The Friends of the Tay Watershed are pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Water
Guardian Scholarships ~ Augusta Lipscombe and Eli Crapper of Westport.
ELi Crapper & Augusta Lipscombe receive their awards from Chris Stone (far left) and Carol Dillon & Colin Stephenson (right)
Ken Watson has just created the wonderful photo video of the Tay Canal from Beveridges Locks to the Town of Perth as currently shown on our Home page. Ken notes that "This short (6 minute) photo video will show you some of the sights at the Beveridges Lockstation and then carry on up the Tay Canal to the town of Perth. Beveridges features a locking through of classic boats, an osprey (and the osprey platform at the lock) and the tug Tay. Next stop is the dam on the Tay River and then up to Lock 5 of the 1st Tay Canal before carrying on into the Perth basin.
Click on the Play Arrow button in the middle of the video to start it. Note that the video defaults to playing at 480p, but you can select 720p HD once the video starts playing (look for "480p" in the lower right of the video once it starts playing, click on that, and then select 720p)
This is part of a south to north series of the Rideau Canal, each video focussing on a single lockstation and the waterway between it and the next lockstation." Ken's other videos to date can be seen at www.rideau-info.com/canal/videos/
Low Water Condition
September 27, 2011 – Based on streamflow and precipitation indicators, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is declaring a Level 1 Low Water Condition in the Rideau River watershed. Under this condition, all residents and industrial water users are encouraged to voluntarily reduce their water use by at least 10%. More information.
John Gittens
John Gittens~ helping at WDD 2010
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Friends of the Tay Watershed Board Member John Gittens on September 9th. John was a highly respected member of the Board and a free spirit who gave so much of himself to his passionately-held interests, particularly within the arts and environmental communities. John will be sorely missed by all who knew him,
because he made our community a better place. He is shown in a picture to the right, with his customary warm smile as he staffed the Friends booth at Watershed Discovery Day last September. Our deepest sympathies to Ruth
. For more information on arrangements and messages of condolence, please click here.
11th Annual Watershed Discovery Day
Sunday September 18 - Friends of the Tay Watershed present: ‘Watershed Discovery Day’ from 1 to 5 pm. The theme is Climate Change and there will be workshops and presentations by Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Paul Eggington and Franz Klingender, over 20 exhibits, interactive displays, Cool Captain Climate puppet shows, the Earthrise Players Watershed Beings, fish pond, tattoos and much more for the whole family. Free admission. Please join us for this Sunday afternoon celebration of the Tay for the whole family at the ECOTAY education centre ~ 942 Upper Scotch Line at corner of Menzies Munro Side Road. This year focussing on Children's Activities and Climate Change. Press Release Poster for 2011 WDD Schedule of Activities for WDD 2011 Lake 88 audio announcement Directions to get there Slideshow for WDD 2011 ~ NEW Tay Valley Township WDD Facebook Pictures
The Paddling Puppeteers and Cool Captain Climate Video (high speed preferable ~ click bottom right button for full screen video)
Paddle the Tay
On June 25th, twenty-seven 'paddlers' in 19 canoes and kayaks, from the Perth area and as far away as Ottawa, Manotick and Almonte, participated in a guided tour down the Tay Canal from Perth to Beveridges Locks. Along the way, experts from Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, Parks Canada, and Agriculture Canada provided comments and explanations of the local flora and fauna, and also history - the Tay Canal is now in its 177th year. The event was organised by the Friends of the Tay Watershed, in cooperation with the Community Stewardship Council of Lanark County. Thank you to Parks Canada for providing free passage through the Beveridges Locks. Click here for slide show of event.
Mills of the Tay
A revised version of the Mills of the Tay, written by David Taylor, is now avalable on our website. Click here for PDF version. (813 k)
Solutions for Shoreline Erosion
RIDEAU VALLEY, JUNE 14, 2011 — A new handbook is available to help landowners protect their shorelines. The Solutions for Shoreline Erosion Handbook goes beyond the traditional approaches to reduce erosion such as riprap or seawalls; it highlights options that use natural materials. Great for lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and drains across Eastern Ontario, the booklet shows different methods for different sites based on slopes, soils and space. It outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each method and includes contact information for agencies where permits and/or approvals might be necessary before starting a project. Click here for booklet (1.1MB PDF document)
Tay 175th Video
A retrospective look at the Tay Canal 175th Anniversary celebrations has been captured on video and is now available on this website. Click here for video.
Treasuring the Tay
The Canadian Federation of University Women, Perth held a panel discussion on April 18th on the topic "Treasuring the Tay....How can we make it safe for swimming again?" Panelists included Dr. Paula Stewart (Leeds, Grenville, Lanark Health Unit), Patrick Larsen (RVCA), Carol Dillon (FoTW), Grant Mahon (Town of Perth), Alfred Von Mirbach (ecoPerth) and John McKenty (Stewart Park Festival).
Meeting summary (to come) Picture of Panel Chart of E.Coli levels in Tay provided by RVCA ~ note rising trend above recognized safe count (100 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water) E.Coli Data for Tay provided by RVCA
Macroinvertebrate Survey Report Released
After several unexpected delays, the final report “Tay River Macroinvertebrate Survey-2009” has been completed.
Press Release (to come) Full Report(note: use your browser's zoom feature to select a comfortable text and image size for you.) Related News
Haggart Island Dams
At its Feb. 1, 2011 meeting, the Town of Perth Committee of the Whole supported the restoration of the Haggart Dam Project and referred it to the 2011 Budget Process for consideration. This project calls for the restoration of the Rainbow Bridge weir as soon as possible and the weir on the main channel within 3 to 5 years. Click here for RVCA presentation.(large PDF file)
Each year the Friends sponsor two local Grade 4 classes, providing bussing and volunteers to enable them to attend the Children's Water Festival at Foley Mountain. Click here for story and pictures.
Omya slurry spill report ~ Dec. 3, 2010
Omya reports that the cause of the slurry spill to Rudsdale Creek, dated June 23rd, 2010 has been identified and corrected, and that the results of the Ministry of the Environment water testing showed no impact on human health or the environment. Full Final Report Initial Report
Present weather forecasts call for rainfall this week of 50 millimetres (mm) or more. No overbank flooding is expected along the Tay River. The Rideau Canal reservoir lakes are all above targets for the time of year and levels can be expected to increase through Thursday. More information...
Bicycling is ‘taking off’ in the Perth area
A little-known treasure now available in Perth is the map of some of the most attractive bicycle routes in the area – and it can be downloaded at no cost from the Perth and District Chamber website. Produced by the Chamber’s ‘Cycling Committee’, the leaflet provides detailed directions for eight tours, and - most interesting - information on the sights and recommended visits along the way! The round-trip tours range in length from a leisurely 15 km. visit to historic Glen Tay hamlet, to beautiful Fallbrook or Fergusons Falls, both at 25 kms., scenic Murphy’s Point Park, 42 kms., and up to a serious 93 kms. to Maberly and back. The ‘Cycling Committee’ is to be commended for its ongoing work in developing facilities for bicyclists, and organizing cycling events in the area. To download the maps, visit the Chamber site at www.perthchamber.com.
Tay River Pathway
The Lanark County Municipal Trails Corporation unveiled its new Tay River Pathway Trail head Signs on September 8th. This marked the completion of the first phase of the project that will provide an accessible trail behind Lanark Lodge for people with disabilities. Phase 2 which will extend the trail to the Tay River is currently underway. Some members of the FoTW were part of the work parties on September 6th (Labour Day fittingly enough) and October 31st which cleared the trail and vistas to the Tay River itself.
Water now a human right
On July 28, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly agreed to a resolution declaring the human right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation.”
<More info....
Paddling Puppeteer at Stewart Park Festival
The Friends are sponsoring the Paddling Puppeteer at the Stewart Park Festival on Saturday July 17th. His free shows will take place near the Children's Tent in Stewart Park. Show times are 11:30 to 12:00, 12:30 to 1:00 and 1:30 to 2:00. Paddling Puppeteer Glen is a treat for kids of all ages. The Friends also have a booth at the Festival to help celebrate its 20th anniversary, so please plan to drop in for visit.
Accidental slurry release from OMYA Facility in Glen Tay
Late afternoon June 23rd, residents in the Glen Tay area noticed that the Tay River had turned quite green. The Friends of the Tay started making inquiries to determine the cause. OMYA was contacted, as was the Spills Ontario hotline. OMYA's has provided a news release providing known information to date, indicating that a review is underway. The river appears to have returned to near normal June 24th am, with minor turbidity visible. OMYA News Release Picture taken (larger) just downstream of the Glen Tay Bridge Perth Courier article ~ July 1, 2010 Final Report
$418,000 UNDER CLEAN WATER ACT FOR LOCAL LAND STEWARDSHIP
The Ministry of the Environment just gave $418,000 to help local farmers, businesses and landowners around municipal wells and intakes in the Mississippi and Rideau valleys. More information... Funding details...
TVT has asked for our help to get out the word about its request for photos for its new website and for its planned relocation back to 217 Harper Road by March 24th. More information...
Hats off to 'Captain Otty'
The Otty Lake Association produces an excellent newsletter ~ the informative and attractive 'Captain Otty's Log'. We thought others might like to have a look. Click here for March 2010 edition.
Accessibility Improvement at Conservation Areas
Thanks to a generous donation from the Audette Foundation, the Rideau
Valley Conservation Authority will be able to improve accessibility at local conservation areas. More...
Tayside Times ~ now available
The January 2010 edition of our newsletter, with its new name ~ The Tayside Times ~ is now available. Click here. Note: This newsletter has been formatted to print out on four pages (excluding attachments) for those members receiving paper copies. If you are viewing the newsletter on line, you may want to zoom in with your browser for ease of viewing. It is better for the environment if you do not print this newsletter, but if you wish to do so, you may want to scale back your print size to about 90% to print it out on 4 pages.
FoTW takes the Plunge ~ Jan 1, 2010
The FoTW collaborated with a number of other organizations to help the Polar Plunge raise $25,000 for the Food Bank. Cudos to Chris Stone and Kenneth Cook for taking the plunge and raising dobnations for this great cause!!! What a great way to kick off 2010.
FoTW Salutes Little Stream Bakery (November 18, 2009)
The Friends of the Tay Watershed salutes Graham Beck of the Little Stream Bakery in Glen Tay for his commitment to environmentally sustainable business practices and his support for local environmental organizations. Click here for the full story.
Walkerton Interview (November 16, 2009)
Lake 88 has created a podcast of an interview with Carol Dillon and Bruce Davidson on the Walkerton tragedy, For those who were unable to make the Perspectives on Water presentation on Walkerton, this interview conducted prior to the event will give you a flavour for the event itself. Listen to the Lake 88 Interview Podcast (high speed preferable)
"Walkerton, the cost of getting it wrong"
The Friends of the Tay Watershed invite you to join them on November 16th for an informative and inspiring talk about water. As part of its Perspectives on Water Series, the "Friends" are pleased to present Bruce Davidson from the Concerned Citizens of Walkerton to speak about the tragedy that shocked Canada and led to the Clean Water Act. Poster Summary information... Detailed Information... About the Perspectives on Water Series
RVCA Shoreline Project
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has a new program that helps waterfront property owners establish or enhance natural shorelines. The program provides site visits by experienced biologists, extra muscle for the actual replanting and know-how to plan and order any plants you need. And, best of all, the program has grants of up to $1,000 for approved shoreline naturalization projects. More information...
Tay Watershed Discovery Day
Please join us for the Friends of the Tay Watershed, 9th Annual Tay Watershed Discovery Day, Sunday, October 4, 2009, 1-5 pm at ECOTAY Education
Centre, 942 Upper Scotch Line at Menzies
Munroe Side Road (10 minutes from Perth). This year's Discovery Day will be a totally different, family oriented event at a brand new venue.
On July 11-12, the Friends of the Tay Watershed took part in the Art of Being Green Festival in Middleville, Ontario. This festival has the reputation of being one of the best environmental festivals around and it lived up to its reputation again this year. The AOGB brings together an eclectic mix of organizations and individuals who provide green alternatives for people who wish to live an environmentally sensitive lifestyle. The FoTW went with a wetlands preservation theme again this year, including our interactive wetlands model, materials to show the benefits of wetlands to the ecosystem and wetlands critters to be examined. Many thanks to all of the volunteer staffers, as well as to Duck Unlimited Canada and RVCA for their contributions to our booth. Click here for brief slideshow, shortened by the weather and camera neglect.
(click F11 key for full screen viewing).
Note that if you are using dial-up, you may have to lengthen the interval time on the slideshow. To do this, bring up the slideshow, then place your cursor on the screen near the bottom of the image and click on the "+" sign to increase the interval time from 3 to about 10 seconds. That should give your internet connection enough time to focus the pictures.
Tay 175th Official Launch
The Official Launch of the Tay Canal 175th Anniversary celebrations took place on May 16th. The launch, centered at the Crystal Palace on the Perth Basin, included the Farmer's Market, Parks Canada working exhibits, Kettle Boys, canoe/ kayak flotilla, Perth Pipe Band, Voyageur canoes, fiddle music, and much more. Participating in the opening ceremonies were Mayor John Fenik, MP Scott Reid, MPP Randy Hillier, Reeve Aubrey Churchill, Warden Paul Dulmage, and Rideau Canal Superintendent Gord Giffin. Click here for a slideshow of the event, with thanks to Ernie and Carol Trischuk (click F11 key for full screen viewing).
Note that if you are using dial-up, you may have to lengthen the interval time on the slideshow. To do this, bring up the slideshow, then place your cursor on the screen near the bottom of the image and click on the "+" sign to increase the interval time from 3 to about 10 seconds. That should give your internet connection enough time to focus the pictures.
Shoreline Naturalization Project
On April 30th, the first phase of the Shoreline Naturalization Project was successfully carried out in Last Duel Park in Perth. The project is to be named the Wendy Laut Ribbon of Life to honour former Perth Deputy Mayor and environmentalist, Wendy Laut. It is to be a real-life demonstration of the value of shoreline naturalization and a lasting legacy of the Tay Canal 175th Anniversary celebration. Collaborators in this project include: Friends of the Tay Watershed, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, Gill Hyland ~ HCG Common Ground, PDCI Environmental Program, Town of Perth and ecoPerth. A huge THANK YOU goes to all of the collaborators and particularly to the students in Greg Anderson's Enviro program who did so much of the work, with such great enthousiasm!!! Please click here for the slideshow (click F11 key for full screen viewing).
Note that if you are using dial-up, you may have to lengthen the interval time on the slideshow. To do this, bring up the slideshow, then place your cursor on the screen near the bottom of the image and click on the "+" sign to increase the interval time from 3 to about 10 seconds. That should give your internet connection enough time to focus the pictures.
Maplefest 2009
The FoTW booth at Maplefest 2009, Saturday, April 25, was again successful in attracting many inquiries and in distributing a large amount of informational material. The theme for this year was the celebration of the Tay Canal 175th anniversary, the committee for which provided Tay Canal 175th T-shirts for wear by FoTW staffers during the day. Barbara Halpin, of the Tay 175 Anniversary Steering Committee, staffed her corner of the FoTW booth for the whole day. Thanks to Jim Humphrey for organizing and staffing the booth, as well as Karen and Murray Hunt, Colin Stephenson, Dave Crowley, Debra and Brian Bellevue and Matt Craig for the professional staffing provided. Click here for a brief slideshow. Note that if you are using dial-up, you may have to lengthen the interval time on the slideshow. To do this, bring up the slideshow, then place your cursor on the screen near the bottom of the image and click on the "+" sign to increase the interval time from 3 to about 10 seconds. That should give your internet connection enough time to focus the pictures.
Show and tell the world about your Tay!
We would like to hear from you about your own personal connection with the Tay. We intend to publish some personal reflections in the next edition of the Tay Watershed Times. Click here for more information.
Polar Plunge
At the 2009 Polar Plunge in Perth on January 1, Barbara Halpin, of the Tay 175 Anniversary Steering Committee, presents awards to the 'first plunger', Jeanette Buker, on her 15th New Year's dip into the Tay, and to the plunger with the most pledges, Lianne King of Sacred heart School. The Polar Plunge 2009 was the first event of the Tay Canal 175th Anniversary celebrations this year. The awards were, appropriately, towels with a Tay Canal 175 monogram, donated by Ms. Halpin." The event raised $10,000 for the Friends of Murphy Point Park Archaeo Apprentice program. Click here for pictures.
Tay Watershed Times Newsletter
The December 2008 edition of the Tay Watershed Times Newsletter is now available. Click here to read.
Comment on the Mining Act
You have until January 15 to comment on the Ministry of Northern Development and Mine's request for submissions on modernizing Ontario’s Mining Act. Click here for more information.
Seven Wonders and the Tay
Several months ago the Friends of the Tay Watershed entered the "Seven Wonders of Lanark County" contest, with a nomination for the Tay River. All of the nominations are now listed on the Lanark County Tourism website and they are inviting people to vote for their favourite sites. You may want to check out the nominations by clicking here. May we make a shameless plug for your vote for the magnificent Tay River ~ the jewel of Lanark County (shown 3rd from the end of the alphabetical list of nominations)?
Environmental Awards ~ 2008
At their annual ‘Watershed Discovery Evening’ in Perth on November 4, the
‘Friends’ presented awards to Parks Canada’s Rideau Canal Office, to the Art
of Being Green Festival in Lanark, and to the Rideau Valley Field
Naturalists. Click here for more information.
This year's “Tay Watershed Discovery Evening”, to be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, will feature a celebrity antique auction. For more information, please click here.
Tay Canal Paddle & Shoreline Cleanup
On Saturday, September 27, the FoTW and Lanark Stewardship Council cooperated in organising a paddle down the Tay Canal and shoreline cleanup, from Last Duel Park in Perth to Beveridges Locks in Drummond North Elmsley Township. The event was part of the annual Canada-wide Shoreline Cleanup delivered by the TD Bank and the Vancouver Aquarium. Twenty enthusiastic folks from several eastern Ontario locations paddled 16 canoes and kayaks down the ten km. long canal, picking up, as they went along, a range of plastic, paper and other garbage that had found a way into this usually pristine waterway. Five trash bags were filled - with pop cans, plastic bags, beverage bottles, and such out of place materials as vinyl siding and a propane tank. Click here for more information and pictures.
Maude Barlow comes to Perth!
(*see new information links below)
The Friends of the Tay Watershed are excited to announce that Maude Barlow will be the next speaker in our on-going series "Perspectives on Water". Maude Barlow has been described as Canada's best known voice of dissent, highly opinionated and passionate. She is the National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization, and the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, working internationally for the right to water.
This event will take place on Wednesday, 24 September 2008 at 7pm in the Perth and District Collegiate Institute Auditorium, 13 Victoria Street, Perth Ontario. Copies of Maude's latest book "The Blue Covenant" will be available for purchase and signing. Entertainment will be provided by local singer/songwriter Joel LeBlanc. We hope to see you there ~ we know you will not be disappointed!!!
*Maude Barlow's "Blue Covenant"
*Click here for press release.
*Click here for Google Map of event location Click here for the event poster (pdf version) Click here for information on Maude Barlow and the Council of Canadians
Tay 175th Logo Contest
To kick off the activities for the Tay Canal 175th anniversary in 2009, a logo contest has been launched. Click here for details. The Friends of the Tay Watershed will be hosting the Tay 175th website
and you can check out the planned events as they develop by clicking here.
Canoe the Tay
We are often asked for information on canoeing and kayaking opportunities in the Tay Watershed, so we have added a new feature called "Canoe the Tay". This feature is accessible from all major pages by clicking on the blue "Canoe the Tay" button on the left-side navigation bar.
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. We have tried to keep the original look and feel of the website and most of the content is still available, although it might be in a slightly different location. We have included a search tool, which you will find among the left-hand navigation buttons. At the moment, both old and new website versions are available side by side, but the old version will be removed shortly. If you have bookmarked certain pages, you may want to change your bookmarks to the new version. The new version is written in php rather than html, so the extensions on all major pages will be ".php" rather than ".html". For example, the address for this page is "http://www.tayriver.org/new.php".
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.
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.
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.
Flood warning ~ April 9, 2008
RVCA warns that the snowmelt from the past weekend’s spring-like weather
has increased flows in many rivers and streams throughout the Rideau Watershed to above bankfull conditions in many locations. Flows and water levels are expected to continue to rise slowly over the next two to three days until the snowpack is mostly gone. Click here for more information. Click here for MNR's backgrounder on floods and what you can do.
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
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.
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
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.
Otty Lake Management Plan Completed
The Otty Lake community has reached another milestone in their lake planning process with the release of the Otty Lake Management Plan. Please click here for more information.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
"Watershed Discovery Evening" ~ 6:30pm, Thursday, October 18, 2007
Friends of the Tay Watershed Open House and Exhibition, featuring keynote speaker, Paula Sherman, Co-chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and Associate Professor at Trent University, in addition to a wide range of displays and expert information on the protection and care of water resources.
Royal Canadian Legion Hall, 26 Beckwith St., Perth
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TD Foundation Renews Support
The TD Friends of the Environment Foundation provides a second grant to the Lake Management Planning Program~ click here for the press release.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Watershed Briefs
RVCA has released its latest Watershed Briefs, aimed at Municipal Councillors, but which contains useful information for residents of the watershed. Click here to access this document on RVCA site.
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.
The final donations are now in for the silent auction to be held at the Watershed Discovery Evening, November 23, 2006. Click here for silent auction details.
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.
Friends of the Tay Watershed "Watershed Discovery Evening" ~ Thursday, November 23, 2006
Open House and Exhibition, featuring a watershed recreational theme, in addition to a wide range of displays and expert information on the protection and care of water resources.
Royal Canadian Legion Hall, 26 Beckwith St., Perth
Shoreline Demonstration Site: Tay Valley Township, Harper Rd., Perth
Date – April 25, 2006
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.
Omya Meeting ~ Feb. 7
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:
'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.
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)
Early notice of the Friends of the Tay Watershed annual public open house and exhibition (click here for full notice)
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)
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.
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:
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.
