Stittsville wetlands community group gets funding from Ottawa Stewardship Council
(Photo from left to right: Janet Stavinga, President, FoSW, Steven Klein, Vice-President, FoSW, Janet Mason, Chair of OSC, and Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower. Near the Poole Creek Bridge off of Beverly Street and Coach Avenue, just north of Johnny Leroux Arena.)
“Protect, restore, regenerate, and rewild Stittsville’s Wetlands for future generations.” The mission of the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands (FoSW) is building momentum as the new volunteer, community-based organization receives its first grant from another local environmental non-profit.
FoSW are thrilled to announce that they have received a major grant of $3500 from the Ottawa Stewardship Council (OSC). This funding will help the newly created not-for-profit organization build its capacity to protect a provincially significant wetland that is on the doorstep of Stittsville and threatened by continuing development pressures as well as policy changes by the Province of Ontario in late 2022.
This unique ecological treasure is less than one kilometre from Stittsville’s Village Square Park. It is accessible by the TransCanada Trail – Canada’s national trail and the longest network of multi-use recreational trails in the world.
This wetland, known as the Goulbourn Wetland Complex, covers over 906 hectares, and provides a home to Species at Risk including Blanding Turtles, Snapping Turtles, and over 150 species of birds (eBird), including four Species at Risk. This wetland also serves as a habitat for a variety of species, including Northern Spring Peeper, bullfrog, muskrat, raccoon, beaver, mink, red fox, coyote, white-tailed deer, and red squirrel.
The portion of the wetland of particular interest to the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands is located immediately west of the urban boundary of Stittsville and north and south of the TransCanada Trail.
This portion also includes the headwaters of Poole Creek, which runs through the heart of Stittsville. The upper portion of Poole Creek, west of Stittsville Main Street, is considered a cold or cool water stream – and one of only two in Ottawa. It is recognized as a crucial and rare aquatic habitat. The long-term health of Poole Creek is dependent on the overall health of its headwaters, found within the Goulbourn Wetland Complex.
Stavinga, President of FoSW, former Mayor of Goulbourn, and former Ottawa City Councillor stated, “This funding from the Ottawa Stewardship Council will help the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands increase public awareness and build community action to protect our wetlands and reverse the impact of the changes made by the Province of Ontario in 2022. These policy changes rolled back decades of progressive environmental protection measures and we are already seeing adverse impacts on the health of our wetlands.”
“The OSC shares FoSW’s mission of protecting these wetlands, which provide ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, water storage and release during drought and flooding, and improving water quality,” said OSC Chair Janet Mason.
“This funding from the Ottawa Stewardship Council is a great step in supporting this new organization dedicated to advocating for the protection of our wetlands,” said Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower. “It is also recognition of all the hard work that Janet Stavinga, Steve Klein, and the community have put into establishing the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands since last Spring. Congratulations!”
Funds for FoSW came from a reserve held by OSC that it received in 2014 from Waste Management as part of its community compensation for the landfill on Carp Road. “OSC is glad that the compensation funds continue to be used for environmental stewardship in Stittsville that benefits all residents and wildlife,” stated Mason.