Posted: September 5, 2019

What has Ottawa Riverkeeper accomplished this year?

The fourth and final blog in our Riverkeeper announcement series lists some of what Ottawa Riverkeeper has accomplished this year, as well as looking forward to what awaits our new Riverkeeper in the months to come!

You have been waiting a long time for this… We are now ready to share with you the identity of our new Riverkeeper! To set the stage for this exciting announcement, we want to explain how this unique position allows our organization to play a leading role in the protection and promotion of our amazing watershed. So stay tuned and read on. The big reveal is just around the bend!  

This year has been one of many milestones at Ottawa Riverkeeper. By the end of 2019, we will have added four new positions, developed partnerships with three municipalities in Ontario and Quebec, brought our projects to countless areas of the watershed, recruited dozens of additional volunteers, removed hundreds of pounds of litter from our shorelines and waterways, and secured major funding agreements with governments, corporate entities, and private foundations – all for innovative activities that protect and promote clean and accessible waterways.

Oh, and one more accomplishment: We are welcoming our new Riverkeeper and introducing her to the world this week!

Here is a sample of the programs and projects that will keep her happily busy as she settles in and begins to shape the next chapter in our dynamic history:

  • An exciting project that involves diving expeditions in the Ottawa River to learn about the habitat of the hickorynut mussel
  • An ever-growing network of active Riverwatchers spread out throughout the watershed
  • A new, multi-year initiative that will coordinate community-based water monitoring and data analysis to better understand the health of the Ottawa River watershed
  • The second cohort of our Youth Water Leaders Program
  • Frequent shoreline cleanups that bring citizens of all backgrounds and ages together

Finally, we never miss an opportunity to foster collaboration and enhanced transparency between key players in the watershed. This is exactly what we did in the spring when communities along the Ottawa River struggled with record flooding. We also called on authorities to coordinate their investigative efforts after the four fish-kill incidents on the Lièvre River in July.

Bringing people and organizations together to develop tangible solutions will continue to be an integral part of the Riverkeeper’s role, one that we know she will fulfil with expertise and ingenuity! Stay tuned for our announcement tomorrow!

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