[caption id="attachment_2993" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Sawmill Creek Stream near South Keys Mall[/caption]
OTTAWA, May 12, 2014 — The City Stream Watch Program is looking for volunteer “scientists” to help monitor, protect and clean up Ottawa streams. Now is the best time to get involved – a Stream Watch Training Session is being held for volunteers on Saturday, May 31. The training session will welcome new volunteers and introduce them to the basic techniques of stream assessment and being a stream scientist.
“If you’ve ever wanted to be a citizen scientist, then now’s the perfect time to get involved,” said Chelsey Ellis, City Stream Watch Coordinator. “All necessary equipment is provided and there is no cost to volunteers. People can choose which stream or streams they wish to work on over the summer.”
Please join us for the Stream Watch Training Session along Sawmill Creek on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to noon. Pre-registration for this event is required. To register or for more information, please contact Chelsey Ellis, City Stream Watch Coordinator at [email protected].
This year the program is collecting data on Cardinal Creek (Orleans), Sawmill Creek (Ottawa South), Black Rapids Creek (Nepean), and Mud Creek (Manotick). The 2014 sampling season will focus on recording basic natural characteristics of the stream and fish community sampling. There are also opportunities for cleanups, shoreline planting and invasive species removal.
“This is a great chance for interested members of the community to learn about and help care for their local streams,” says Ellis. “It can be fun and rewarding – meeting and working with other dedicated stream stewards while doing something positive for our valuable streams.”
The City Stream Watch program is a community-based partnership which includes the City of Ottawa, Heron Park Community Association, the National Defence Fish & Game Club, the Ottawa Flyfishers Society, the Rideau Roundtable, the Ottawa Stewardship Council, NCC and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. From its inception in 2003, volunteer numbers have grown from 26 to over two hundred.
For more information about the program, including the reports of streams previously studied, please visit: http://www.rvca.ca/programs/streamwatch/index.html
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