South Nation

Board Members appointed by South Nation Conservation’s (SNC) 16 member municipalities were confirmed at the Authority’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, September 17^th, 2020.

George Darouze, Councillor for the City of Ottawa’s Osgoode Ward, was elected the new Chair. Pierre Leroux, Mayor of Russell Township, was elected Vice-Chair, and Bill Smirle of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry was confirmed as Past Chair.

The South Nation Conservation (SNC) Water Response Team has terminated Level I (minor) low water conditions for the Lower South Nation River, Bear Brook, and Castor River Subwatersheds in SNC’s watershed jurisdiction.

Throughout the past several weeks, Eastern Ontario has received average or above average precipitation for this time of year. This has helped to replenish local watercourses and has returned most stream flows within the three subwatershed regions to normal.

As fall approaches, it is a special time for many residents in the area. The crisp cool air brings a change in the seasons and summer gives way to autumn, and hunting season.

South Nation Conservation (SNC) owns and manages over 13,000 acres of community forests, wetlands, and grasslands across its 4,441 square-kilometre watershed jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario; over 8,500 acres of which are accessible for hunting with permission from SNC.

South Nation Conservation (SNC) is reminding property owners from across its 4,441 square-kilometer watershed jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario that now is the time to plan for your spring 2021 tree planting projects!

SNC is currently booking site visits and accepting orders for locally sourced native trees and shrubs offered at reduced rates through a variety of planting programs administered by the Conservation Authority.

The South Nation Conservation (SNC) Water Response Team has downgraded the Lower South Nation, Bear Brook and Castor River Subwatersheds to Level I (minor) low water conditions effective August 13, 2020.

In the past couple of weeks Eastern Ontario has received significant rainfall, bringing some relief to drought conditions and helping to replenish ground and surface water across the three subwatersheds.

The Upper South Nation Subwatershed continues to experience Level II (moderate) low water conditions due to persistent hot and dry weather in the region.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic forced many people to stay home and cancel their summer plans, South Nation Conservation’s (SNC) public Conservation Areas across Eastern Ontario are serving as a refuge for many seeking to get out of the house and explore their local environment.

While many agencies closed their parks, trails, and public forests, SNC worked with its member municipalities and local health units to keep as many sites open as possible throughout the spring, and finally safely opening all of its seasonal parks on May 19, 2020.

With continued lack of adequate rainfall across the South Nation Conservation (SNC) jurisdiction, the SNC Water Response Team has upgraded the drought advisory notice from Level I (minor) to Level II (moderate) low water conditions for the entire watershed effective July 23, 2020.

With support from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG), South Nation Conservation (SNC) planted over 400 native trees and shrubs alongside County roads in North Dundas and North Stormont last month.

SNC delivers the Roadside Tree Planting Program on behalf of the SDG Counties and is responsible for ordering stock, planting, maintenance, refilling and monitoring these sites until they can grow on their own. New sites are selected by SNC and County staff every year.

Ontario has extended Family Free Fishing to July 19^th, and South Nation Conservation (SNC) is encouraging families from across Eastern Ontario to get out fishing along the South Nation River.

The South Nation River is 175 kilometres long, beginning north of Brockville and empties into the Ottawa River near Plantagenet.

Through various monitoring initiatives, SNC has determined that there are at least 72 species of fish in the River, including smallmouth bass, pike, crappie, walleye, muskie, catfish and carp.

The South Nation Conservation (SNC) Water Response Team has upgraded the Level I (minor) low water conditions issued on June 29^th to Level II (moderate) low water conditions for the Upper South Nation Subwatershed.

The Upper South Nation Subwatershed includes portions of Augusta, Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, Elizabethtown-Kitley, South Dundas, South Stormont, North Grenville, North Dundas, North Stormont, Russell, Casselman, and Nation. The remainder of the South Nation Watershed will remain in Level I (minor) low water conditions.