2013 News and Events

9 December 2013 – Carp River Action Plan Update – Barrier Removal

IMG_2015 lo resThe Mississippi Valley Conservation  Authority (MVCA) has completed removal of three barriers across the Carp River at two sites just downstream from the Village of Carp.  The project is in partnership with the City of Ottawa, the Friends of the Carp River (FCR), shoreline landowners, and with funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). A tree jam was opened up and two abandoned farm crossings were removed as they can cause high flow velocities making it difficult for fish to migrate upstream to spring breeding grounds.  The structures can also cause ice jams creating flooding and erosion problems as the water creates a new path downstream. Now that the structures are removed, approximately 150 m of shoreline will be planted with local native trees and shrubs helping to restore the banks from historical cattle access and the disturbance caused when removing the bridge structures. This restoration is just one of the projects that the MVCA and the FCR plan complete over the next few years along the Carp River and its tributaries. If you are a shoreline resident and interested in participating in these stewardship activities, MVCA staff can help get you started. These projects are important to the quality of the Carp River; funds are available to provide advice, materials, and labour for your shoreline project. If you have any questions about the rehabilitation or want more information about private landowner projects, contact Kelly at the MVCA office 613-253-0006 or [email protected].

30 October 2013 – Carp River Action Plan Update

The Carp River Action Plan has MVCA staff busy lining up projects along the river with the help of the Friends of the Carp River and local landowners. Barrier removal was one of four main actions in the Plan. The MVCA will start work on some barrier removal downstream of the Village of Carp this December. These barriers were identified in the 2012 Carp River Assessment. School groups and community organizations are also on board to help complete shoreline rehabilitation projects along the river. Watch the MVCA web site for the macro stream assessment reports for Poole Creek and the Upper Carp River watersheds online in December. We’ll provide a link to them.

2 July to 11 July 2013 – Stream Assessment, Upper Carp River & Poole Creek

StreamAssessmentVolunteerThe Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority is running a macro stream assessment on the Upper Carp River in the Glen Cairn area and Poole Creek in Stittsville during the days and evenings between July 2nd until July 11th.  For this assessment volunteers, along with a member of MVCA staff, wearing waders will work their way along the water course and take detailed measurements every 50 and 100 meters. Each group will be made up of 2-3 volunteers and one staff member.

The Upper Carp River runs from NCC land (Old Quarry Trail, P5) at Eagleson Road near Hazeldean through Glen Cairn, emptying at Terry Fox Drive near Castlefrank.

26 May 2013 – Volunteer for Check Your Watershed Day on 9 June

Mississippi Valley Conservation is gearing up for some volunteer activities along the Carp River  this summer.  First event:  Check Your Watershed Day June 9.  All you need to do is walk a section of the river and collect data or, if you have transportation, drive to selected sites along the streams to capture the data.   MVC staff will lead you through the process.  You’ll record water temperatures, take photos at culvert and bridge crossings, and make note of clean-up sites.  This snap-shot of the watershed conditions helps MVC identify areas where conditions are not ideal and work toward fixing them.

Kinburn and Stittsville locations.  Sunday, 9 June, noon until 4pm.  Register on-line here or contact Tara at MVCA. 

13 May 2013 – Summer Student for the Carp River Watershed Returns!

Tara’s back!  She’s Mississippi Valley Conservation’s incredibly enthusiastic summer student organizing the volunteer monitoring and stewardship events in the Carp River watershed.  Great to have you back Tara!  If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please email Tara at [email protected].

6 May 2013 – How you can help the Carp River Action Plan receive $50,000

The Carp River is on course to receive up to $50,000 to support stewardship activities through the Shell Fuelling Change program – but we need your vote!

The Shell Fuelling Change grant is vote dependent with voting starting in May (now) and ending October 31 2013.  Supporters can vote online via website, social media and when they buy gas or products at Shell stations.

Eligible projects need to collect the most votes in order to receive their requested amount.  The Carp River Action Plan is listed on fuellingchange.com.   Here’s how you can vote:

  1. Buy gas or products at any Shell station so that you can redeem codes for votes.
  2. Browse the projects online and find the Carp River Action Plan under the Water category or go directly to this link:  Carp River Fuelling Change.com,
  3. Vote for the Carp River Action Plan.

You can also add votes by choosing your “Favourite” projects; subscribing to project updates; telling your friends on Facebook; and tweeting your votes.  All of this garners more votes for you to assign to the project of your choice.

For more information about this project and our partners contact Suzanne McFarlane, MVC Community Relations Coordinator.

April 2013 – Carp River Watershed Water Level and Rainfall Monitoring Recommences

Volunteers with Friends of the Carp River, in support of Mississippi Valley Conservation, are recommencing measurements of water levels and rainfall up and down the length of the Carp River watershed.  Last summer the MVC installed water level gauges at various points along the river to build a record that correlates rainfall with the level of the river as it flows 42km from Kanata through West Carleton into the Ottawa River.  See the link to the Carp River Monitoring Program for more details.

31 March 2013 – Carp River Annual Spring Flood

Flooding of the Carp River at the entrance to the village of Carp, spring 2013
Flooding of the Carp River at the entrance to the village of Carp, spring 2013