Category: Environment

Ecology Ottawa Tree Fundraiser

Check out Ecology Ottawa’s Tree Fundraiser and help plant Ottawa’s future tree canopy! They are working with Ferguson Tree Nursery to offer you an amazing deal on 7 different native tree seedlings. By participating, you will not only be helping to green-up your community, but you will help support the important work of planting, protecting, and promoting trees in Ottawa.

[Ecology Ottawa Tree Poster]
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The Ottawa River & Remic Beach

Subject: The Ottawa River & Remic Beach
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2020 02:58:40 +0000 (UTC)
From: Dan Wilcock <CPCADan@gmail.com>

With many of us turning to activities close to home this year, there has been an increase in recreational activity along the Ottawa River, including at our local spot, Remic Beach. If you have been wondering about your options and the quality of the water, there are a number of relevant resources available.

[Water Samples from Remic Beach]

City of Ottawa Supervised Beaches

During summer, the City of Ottawa collects water samples daily from its supervised municipal beaches, including Westboro Beach, and tests for the presence of E.coli bacteria. Water samples will be collected between June 27 and August 30, 2020. For water sampling results at supervised beaches, please visit the City’s page:

https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-services/beach-water-quality-results.aspx

Swim Guide – Remic Beach page

Swim Guide publishes water quality information for a wide variety of locations. Remic Beach has a separate page on Swim Guide, showing results of E.coli testing, supported by Ottawa Riverkeeper. However, the frequency of testing differs from the City of Ottawa and the results are only a likely representation of water quality. Relevant status updates and information can be found here:

Plage Remic Beach – ORK | Swim Guide

[Remic Beach at the end of Carleton Avenue in July 2020]

Water Rangers

With support from the Water Rangers program, the Champlain Park community has also been monitoring other water health parameters in the Ottawa River such as temperature, clarity, pH, hardness, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and conductivity. Regular testing is establishing baseline data, allowing more meaningful long-term observations of our river’s health. Water quality results are available at:

https://app.waterrangers.ca/locations/2513

Dan Wilcock is a member of Riverkeeper’s riverwatcher network and is leading local water quality monitoring. For any questions contact Dan at CPCADan@gmail.com. Please report any pollution concerns to Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Pollution Hotline at 1-888-9KEEPER.

Additional information about locations and activities on our reach of the river is available here: https://champlainpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/celebrating-our-ottawa-river-1.pdf

However you choose to play along the Ottawa River, please stay alert for hazards such as currents, deadheads and changing water levels – and remember to use appropriate safety equipment such as personal flotation devices. Stay safe and have fun!

The Seeds and Soil Home Garden Project

Just Food and the City of Ottawa’s Human Needs Task Force announce…

The Seeds and Soil Home Garden Project

Are you looking for a way to increase your food supply with a home garden? There is still time to plant greens, beans and other food for your home use.

Just Food and the City of Ottawa’s Human Needs Task Force are partnering to provide free seeds and soil to 3000 households living on lower incomes in Ottawa.

Home gardens are a great way to grow your own food, stay active, and support positive mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Distribution starting Tuesday, June 16. First come – first served! All information found here: https://justfood.ca/garden2020/

For further information or for interviews, please contact:
Moe Garahan, Executive Director, Just Food
moe@justfood.ca 613-600-7636

Trees Still Available for Planting – Reminder

Following up on the previous post about saplings being available:

Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:25:28 -0400
From: DANIEL BUCKLES <dbuckles@sas2.net>

Spring time trees

Are you one of the lucky ones with a front yard unimpeded by hydro wires? Do you have a backyard with space to breath? Want to start the next generation of the elder tree in your yard? There are still a few baby Bur Oaks (Heritage Champlain Oaks) and baby Sugar Maples available from my backyard nursery. They will become big trees, so not for tiny spaces. Curb side pick up available at Daniel Avenue, by sending an email to dbuckles@sas2.net.

Trees available for Planting

Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 17:02:16 -0400
From: DANIEL BUCKLES <dbuckles@sas2.net>

Want to plant a tree, while practicing physical distancing in your yard? I have Champlain Oaks (Heritage Bur Oaks) and Sugar Maples in pots, available for you to pick up. These are very small saplings, but in 20 years will grow to be very large trees! They need room to grow, so may be best suited to backyards or frontyards with no obstructions.

Call Daniel at 613-807-8048 to arrange to pick up at the end of my driveway.

Salt in our River

From the Ottawa Riverkeeper Newsletter for January 30 2020:

Salt in the Watershed

Did you know that road salt can be toxic to aquatic environments? For several years we have shared the downsides to using road salt, given tips to reduce personal usage, and recommended alternatives.

But what if you could directly measure the impact of road salt on our watershed? This winter we are piloting a new community based monitoring initiative, which will involve sampling water at local creeks to determine the changes in the level of salinity over the season. Data will be collected by a team of volunteers and these findings will lead to a deeper understanding of how the levels of salt applied in snowy weather are changing your river.
Continue reading “Salt in our River” →

Results from the Workshop on Climate Solutions

Subject: Proceedings of the Workshop on Climate Solutions and Ottawa’s New Official Plan
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2020 13:01:53 -0500
From: Daniel Buckles <dbuckles@sas2.net>

Hello. We are delighted to share with you results from the workshop “Climate Solutions and Ottawa’s Official Plan”, held at Bayview Yards November 15 and 16, 2019 and attended by more than 120 people.

The new website, https://www.ottawaclimatesolutions.net/ includes priorities and policy actions developed by 11 discussion groups, on Nature, Food, Buildings and Transportation, as well as the Economy. It also contains several outstanding videos relevant to the ongoing development of Ottawa’s new Official Plan (from Dianne Saxe, former Environment Commissioner for the Province of Ontario, and from Mitchell Beer, the Managing Editor of Ottawa-based The Energy Mix).

Importantly, the site provides you with an opportunity to comment and contribute to the ongoing development of “The People’s Plan for Ottawa’s Climate Emergency”. To do so, and to build momentum behind climate action, Sign Up to the Forum.

Finally, hold the date March 7, 2020 for the next workshop of the People’s Official Plan (POP), to be hosted by the Healthy Transportation Coalition, the Federation of Citizen’s Associations, Ecology Ottawa, The Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital and other partners in the POP working group. It will focus on organizing informed action against expansion of the current urban boundary by showing that just and healthy intensification is possible!

Daniel Buckles (CAFES and Board member of the Greenspace Alliance) and Paul Johanis (Chair of the Greenspace Alliance)

Workshop on Climate Solutions and Ottawa’s New Official Plan

Daniel Buckles (dbuckles@sas2.net) writes:

On November 15 and 16 more than 100 people gathered for a day and a half at Bayview Yards in Kitchissippi to discuss the climate crisis and define priority actions that must be included in Ottawa’s new Official Plan. It built on the People’s Official Plan for Ottawa’s Climate Emergency, an initiative launched last April.

For background on these initiatives and the organizations involved, and some of the key outputs so far, follow this link: http://greenspace-alliance.ca/index.php/policy/policy-ottawa-city-hall/workshop-on-climate-solutions-and-ottawas-new-official-plan/
Continue reading “Workshop on Climate Solutions and Ottawa’s New Official Plan” →