General

Recent changes to the Conservation Authorities Act and its regulations will come into effect on April 1, 2024, providing Conservation Authorities across Ontario with amendments that have been anticipated for some time.

Again this year, campers are able to book their campsites online for Otonabee Conservation’s three campgrounds: Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, Beavermead Campground, and Lakefield Campground.

Land owners can purchase native bare-root tree seedlings. Orders can be submitted online starting on Wednesday, February 7th, with pickup in spring. The order deadline is Sunday, March 17^th.

Bobcaygeon Brewing Company and McThirsty’s Pint announced that the second edition of their ‘Community Brew’ collaboration series raised $1,751.50 in support of Otonabee Conservation's Jackson Creek Trail.

For the first time since before the pandemic, the Otonabee Conservation Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in person on January 18th, 2024. Watershed residents, supporters, donors, staff, and members of the board of directors joined at the Riverview Park and Zoo Rotary Education Centre to celebrate Otonabee Conservation’s accomplishments in 2023.

Have you heard of frazil ice? Frazil ice is a kind of slush ice. It can form in watercourses when cold air temperatures and wind chill combine to cause surface water temperature to be super-cooled.

Otonabee Conservation Board and staff are pleased to provide a first draft of a new Strategic Plan for your review and input.

Review the Draft Strategic Plan and please send you comments to Janette Loveys Smith, CAO/Secretary-Treasurer at jsmith@otonabeeconservation.ca or 705-745-5791 by Monday, January 29, 2024.

The final draft will include the other relevant sections, will be formatted, and designed accordingly. 

300 trees and shrubs planted at Riverview Park and Zoo at 2024 TD Tree days event

Peterborough, Ontario (September 23, 2024): On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Otonabee Conservation worked with 59 volunteers to plant 300 trees and shrubs along the shoreline of the Otonabee River at the Riverview Park and Zoo.

This planting was supported by TD Tree Days, a program which contributes to the TD Ready Commitment target of helping plant 1 million trees by 2030. Otonabee Conservation has participated in this program since 2012 and have helped plant over 2,500 plants locally. This year, TD is working together with 75 different organizations including Otonabee Conservation to plant over 30,000 trees and shrubs. This will add to the more than 520,000 trees & shrubs that volunteers have planted through TD Tree Days since 2010. In alignment with the TD Ready Commitment, TD Tree Days events are helping to create a more vibrant planet by growing and enhancing green spaces in communities within the TD footprint.

The native species planted included Fragrant Sumac, Nannyberry, Serviceberry, Gray Dogwood, and Chokeberry. These species will support natural diversity, help to mitigate climate change, provide shade and stabilize soils along the shoreline. This planting supports the efforts of the Riverview Park and Zoo to naturalize the shoreline of the Otonabee River. This provides many benefits including protecting water quality as this area is located near the source of drinking water for the City of Peterborough.

“The installation of the trees and shrubs is a fantastic way to engage the public in meaningful activities that make a tangible difference to the environment” said Janette Loveys Smith, CAO/Secretary-Treasurer at Otonabee Conservation.

Cathy Mitchell, Manager of the Riverview Park and Zoo explained that “the support of Otonabee Conservation and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation through this planting event will enable us to further enhance the natural area along the shoreline of the Otonabee River, which is one of the goals of the Riverview Park and Zoo”.

Otonabee Conservation is dedicated to advancing our mission through collaborations like these, which promote stewardship and support sustainable growth in our region. To learn more about Otonabee Conservation’s ongoing efforts in stewardship and climate change strategy, visit otonabeeconservation.com.

For more information contact:

Meredith Carter | Manager, Watershed Management Program

Otonabee Conservation

mcarter@otonabeeconsersvation.com | 705-745-5791 Ext. 223

25 community volunteers and staff from Peterborough Humane Society and Otonabee Conservation planted 125 native trees and shrubs at the Peterborough Humane Society Animal Care Centre.