RC co-stewarding project

Renfrew County Co-stewarding Milestones

1998 - Lake Clear Conservancy, Renfrew County's first land trust

1999 - Bonnechere River Watershed Project, Renfrew County's first watershed organization

2001- Ottawa River Institute, Fostering sustainable communities and ecological integrity in the Ottawa River watershed.

2001- Ottawa Riverkeeper, A grassroots charity that brings together volunteers, communities, businesses and all levels of government to find solutions to the problems that threaten the health of the Ottawa river.

2003 to 2011 - BRWP completes assessment of the health of the Bonnechere watershed

BRWP began monitoring water quality in selected streams in 2003 and in 2008 with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation was able to develop a RiverWatch program to encourage public interest in valuing the importance of streams in the Bonnechere watershed. To help accomplish this a long term monitoring program was created to provide water quality assessments based upon biological and water chemistry elements. The bio-monitoring of 28 tributaries spread throughout the watershed and water quality testing 9 sites along the main stem of the river was conducted with the expectation that each would be re-assessed every 5 years

2012 to 2016 - Renfrew County Stewardship Forum fosters interaction across watersheds

The Renfrew County Stewardship Forum was initiated to connect people and organizations with an interest in the environment, a strong sense of place, and a concern about the future. Tackling our environmental, social and economic challenges requires collaborative action among a diversity of people and organizations with strong convictions and the courage to act on them. The Forum aims to foster intense interaction, networking and information exchange about what’s happening to our communities and our environment, so that we can adopt innovative partnerships and approaches and take effective action. Now is the time. Together we can shape our future to sustain our collective values and communities.

The inaugural Renfrew County Stewardship Forum, “Fostering Adaptive Collaboration”, focused on our changing climate and the collaborative, non-regulatory approach used by Muskoka Watershed Council to advance stewardship and to foster innovation. The second Forum, focused on the Centre for Sustainable Watershed’s shoreline surveys, the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority’s research on implications of changing climate on water management, and proposed community collaboration to address water quality issues in Muskrat Lake. The third Forum, “Celebrating Our Watersheds: Trails and Tributaries”, featured discussions on active transportation, trail development along the abandoned CP rail line, and water quality concerns in the Muskrat and Bonnechere watersheds. The fourth Forum, “Towards Watershed Planning”, focused on water quality and the County’s proposed new Official Plan. The fifth Forum, “Our Trails, Our Future”, focused on community involvement in developing trails and trail networks in the Ottawa Valley, with a particular attention on the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT) along the former CPR rail corridor.

2014 - Muskrat Watershed Council, Renfrew County's second watershed organization

2015 - Water Quality in Renfrew County: How can Agriculture Play a Role?

2016 - A non-regulatory Watershed Council for Renfrew County Chart 1, relationships. Chart 2, structure

2017 (February 23) - Motion No. 104 (Parliament of Canada) The Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development is instructed to undertake a detailed study with regard to the creation of an Ottawa River Watershed Council

2017 (March) - Ottawa River Watershed Governance: making the case for a Watershed Council