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Raisin Region Conservation Authority looks back on eventful 2022

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    • The River Raisin flowing through Williamstown south of Glengarry.Handout/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia Network supplied

    It was a 2022 record in one of the many areas of work done annually at the Raisin Region Conservation Authority.

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    The RRCA continued to support sustainable development by working with municipalities, businesses, farmers, developers and property owners on a record 335 development applications and inquiries, up from the previous record of 299 in 2021.

    “These processes are vital to ensure that development projects are safe from natural hazards such as flooding and erosion, and that natural heritage features are protected,” said Phil Barnes, team leader at RRCA watershed management.

    To protect people and tree planting and land tenure conservation, the past 12 months saw the RRCA continue its mission to conserve and restore the local environment, mitigate natural hazards and support sustainable development within of its watershed. jurisdiction in Cornwall and around SDG, the conservation authority said in its review report for the year.

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    “Year after year, our watershed-based approach to conservation enables local communities to collaborate with nature to ensure a better environment and a healthy future for the region,” said Martin Lang, president. of the board of directors of eight members of the RRCA. “The achievements of the RRCA this year are indicative of the strong and long-standing partnerships with our five member municipalities of Cornwall, South Glengarry, South Stormont, North Glengarry and North Stormont.

    “We also want to thank our staff, summer students, volunteers and government and community partners for their role in everything we’ve been able to achieve in 2022.”

    The RRCA also manages the Raisin-South Nation Source Water Protection program, which protects municipal waters sources of drinking water due to pollution and excessive use.

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    “The (protection region) encompasses a land mass of approximately 6,900 square kilometers and includes 26 municipal drinking water systems from groundwater and surface water,” noted RRCA Communications and Management Team Leader Lisa Van De Ligt, who is the project manager of the source protection region.

    The program is overseen by a source protection committee of 15 members, plus a chairwoman. In 2022, Ray Beauregard, a retired farmer and active community member, was reappointed as Chair by the Ontario Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

    In 2023, the RRCA will celebrate 60 years of conservation since 1963. And over the past six decades, the RRCA has acquired land to safeguard green infrastructure (such as floodplain lands and provincially significant wetlands that provide of stormwater management and reservoirs), improve tree cover, protect sensitive ecological habitat and provide recreational opportunities for the public.

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    The RRCA currently owns and conserves 1,664 acres of environmentally significant land, a number that was increased in 2022 with the donation of 115 acres of woodland by the Township of South Glengarry.

    “We are honored to have been chosen by the municipality as the steward of these forests, and we look forward to conserving this land in the future,” said Van De Ligt.

    The three RRCA Conservation Areas – Cooper Marsh, Charlottenburgh Park and Gray’s Creek – saw a number of improvements and initiatives this year, including new taxidermy displays and renovations to the Cooper Marsh Visitor Centre, the installation of signage orientation and trail signs, improvements to parking spaces, and several projects to improve biodiversity and habitats.

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    The RRCA also continued to encourage public and private landowner stewardship, adding nearly 60,000 trees to the local landscape by 2022 and continuing to facilitate the implementation of several agricultural stewardship best practice projects, such as wetlands, rangelands and buffers. The RRCA also hosts the ALUS Ontario East Program Coordinator, which helps deliver ecosystem services in agricultural lands.

    With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022, the RRCA returned to regularly hosting in-person events, including its Raisin River Canoe Race, Five Tree Giveaway events, Family Fishing Day, a series of educational workshops and six corporate and community tree planting events.

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    The RRCA also manages and operates eight water control structures within its jurisdiction, engages in regular surface and groundwater monitoring, monitors snowpack during the winter months, and assists its associated municipalities and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry with forecast and warning of floods and casualties. Water response programs.

    “I am proud of our team’s achievements in 2022,” said RRCA CEO Richard Pilon. “Our line of engineers, biologists, planners, technicians and field staff are all passionate about providing environmental services to multiple communities in ways that balance the protection of our environment and natural resources with human and economic needs.

    “We are especially grateful for the strong support the RRCA has received from our municipal partners this year.”

    The conservation authority encourages the community to stay up-to-date on its 2023 plans by subscribing to its monthly newsletter at rrca.on.ca.

    For more information, visit rrca.on.ca or contact (613) 938-3611.

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