation 2020: a major campaign to raise $125,000 toward keeping our natural areas in public hands forever.

The Foundation is a proud steward of more than 1,259 hectares of healthy, protected ecosystems throughout the Rideau River watershed. These are crucial habitats — forests, wetlands and shorelines — that work hard to reduce our risk of floods, clean our water, stop erosion and store vast amounts of carbon to keep our communities healthy and resilient in the face of climate change.

They are the lifeblood of our region, supporting vast, interconnected ecosystems that are increasingly fragmented or lost entirely to development and human activity.

Some properties are entirely untouched, left to their own devices to provide important green infrastructure functions for our communities. Others are public, close-to-home oases providing an antidote to the daily grind and stresses of daily life.

But they all cost money to maintain: whether it’s for property taxes, insurance or trail maintenance, the Foundation requires a steady stream of income to protect these green spaces in perpetuity.

Donations to the Conservation 2020 campaign will be invested in the Steve Simmering Conservation Land Endowment Fund, which marks its 10-year anniversary next year.

The fund was established in 2010 in memory of Steve Simmering, an active outdoorsman and vice chairman of the Foundation. The endowment has slowly been growing to provide a small stream of income to support our vibrant and vital outdoor spaces.

But more is needed to keep our natural areas secure forever.

“Today, the need to protect our conservation lands is increasingly important,” said Foundation chairman Jason Kelly. “Our 2020 campaign will look to grow this endowment fund, ensuring our local natural areas are protected and held safely in public hands.”

The Foundation, which turns 50 next year, is seeking investments large and small. Whether your family has $100 to spare or you lead a large corporation looking to make a lasting, local impact, your contribution will go directly toward conserving green space in your community for future generations.

Donors of large investments (between $10,000 and $25,000+ over five years) will be recognized in our media outreach and on the Foundation’s donor board. They’ll also receive some fun extras for the office, like complementary annual passes to our conservation areas, free facility rentals and even a staff retreat.  

To invest in the region’s natural lands, contact Foundation executive director Diane Downey at 613-692-3571 ext. 1126 or .

For more information about how the endowment works, visit https://www.rvcf.ca/ways-to-give/steve-simmering-conservation-lands-endowment-fund.

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October 22, 2019 – A provincially significant wetland will get a makeover this winter, thanks in part to a $55,000 grant from Wildlife Habitat Canada.

The Hutton Creek Marsh near Lombardy has become a monoculture: choked and overgrown with cattails, only 10 per cent of the marsh is now open water.

Crews will construct three 0.5 acre ponds and 500 metres of channels to help return the wetland to a healthier hemi-marsh state (50 per cent vegetation and 50 per cent open water). 

This will provide new fish passages and areas for spawning and feeding, and will support critical life stages for amphibians, turtles and other wildlife. This healthier water-to-vegetation ratio is also ideal for waterfowl and would support the greatest biodiversity. Creating more open water will also restore local access for paddling, fishing and hunting.

Construction could begin as early as November. Crews will wait until the marsh has frozen to keep impacts to wildlife and water quality low.

This work is Phase 2 of a long-term project to bring the important wetland back to a more natural, productive state. In 2015, the nearby Motts Mills Dam was decommissioned and replaced with an earthen berm. In 2017, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) lowered local water levels to help staff study the wetland and determine the best way to address the crowded cattails.

A dedicated group of local stakeholders made this project possible, including the RVCA, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Leeds and Grenville Stewardship Council and the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (UCLG), which owns the property where the work will take place. Support of local residents has also been key to the project’s success.

The project is jointly funded by Wildlife Habitat Canada, Leeds and Grenville Stewardship Council, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Zone F, Ducks Unlimited Canada, UCLG, RVCA and the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation. 

The Wildlife Habitat Canada grant represents more than 40 per cent of the project’s total cost. The primary source of funding for the grant program is from the purchase of the Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp (Canadian Duck Stamp) by waterfowl hunters.

To learn more about how the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation works to protect wetlands and waterways in the region, or to donate to the cause, visit www.rvcf.ca.

For more information about Motts Mills Conservation Area and the Hutton Marsh, visit https://www.rvca.ca/conservation-areas/no-fee-required/motts-mills-ca.

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ELIZABETHTOWN-KITLEY, March 11, 2020 – Winter restoration work on the Hutton Creek Marsh is now complete to the delight of the many dedicated partners who made the project possible.

This work completes Phase 2 of a long-term project to bring the provincially significant wetland near Lombardy back to a more natural, productive state. Over the years, the provincially significant wetland located near Lombardy had become a monoculture: choked and overgrown with cattails. Only 10 per cent of the marsh was open water which had negative impacts on its biology, ecology and hydrology.

Hutton Creek Marsh is an amazing sample of Ontario’s provincially significant wetlands. This 300-hectare marsh found upstream of the Motts Mills Berm is part of the much larger Otter Lake - Hutton Creek Wetland Complex which covers 722 hectares. Five individual wetlands make up a palustrine wetland complex, meaning there is a permanent flow of surface water into the wetland from various creeks and out below the Motts Mills Berm into Hutton Creek and on downstream to the Rideau River.

In 2015, the nearby Motts Mills Dam was decommissioned and replaced with an earthen berm. In 2017, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) lowered local water levels to help staff study the wetland and determine the best way to address the crowded cattails. In 2019, work began to increase the open water features of the marsh. Crews looked to build 1.5 acres of open water ponds and add 500 metres of channels to help return the wetland to a healthier hemi-marsh state (50 per cent vegetation and 50 per cent open water). 

These improvements will support increased diversity for various plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and turtles. This healthier water-to-vegetation ratio is also ideal for waterfowl. Creating more open water will also restore local access for paddling and hunting. It is hoped that the diversity and abundance of species will return to what was in the 1970s and 1980s.

Some final work will be done this in the coming months to add habitat structures, distribute vegetation seeds and plant water-loving shrubs at the construction site.

Special thanks to the dedicated group of local stakeholders and funders who made this project possible including Ducks Unlimited Canada, Leeds and Grenville Stewardship Council, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Zone F, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (UCLG), Wildlife Habitat Canada, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation.

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RVCA Responds to Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act

RIDEAU VALLEY, Nov. 10, 2022 – Taxpayers, municipalities and our natural systems will bear the costs of the Province’s affordable housing legislation released last month.

While the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority strongly supports efforts to address the ongoing housing crisis, many of the proposed changes related to conservation authorities will have significant impacts and costs while doing little to increase housing supply. 

“Improvements to the system must never be at the expense of protecting people and their properties from flooding, erosion and slope failures, or protecting the very features that reduce these risks such as wetlands,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Proposed changes and their impacts:

• Weakening the regulatory ability of CAs to protect people and property from natural hazards like flooding, erosion and slope failures - leading to greater risk of property damage and public safety.
• Eliminating the CA’s ability to address water quality issues through planning and permitting, leading to increased nutrients and sediment in lakes and rivers. We know from the 1990s this causes excessive weed growth and algae blooms that have economic impacts on property values, agriculture, tourism, recreation, fisheries and sources of drinking water for many residents.
• Reducing wetland evaluations and protections, leading to increased flooding, erosion and drought, as well as diminished groundwater, which is the source of drinking water in much of rural Ontario. Studies have shown the loss of wetlands in the Rideau watershed would increase flood levels by 10%.
• Downloading more responsibilities to municipalities who have indicated will lead to inefficiencies, delays and increased risk and costs.
• Freezing development fees, which will pass development costs to taxpayers instead of growth paying for growth. 

“We are calling on the Provincial Government to reconvene their multi-stakeholder Conservation Authorities Working Group to consider the impacts of these proposed changes,” said Casgrain-Robertson, who is a sitting member of the working group. “The working group has proven it can provide effective recommendations to government that increase housing supply without jeopardizing public safety, dismissing natural systems or downloading additional responsibilities to municipalities.” 

The Ontario Association of Municipalities (AMO) shared similar concerns, stating “many of the proposed amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act and the Planning Act in Bill 23 are concerning, as they signal a move away from environmental protection at a time when climate change impacts are being felt more at the local level. Bill 23 proposes sweeping changes to the regulatory responsibilities of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities that, if passed, will undermine the collaborative and productive changes put forward by the Ministry led Conservation Authority Working Group over the past two years”.

It is well understood that water flows across municipal boundaries – and so do the impacts of development. That’s why over the past 70 years, municipalities have formed 36 CAs across Ontario to assess and understand the cumulative impact of development within each watershed. At a time when climate change is causing more frequent and intense storm events, the role of CAs has never been more critical.

“CAs have proven they are not a barrier to development, but rather facilitate sound and reasonable growth,” said Pieter Leenhouts, Chair of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. “They have been modernizing their policies and procedures, streamlining approvals, reducing timelines, meeting and reporting on service standards and promoting pre-consultation with applicants to provide the best service possible to municipalities, communities, residents and developers.”

Not a barrier:

• The Province’s “Housing Affordability Task Force Report” introduced 55 recommendations to increase the housing supply in Ontario, and CAs were not named within the report. 
• CAs save municipalities and developers time and money, as the cost-efficient CA system allows member municipalities to share the expertise of CA hydrogeologists, biologists and engineering staff to review planning applications instead of each hiring their own – a huge savings for taxpayers. 
• CAs also save the Province and taxpayers money by reducing the financial impacts of severe flooding like Eastern Ontario experienced in 2017 and 2019. The province’s own Special Advisor on Flooding, Doug McNeil, in his 2019 report found that Ontario’s unique CA system remains the fundamental reason why Ontario has not seen the same catastrophic flooding impacts in the billions of dollars as Alberta and BC, which do not have CAs to direct development away from high-risk areas.

“CAs are recognized as a cost-efficient, collaborative partner,” said Casgrain-Robertson. “We are committed to helping Ontario meet its housing goals by ensuring safe and sustainable development that balances the needs of people and the environment, the economy, and local ecology.”

For more information about the RVCA and CA roles and responsibilities, visit www.rvca.ca.

To learn more, or to provide input on the proposed changes, visit the Environmental Registry of Ontario for these Notices:

• Proposed updates to the regulation of development for the protection of people and property from natural hazards in Ontario (ERO number 019-2927)
• Legislative and regulatory proposals affecting conservation authorities to support the Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 (ERO number 019-6141)

ERO 019-2927 also includes a Consultation Guide on how to provide your input.

To read Bill 23, visit the Ontario Legislative Assembly at this web page at Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

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RIDEAU VALLEY, Nov. 17, 2022 – More than 30 Eastern Ontario mayors have endorsed a Conservation Authority letter to the province expressing concerns with provincial Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.

The letter, written by 10 Eastern Ontario CAs, was sent to Premier Doug Ford and relevant cabinet ministers earlier today. 

“We are overwhelmed and incredibly grateful for the support we have received from local municipalities,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. “It was disheartening that this bill only had a 30-day consultation period given the magnitude of the proposed changes and that this short consultation period fell during the turnover of municipal councils.” 

In their letter, the Eastern Ontario CAs outline six key concerns with the bill and how the changes will negatively impact local development review processes, download new responsibilities to municipalities, increase costs to taxpayers, increase the risk of flooding, erosion and slope failure and damage the local environment. 

But the CAs also provide recommendations to the province of how to improve Bill 23 and call for meaningful consultation with CAs, municipalities, and the development and agricultural sectors to identify real solutions that will increase housing without having unintended and irreversible consequences. 

It is well understood that water flows across municipal boundaries – and so do the impacts of development. That’s why over the past 70 years, municipalities have formed 36 CAs across Ontario to assess and understand the cumulative impact of development within each watershed. At a time when climate change is causing more frequent and intense storm events, the role of CAs has never been more critical.

Learn more:

• Eastern Ontario Conservation Authority Joint Letter to Premier Ford, Minister Clark, Minister Smith and Minister Piccini (PDF)
• RVCA Responds to Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act

Provide input on the proposed changes through the Environmental Registry of Ontario:

• Proposed updates to the regulation of development for the protection of people and property from natural hazards in Ontario (ERO number 019-2927)
• Legislative and regulatory proposals affecting conservation authorities to support the Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 (ERO number 019-6141)

Consider sending our sample letter to your local MPP:

• Sample letter regarding Bill 23 impacts to Conservation Authorities (Word Document)

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