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Rural Ottawa Lands Issues
Since its inception in 1970, the Ottawa Valley Chapter of CPAWS (CPAWS-OV) has been involved in conservation issues within the National Capital Region, including preserving Gatineau Park and smaller protected areas such as Morris Island Conservation Area, and opposing inappropriate residential development in other sensitive natural areas such as the Carp Hills and Leitrim wetlands. Gatineau Park, in Quebec, is the focus of our Gatineau Park Committee. On the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, our Rural Lands Committee is addressing issues within the rural lands of the recently-enlarged City of Ottawa.
Through its community involvement initiatives, the Chapter has become greatly concerned as the rural areas of the City of Ottawa come under increasing pressure from urban sprawl, land speculation and other developmental pressures. These issues are putting pressure on public lands such as the Greenbelt, Marlboro and Larose Forests as well as privately owned lands.
Public lands
The threat to the Ottawa regions public green spaces is evident in the recently-released City of Ottawa white paper which proposes residential developments for much of the Ottawa Greenbelt. The Greenbelt circles the original city on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. It provides an irreplaceable connection for the movement of wildlife through an ever-expanding urban landscape. Residential development of selected portions of the Greenbelt would destroy this connectivity, which is important at both the local and at the broader eco-region scale.
CPAWS-OV strongly opposes residential development anywhere in the Greenbelt, and calls for a comprehensive study on how the Greenbelt can best serve to protect the area’s wildlife and wildlife habitat connections.
Private lands
For the most part, rural residents are great stewards of their land, and often have an intimate understanding of the vegetation and wildlife that shares this space with them.
Increasingly, with the loss of the small family farm, large scale agri-business has moved to replace them, upsetting the traditional balance that once existed. Instead of small land holdings of mixed agriculture, one finds that small woodlots and fencerows, areas that are essential for wildlife habitat and migration, are being removed and replaced by large open areas dedicated to monoculture crops such as corn for ethanol. These large open areas result in the loss of wildlife habitat, as well as soil erosion due to lack of anchor vegetation during the off growing season.
Ottawa has the biggest landmass of any city in Canada, representing a region greater than half the size of Prince Edward Island. The city consists of 90% rural land and only 10% urban and sub-urban. The population is the inverse of this with only 85,000 rural residents of an estimated total of 875,000 City of Ottawa residents. Therefore, it is easy to see the challenges that are faced in preserving the rural countryside forests and fields, with little political weight of population.
As we enter into an era of high cost and scarce energy, with movements such as “the 100 mile diet” now becoming common in much of North America, CPAWS-OV is looking at ways to assist the rural residents of Ottawa to maintain their standing as the natural land stewards to protect and preserve land for agriculture, conservation and for the protection of wildlife and fresh water.
This section of the Chapter Website will showcase rural issues and upcoming rural events of interest to all residents, as well as public meetings on conservation initiatives in the rural areas of the city.
For more information on the Rural Lands campaign or to get involved on the committee, please contact Nick Tilgner at Nicholas_a55@hotmail.com.
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Take Action!
Development in the Greenbelt – Yes or No?
The city is undergoing an Official Plan review, part of which examines the need for additional land for urban purposes. The Plan considers whether a discussion of urban land should include the option of some development within the Greenbelt.
You can be part of the discussion by reading the White Paper (below) and answering the Greenbelt Survey by no later than September 30, 2008.
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Documents:
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City of Ottawa White Paper - PDF
- The Green Cottager - A comprehensive compilation that includes valuable information as well as useful tips on how you can become a green cottager.
- Food Connects Us All - Sustainable Local Food in Southern Ontario - PDF
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Links:
- Rural Connections - An online resource for everything rural in the city of Ottawa
- The Ontario Stewardship Council
- The Ottawa Stewardship Council
- The Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Association - Dedicated to Restoring, Protecting, and Maintaining Natural Areas from Algonquin to Adirondack
- Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF)
- Ottawa Riverkeeper
- Ottawa Farmers' Market