South Nation

 A three-year partnership with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will allow South Nation Conservation (SNC) to expand programs that restore and create habitat for plants and animals in woodlands, grasslands and wetlands.

"SNC is pleased to be working with OPG, to support conservation initiatives in the communities in which we operate" said Karen Paquette, SNC Project Lead.

It’s live! The Raisin-South Nation Source Protection website has been re-designed and re-launched in both official languages this week. The website is user-friendly and contains helpful links for Municipalities, property owners, and businesses that live and work in the drinking water protection areas.

South Nation Conservation continues to focus on making life easier for what has become a rare regional fish species, the American Eel.

In September, three temporary eel ladders were installed on SNC water control structures at Crysler, Chesterville and Russell. Made of wood, plastic and metal, the ramps designed to facilitate eel migration will be removed at the end of October; the plan is to reinstall them in June.

South Nation Conservation in partnership with the South Nation Branch of Delta Waterfowl is proud to celebrate the annual Youth Hunt within the South Nation River Watershed, will full registration for the 7^th consecutive year!

Have you ever considered becoming a “citizen scientist”?

South Nation Conservation is always looking for volunteers to help out with its Stream Watch Program which includes monitoring watercourses, tree planting, wildlife habitat enhancement, and invasive species removal.

The program has been funded by a Royal Bank of Canada Blue Water Grant in the amount of $78,650.

“It’s a great way for interested volunteers to become citizen scientists active in a variety of projects,” said SNC Fish and Wildlife Technician Philip Duncan.

This article was featured in Trailwise, the Weekly E-Bulletin of the Ontario Trails Council (OTC) – the provincial trails association in Ontario. Week of September 18, 2014.

SNC would like to thank the OTC for featuring this article and to the Seaway Valley Arabian Horse Association for co-authoring the article.

Continuously improving, South Nation Conservation staff has implemented a new tool that allows them to provide early-warning to residents of the 4,200 square-km jurisdiction.

The short version of the program name is easy to remember: WISKI. The acronym stands for Water Information System Kisters.

Kisters is the name of the software company offering the program in question to companies and organizations around the world. In the case of flood forecasting, the emphasis is on speed in capturing relevant data.

One of the best ways to get a close-up view of the local landscape is by coach. You don’t have to focus on the driving, you’re up high looking through expansive windows, and the seats are extra comfy.

That’s just part of the attraction of the annual South Nation Conservation fall bus tour coming up September 23^rd, rain or shine. The bus departs SNC offices in Finch at 8 a.m., returning at 4 p.m.

SNC Stream Watch Crew is at it again! On Tuesday August 19, volunteers from RBC Embrun helped to remove Japanese Knotweed from a stream bank along a Castor River Tributary. This invasive perennial plant spreads quickly, creates dense thickets, and degrades wildlife habitat. Originally used as an ornamental plant in gardens, this plant competes agressively with other native plants in the area and limits biodiversity. It is also readily transported along riparian zones by flowing watercourses.

Rare in the watershed, an American Eel was netted during South Nation Conservation’s recent hoop netting monitoring program.

It was one of 18 different fish species netted in an ongoing effort to examine diversity on the South Nation watershed covering 4,200 square-km of Eastern Ontario.

The eel wasn’t the only exceptional find in the catch-and-release program conducted annually by SNC technicians; this year, the targeted area was Lemieux Reach between Casselman and Plantagenet.