(Shad Qadri and City of Ottawa Planning Forester Mark Richardson accompanied students in grade 5 / 6 from Stittsville Public School to the Shea Woods in June.)
City Council approved a motion from Shad Qadri this week to look at funding options to acquire Shea Woods, a seven-hectare forest off Fernbank Road.
The land, bordered by Fernbank, Iber, Abbott and Shea, about the size of 30 soccer pitches, is privately owned. The forest is part of the approved Fernbank Community Development Plan but the city still has to find money to acquire it.
At a busy council meeting on Wednesday, councillors approved a motion from Qadri that directs city staff to review future funding options for the forest.
“I believe that it was important for me to re-iterate this need at this time, so that staff can begin looking for ways to ensure that this important tract of land can be protected in a permanent fashion. It is not something that needs to be done overnight, but, preparations can begin now looking to the future and determining how funding can be identified to complete the effort,” said Qadri in an email to StittsvilleCentral.ca.