SNC Committed to Restoring and Enhancing Public Natural Spaces
South Nation Conservation (SNC) manages over 20,000 acres of Community Forest and Lands across its 4,441 square-kilometer jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario.
Guided by on-the-ground data collection and field monitoring, SNC identifies properties every year in need of environmental stewardship and restoration work to protect, restore and enhance natural cover, ecosystem function, and wildlife habitat.
The Conservation Authority undertakes this work in partnership with its municipalities and relies on the support of federal, provincial and community partners to finance restoration activities.
SNC planted 130 trees along the East York Creek near the pedestrian bridge on Renoir Drive in Embrun to help restore natural vegetation in this area. SNC has also partnered with the municipality to repair streambank erosion in three sections of the creek over the next two years.
The Conservation Authority also allocates significant resources every year to removing and replacing dead or dying Ash trees infected by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer and monitoring other invasive species on public land.
Thanks to the support from Ontario Power Generation (OPG), SNC is replacing infected Ash trees at the J. Henry Tweed Conservation Area in Russell and will be gearing up to remove hundreds of trees from properties in the City of Ottawa.
Several SNC properties including the Leitrim Wetland in Ottawa and the Robert Graham Forest in South Dundas were sustainably treated this year for invasive Phragmites (also known as the European Common Reed).
Several additional restoration projects were recently completed or started with the support from municipal and community partners, including areas in Ottawa, Russell, North Dundas, and South Dundas.
Trails at the Robert Graham Conservation Area in South Dundas were resurfaced this summer and new culverts were installed to help alleviate some of the seasonal flooding.
New accessible pedestrian bridges were also installed at the J. Henry Tweed Conservation Area early in 2020, along with some nearby tree planting.
A newly expanded parking lot at the High Falls Conservation Area in Casselman will also welcome and accommodate boat and trailer parking next year. Replacement trees were also recently planted, with more planned for next spring to help “spruce” up the park.
Plans are in the works for more improvements next year at SNC Conservation Areas through municipal partnerships and regional investments from community partners.
“We’re proud of the natural restoration and property enhancements we undertook this year, as staff continued to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to protect our local environment on behalf of our member municipalities and community partners,” says John Mesman, SNC’s Communications Lead.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Taylor Campbell, Communications Specialist, 1-877-984-2948, tcampbell@nation.on.ca.
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