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“I like to go out on the river with
the Riverwatchers to get their point
of view,” explains Meredith.
Community stewardship is what
defines the Ottawa Riverwatcher
program. Volunteers are offered
training, access to water patrols and
site investigations, given information
and expertise about current
issues and effective solutions, and
ample ongoing support.
Community stewardship for the
river also means that the Riverwatchers
protect the health of the river by
reporting unusual or possibly dangerous
activities or events to the
Riverkeeper for further investigation.
The “fish kill” of the summer of 2006
was such an event for Pat.
In mid-August of that year, dozens
of dead fish washed up on the shore of
the Tait property. Within days, reports
of thousands of dead and rotting fish
— from Cheneaux to Constance Bay
— were made. Shoreline residents
were disturbed and both the
Riverwatchers and Riverkeeper monitored
the situation and kept the public
abreast of developments through its
website (www.ottawariverkeeper.ca).
The Ministry of Natural Resources concluded
that the fish kill was a result of
a columnaris infection in channel catfish.
Columnaris is a fish disease caused
by Flavobacterium columnare, a bacterium
that is commonly present in the
environment. However, the
Riverkeeper called the event “symptomatic
of broader problems in the
Ottawa River watershed and beyond.”
“The warm water temperatures
in the Ottawa River in summer 2006
coupled with other environmental
conditions such as eutrophication
(nutrient enrichment) and turbidity,
could have predisposed channel catfish
to columnaris infection,” suggests
the Riverkeeper.
Some might call Riverwatchers
the “watchdogs” of the Ottawa River,
but a more accurate term might be
“protectors.” They speak on behalf of
the river so that it can be protected
and preserved for future generations
to appreciate.
To find out more about volunteering
with the Ottawa Riverkeeper,
you can e-mail Delphine Hasle at outreach@ottawariverkeeper.ca.
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