Friends of the Tay Watershed


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What's New in the Tay Watershed

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  1. Website redesign
      We have redesigned our website to make it easier for you to find what you are searching for and to make it more efficient for us to make changes. To go to our new website, please click here.
  2. Groundwater Research in Tay Watershed
      An interim report on research in the Tay watershed was presented by Dr. Kent Novakowski, of the Civil Engineering Department, Queens University, at the Tay Watershed Stakeholders' Meeting on May 6, 2008.
      Click here for a summary slide show from this presentation.
      (Webmaster's note: Graphics and numerous slides have been removed to reduce the file size. With most recent browsers, this file will show as a slide show by clicking on the "Slide Show" icon and using your left mouse button to change slides.)
      Click here for Queen's University Research website.
  3. Kayak Dock is launched
      Volunteers met on May 20th to install the new kayak dock in the Perth Basin. This dock will make it much easier for kayakers and canoeists to launch and exit their boats right in the Perth Basin. Volunteers assembled in March to construct the dock in the Crystal Palace. This project is the result of a collaboration among Friends of the Tay Watershed, the Town of Perth and Adventure Agent. Funding was provided by Valley Heartland. The dock was designed and built by Friends of the Tay Watershed volunteers - Mel Dillon, Frank Roy, David Martin and David Taylor. Click here to see more and larger pictures.
  4. Historica award winners
      David Tysick was the winner of the FoTW award for the best Tay Canal or River project. David is a Grade Eight student at Glen Tay School and lives in Tay Valley Township. David's display is particularly timely as next year is the 175th Anniversary of the Tay Canal. Click here for a picture of David's display.
      Honorable mention went to the Sucker Lake Train Wreck display by Mitchell Crain, of Maberly. Mitchell is a Grade Seven student at Glen Tay School. Click here for a picture of Mitchell's display.
  5. Flood warning ~ April 9, 2008
  6. Flood Advisory ~ April 4, 2008
      RVCA adises that flows in all watershed rivers and streams are expected to rise gradually each day over the next week with the peak flow occurring towards the weekend of April 11-13.
      Click here for more information
  7. Kayak dock for Perth Basin
      Volunteers assembled in the "Crystal Place" on March 25th to construct a kayak dock for the Perth Basin. This dock will make it much easier for kayakers and canoeists to launch and exit their boats right in the Perth Basin. This project is the result of a collaboration among Friends of the Tay Watershed, the Town of Perth and Adventure Agent. Funding was provided by Valley Heartland.
  8. Flood Advisory ~ March 18, 2008
      RVCA adises that above average peak flows and water levels are expected on all streams in the Rideau Valley when the snowpack melts.
      Click here for more information
  9. Citizens’ Inquiry on Impacts of Uranium Cycle
      The FoTW has been asked to help communicate information about the Citizens’ Inquiry on the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle
      Click here for information.
  10. Otty Lake Management Plan Completed
  11. 2008 Spring Tree Sale
      The Perth Civitan Club and ecoPerth are once again offering tree seedlings for sale this coming spring. This would be an excellent source for those wishing to improve their waterfront buffer areas. For more information on ordering the trees, please click here.
  12. Ducks Unlimited Perspective on Water
      Jamie Fortune, Regional Director for Ducks Unlimited Canada will do a presentation on on their major wetland conservation program. This is the second in the "Perspective on Water" series offered by the Friends of the Tay Watershed. Come and find out why Ducks Unlimited has the most water taking permits on the Tay and why that is a good thing.
      7:30pm, February 13th, PDCI Library, Perth
      Click here for more information
  13. Draft Otty Lake Management Plan
      The Otty Lake community has reached another milestone in planning for the long-term health of their lake. The draft Otty Lake Management Plan is now available for community review at www.rideauvalley.on.ca/programs/LMP_Program/otty_lake.html.
      Based on the information about the Otty Lake Watershed that was summarized in the Report on the State of Otty Lake and its Watershed, the draft Otty Lake Management Plan includes goals, objectives, actions and tasks that address the major issues identified by the lake community. All comments about the Draft Otty Lake Management Plan should be sent to ottylake@sympatico.ca before February 19, 2008.
      Paper copies of the draft Plan are available for public review at the Tay Valley Township and Drummond North Elmsley Municipal Offices and at the Perth and District Union Public Library.
  14. Come to our AGM
      January 29, 2008, 2:30 pm for coffee and 3:00 pm for AGM
      Dufferin Square Boardroom, Room 202, 105 Dufferin Street, Perth
      (located behind Wendy's and above Sears)
      Click here for details
  15. Watershed Google Map
      Want to find a particular location within the watershed? We have put up a link to Google Maps in our Image Gallery (click here to try it ).
      The map that comes up when you click on this link centers on the Tay River near Glen Tay. From here, you can either scroll to the desired location or enter the nearest street address and use the zoom feature for the desired view. The satellite option also provides an interesting view and you can easily move around by using the scroll and zoom features.
  16. Tay Watershed Times - December 2007
  17. Geology and Mining Report
      The report entitled "Geology, Mineral Deposits and History of Mining in the Tay River Watershed" is now available on-line. This report, written by geologist Donald Sherwin, for the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association contains a wealth of geological and mining information for our watershed. It includes references to the occurrence of uranium in our watershed, as well as a detailed mineral occurrences map. The Print version is also available from the Friends of the Tay Watershed.
      Clck here for the report.
  18. Project Porchlight Needs Volunteers
      Project Porchlight is a non-partisan, non-profit, campaign which will distribute over 500,000 free cfl bulbs across Ontario. This is a door-to-door campaign, providing a free bulb to each household. They are currently looking for volunteers to help them with this project. Volunteers may choose the street they wish to distribute to and are given bulbs and materials. You can get more information on their project by clicking here and information on how to volunteer in your area by clicking here.
  19. Source Water Protection Committee Members Announced
      The joint Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Source Protection Authority Boards of Directors have announced the names of 13 people appointed to the local Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Committee (SPC), including Carol Dillon, member of the Board of the Friends of the Tay Watershed.
      Click here for press release.
  20. Review of Watershed Discovery Evening
  21. "Watershed Discovery Evening" ~ 6:30pm, Thursday, October 18, 2007
  22. Honorary Patron for FoTW
      We are pleased to announce that the Honourable James Bartleman, former Lieutenant Governor for Ontario, has accepted the position of Honourary Patron of our association. Mr. and Mrs. Bartleman are new residents on the Little Tay in Perth.
  23. Tay River Watershed Groundwater Research
      Queen`s University (Department of Civil Engineering) is conducting innovative groundwater research in the Tay Watershed. Project leader Dr. Novakowski and his graduate students are conducting research in the areas of fluid flow and contaminant migration in fractured rock formations using a series of test wells in the area. This is an eight year study into several aspects of groundwater migration, rural contamination and sustainability, including investigations of nutrient management practices, groundwater recharge, bacterial and nitrate contamination, and groundwater - surface water interaction in a Canadian shield environment. They have set up a website to summarize and share their research to date with short project summaries and links to articles, posters and presentations (click here to access). It will updated a few times a year as new material becomes available.
  24. Check out your mineral rights
      Because there is considerable confusion about which properties have retained the mineral rights with surface rights, in Ontario, we have posted an explanation of how to determine this on the Internet ~ click here for further information.
  25. Radiant City Movie Invitation
      You are invited to attend a screening of the movie Radiant City to take place at the Port Elmsley Drive-In, on Wednesday, August 1, at 7:30 ~ click here for details.
  26. Native Plant Workshop
      Lake residents are invited to a free Native Plant Workshop at Tay Valley Township on Sat. June 23rd at 1:00 ~ click here for more details.
  27. More Doors Open News
      The Perth basin will host a range of interesting and entertaining events, including several presented by the Friends of the Tay Watershed ~ click here for more information.
  28. State of Otty Lake and Its Watershed
      The final version of the Report on the State of Otty Lake and its Watershed is now available ~ click here for details.
  29. TD Foundation Renews Support
  30. Door Open News
      The 'Friends' will be presenting many interesting activities at Perth's 'Doors Open' event this year at the Perth basin, between 10:00 and 4:00 on June 9th. Come and take part in tours of the Tay River and Perth marsh on magnificent 34' voyageur canoes, guided by wildlife experts (departure 2:00pm - small charge) - participate in rope making and a lot of fun with the 'Kettle Boys' entertainment booth - find out what is coming up next in the development of the historic Perth Tay Trail and its heritage signs - and obtain a range of information on protecting our watershed lakes and streams. More information on the voyageur canoe programs is available by clicking here and on 'Doors Open' by clicking here.
  31. Wee Lassie won by Ann Drennan
      The draw for the the 'Wee Lassie" canoe was held on the main stage of Maplefest at 4PM on Saturday, April 28 and the lucky winner was Ann Drennan of Tay Valley Township. On hearing the news, Ann proclaimed that this was the first thing she had ever won in her entire life. Many thanks to all participants in this fund raiser for the preservation of the Tay Watershed.
  32. Voyageur Canoe Tours Come to Perth
      Beginning June 15th, 90 minute eco-adventure tours begin at Fiddleheads. A guide in voyageur outfit greets guests and escorts the group down to the Tay Basin while providing a short historical walking tour. The tour then continues down the Tay River through historic Perth and beyond in 34 foot authentic replicas of the traditional voyageur canoe. For more information, click here.
  33. Haggart Island Dam Reconstruction ~ Final Design Report
      RVCA has released the final design report for the reconstruction of the dams around Haggart Island in Perth. The full report is available for viewing on the RCVA website by clicking here (large PDF - 8.98 MB), or in hard copy in the Perth Library. We have also scanned the covering letter and a few excerpts to give you a sense of the contents of the report ~ click here to access (formatting may differ from the original report).
  34. Watershed Briefs
  35. Spring Runoff ~ long range Outlook
  36. FoTW AGM
  37. Pike Lake Secures Support
      The Pike Lake Property Owners Association has been selected as the second lake to receive assistance under the Lake Management Planning Program for the Tay watershed area.
      Click here for media release.
  38. 2006 Environmental Awards
  39. Silent Auction details finalized.
  40. FoTW and Ottawa Riverkeeper establish cooperation, between the top and bottom of the Rideau watershed!
      The Ottawa Riverkeeper website has taken the unsolicited initiative to publicize the FoTW "Watershed Discovery Evening". We wish to thank www.ottawariverkepper.ca for their initiative. Learn more about Ottawa Riverkeeper by clicking here.

  41. Friends of the Tay Watershed "Watershed Discovery Evening" ~ Thursday, November 23, 2006
  42. Shoreline Demonstration Site: Tay Valley Township, Harper Rd., Perth
    Date – April 25, 2006

      43. Volunteers from the Friends of the Tay Watershed, EcoScapes and the Lanark County Stewardship Council came out today to install a Shoreline Demonstration site at the Tay Valley Township office on Harper Road, Perth, Ontario.

      The project, which was initiated by Tay Valley Township, Friends of the Tay Watershed (FoTW), and EcoScapes, will be used to demonstrate shoreline plants to residents and best management practices for maintaining lake and river shorelines. A variety of native trees and shrubs were planted on site to showcase what locally available native plant varieties would look like on individual properties. An interpretive sign on shoreline buffer zones, a wildflower garden and low or no maintenance grasses including a fescue mix and clover are also showcased at this site.

      Funding for this project was received from the Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP) which is administered by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. Other project partners include: Parks Canada, Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority and the Lanark County Stewardship Council.

      Come check out the demonstration site in the near future! Work will be fully complete by the end of May, 2006.

  43. Omya Meeting ~ Feb. 7
      44. This meeting was held to report on the water taking by Omya Canada from the Tay River during 2005. Omya was granted permission for the taking of water from the Tay, when the flow is greater than 1.0 cubic metres per second, at a rate not to exceed 1,483 cubic metres per day. As a condition of its permit, the company is required to engage the services of a qualified consultant to prepare an annual report on water taking. In summary, the report by Senior Consultant W. Edgar Watt concludes that Omya was in compliance with the terms and conditions of its Permit for the calendar year 2005. According to this report, at no time during the period of water taking did the streamflow fall to the cut-off value of 1.0 cubic metre per second, nor did the rate of water taking exceed 1,483 cubic metres per day. Click on the following links to see charts, taken from this report, depicting:

  44. 'The Friends and Local Partners Receive Shoreline Demonstration Site Grant'
      A grant of $2,836 has been received from the Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP) fund to develop a site in Tay Valley Township for demonstrating proper practices for maintaining lake and river shorelines. The project, which was initiated by Tay Valley Township as an information source for residents, will be managed by EcoScapes and the Friends in cooperation with the Township. Work will start in the spring on the site - to be located beside the Township offices on Harper Road. An official announcement will be made at that time. The RCWP fund is administered by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, EcoScapes is a new, local firm providing rural property consultation services on shoreline protection, and related environmental planning and design services.

  45. Second notice of the Friends of the Tay Watershed annual public open house and exhibition, to be held November 22, 2005; 7:00 to 9:00 pm; Royal Canadian Legion Hall, Perth (click here for full notice)


  46. Early notice of the Friends of the Tay Watershed annual public open house and exhibition (click here for full notice)


  47. In October 2005, the FoTW Board of Directors toured the water and sewage treatment plants of the Town of Perth (click here for related picture)


  48. Attached is a press release about a new service we are providing on our web site - a gallery of aerial photographs and other images covering the Tay watershed (click here for the press release) ~ now with an optional slide-show format.

  49. The Ontario Trillium Foundation has awarded a $96,000 grant to a five-organization collaborative, lead by the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association, for their Tay Watershed Lake Management Planning Program. The three-year grant will be used to develop a cooperative approach to assist lake associations to undertake their individual lake management plans. The consortium is composed of the Friends of the Tay Watershed Association, Otty Lake Association, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, Tay Valley Township and the Community Stewardship Council of Lanark County. For more information:

  50. The Friends of the Tay Watershed have received a very generous donation from Nancy Kenyon of a St. Lawrence rowing skiff, originally constructed by Perth boat builder, Jack Walker. Pictured below are Nancy and her skiff in "dry Dock" and Nancy turning over her skiff to FoTW President, David Taylor.




  51. This site is currently under construction and as a result you may experience some anomalies.

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What's New

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