(On April 12, 2025, Friends of Stittsville Wetlands accepted a donation from the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville to support the ongoing initiatives of FofSW. Participants front to back: Dick Coote, Chair of the Environmental Working Group and Annette Lindsay of the Rotary Club of Ottawa Stittsville; Janet Stavinga, President of FofSW; Bruce Dudley, Vice-President FofSW; Susan Waters, Terry Swaine, volunteers FofSW; Councillor Glen Gower; Rudy Stavinga, Treasurer FofSW; Charles Mossman, Past-President Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville; Marion Mossman, Community Working Group, Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville; Ann Swanwick, Cally Abraham, Naginder Dhaliwal, Bob Halberstadt, Lynda Cronin, Debbie Barr and Catherine Clysdale, volunteers of FofSW. Photos: Stittsville Central)
In honour of National Wildlife Week, the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville presented a $1000 donation to the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands (FoSW) on April 12th in support of their ongoing initiatives to protect, restore, regenerate, and rewild the Goulbourn Wetland Complex.
Dick Coote, Chair of the Environmental Work Group of the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville said at the presentation, “It’s not Poole Creek where we stand. The true Poole Creek’s a little bit over there. But what I wanted to say was the real importance of the wetlands up here is that they feed Poole Creek. And Poole Creek is an important focal point in the village of Stittsville and the surrounding communities. It eventually meets the Ottawa River and flows into it, which is one of the reasons that our Rotary environmental group last year supported the Ottawa Riverkeeper. And the Ottawa Riverkeeper does wonderful work in, tracking, monitoring, sampling the waters that flow into the Ottawa River. So, I feel very positive about our environmental group supporting the Friends of the Stittsville Wetlands because without the wetlands, there wouldn’t be a Poole Creek, and we wouldn’t have any reason to support the Ottawa Riverkeeper. So it it kind of all comes together and Rotary’s reasons to support both of these non-governmental organizations.”
Janet Stavinga, President of FoSW, expressed the gratitude of FoSW for the ongoing support received from the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville stating, “The funding from the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville, along with the grant provided in the fall of 2024, will be dedicated to an interpretative signage project proposed along the TransCanada Trail from Westridge Drive to Jinkinson Road. This project, pending further funding from other sources, will help raise public awareness and understanding about the importance of the Goulbourn Wetland Complex.”
Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower said, “This funding from the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville highlights the continued support for the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands in our community and their advocacy for the protection of our wetlands.” Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower further added, “Thanks to volunteers at both of these organizations for supporting this important initiative.”
On April 22nd, Earth Day, the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands will be hosting a community forum entitled, ‘Wetlands: Mother Nature’s Kidneys’. Community members will hear from expert guest speakers of the significance for the protection of wetlands and the environment for future generations. You can learn more about each guest speaker at: https://www.friendsofstittsvillewetlands.com/wetlands… The guest speakers for the evening are:
- Chief Doreen Davis, Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation
- Sarah Hasenack, Conservation Campaigns Coordinator, Ontario Nature
- Nick Stow, Program Manager (A), Natural Systems, City of Ottawa
- Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
- Koreen Millard, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University
Janet Stavinga of the FoSW invites the community to register (in-person or for the livestream) and join this Earth Day forum on Tuesday, April 22 from 7:00–9:30pm at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 2 Mulkins Street either in person or by livestreaming the event.
This will be a first in a series of annual community forums to raise awareness of the importance of our wetlands and the significance of our collective efforts in ensuring their survival – for those species that call them home, for ourselves, and for future generations.
Be careful that builders do not encroach on these wetlands!
Will a recording of the procedings be available for those who have another commitment and can’t attend in person or livestream?
We have asked the organizer and are awaiting a response.