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“We’re going to have fun exploring this watershed, and help other people learn what is so special about this area.”
The words come from Ole Hendrickson, president of the Ottawa River Institute, which is partnering with the Bonnechere River Watershed Project to bring a new project to the area.
Called Nature in Your Neighbourhood, the 18-month project is made possible with an $80,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The project was formally kicked off Friday at Rotary Park in Eganville where invited guests included MPP John Yakabuski, Shawna Babcock of KidActive and local businessman Chris Hinsperger whose business is located on the Bonnechere River. Each spoke about the importance of connecting with the outdoors as a vital link to our physical and mental well-being.
“It’s a great project … (for) understanding and knowing the river and its watershed makes us a whole lot stronger partners in taking advantage of all the river has to offer,” said Yakabuski.
The MPP also said that understanding helps people appreciate the watershed’s environmental sensitivities and wonderful history, and reminds users to also be stewards of the river.
“I am sure the pilot project,” said Yakabuski’s congratulatory certificate to the project partners, “Nature in Your Neighbourhood, in the Bonnechere River watershed, will provide outdoor recreation and physical activity while encouraging conservation of the natural environment for visitors and area residents for years to come.”
Some of the project’s activities remain to be determined, but the grant will pay for staff salaries and activities. An example is the series to be produced for TV COGECO by college student and videographer Leo Freemark of Renfrew.
Speakers at the opening ceremony included Eganville resident Guy Jamieson, as the Ontario Trillium Foundation spokesman. Jamieson said “supporting organizations and initiatives that are helping us to promote a sustainable and green environment is fundamental to the (foundation’s) work” province-wide.
“We understand,” he added, “how important it is to encourage Ontarians to not only lead healthier lifestyles, but also to help protect the health of our surrounding ecosystem.”
Bonnechere Valley and Killaloe, Hagarty & Richards mayors Jennifer Murphy and Janice Visneskie applauded the project. And Shawna Babcock, of KidActive, spoke about how the project can help change current statistics that show Canadian children spend far too much time in front of the TV and far too little time exercising or enjoying the outdoors.
Hendrickson acknowledged that Nature in Your Neighbourhood is still a work in progress, but said the emphasis is on getting people out in nature, whether it’s to such locations as the Eganville Rotary Park or the headwaters of the Bonnechere River, in Algonquin Park.
“A strong focus for this project is getting people active, reconnecting with nature or just maintaining our connections with nature,” said Hendrickson.
“How important that is for us as adults, and for children, for our physical development and our mental development, too … It’s part of our evolutionary heritage to connect like this.”
Kathryn Lindsay, chairman of the Bonnechere River Watershed Project, said two definite projects will be interpretive material for river walks and similar events, and a series of Nature in Your Neighbourhood specials on TV COGECO about why the watershed is such a special place.
In an nutshell, Hendrickson said he hopes the project creates “awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle in a natural setting in a healthy watershed, and engaging people of all ages, with a special focus on young people, to let them know about the diversity of natural settings, whether just in their own town or in the watershed as a whole.”
The watershed’s many waterways and communities include Golden Lake, Round Lake, Lake Clear, Eganville, Killaloe, Douglas, Pikwakanagan and Renfrew.
To learn more about the ORI and BRWP, visit the websites of www.ottawariverinstitute.ca and www.BonnechereRiver.ca. Or call the NYN coordinator, Cheryl Keetch of Killaloe, at 613-756-3884.
© Copyright Metroland 2011
Full article: http://www.yourottawaregion.com/localprofile/article/1014111—a-whole-lot-of-nature-in-your-neighbourhood