The MVCA and Friends of the Carp River are cancelling the Discover the Carp River Conservation Area event today (12 August) due to the continued heat warning from Environment Canada and the unfavorable weather forecast.  The safety of all participants is a priority.  We will be looking to reschedule the event in the near future.

Participants: MVCA, Friends of the Carp River, Briarbrook Morgan’s Grant Community Association

MVCA and Friends of the Carp River cordially invite you to attend the Discover the Carp River Conservation Area event on Thursday, 12 August, from 3pm to 7pm (please note, as above, this has been cancelled). Join us at the MVCA's new conservation area at the pathway near the Terry Fox Drive and Kanata Avenue intersection.

Visitors to our public engagement event will learn about the river's restoration and plans for the Carp River Living Classroom. Citizen science activities, a scavenger hunt, information about EcoTrekr, and guided tours will be available. The Briarbook Morgan’s Grant Community Association will also be on hand to talk about their hydro corridor greenspace restoration and greenspace linkages in Kanata North.

MVCA has a multi-year plan to make the Carp River Conservation Area a destination to learn about biodiversity and wetlands in a suburban setting. Working with educators, MVCA is developing the Carp River Living Classroom. The Living Classroom will be a program that animates the river and its wetlands for education and discovery by residents and thousands of students from nearby schools.

In June 2021, MVCA launched EcoTrekr, an educational and interactive mobile app for learning more about the river and wetlands. Visitors can download the app, explore along the pathway, learn about what they're seeing, take quizzes, and earn badges.

Over the next few years other features are planned: an osprey nesting tower, wildlife boxes, more interpretive signs, and development of a curriculum for use by schools. Restoration of the Carp River between 2016 and 2018 utterly transformed a four kilometer section of the river in Kanata from a straight, shallow, silt-filled channel into a healthy wetland and riverine ecosystem. The restoration project was initiated to improve water quality, stream conveyance, and water storage. The floodplain was reconfigured as part of the restoration in tandem with new development. The project also planted hundreds of native trees and shrubs, and seeded the floodplain with flowers and grasses to provide a welcoming, biodiverse habitat for wildlife.

The Carp River Conservation Area is unique within Ottawa. It demonstrates how a restored river and its wetlands can provide recreation and ecoservices for adjacent and downstream communities in a densely developed suburban area. This Low Impact Development approach uses green infrastructure to deliver the following benefits:

• protect water quality by capturing and filtering storm water;
• mitigate flooding;
• control erosion and reduce sedimentation;
• provide groundwater recharge and discharge;
• provide habitat for fish and wildlife;
• sequester carbon; and
• offer pathways for walking, biking, and wildlife observation.

Visitors can park at the Kanata Commons shopping mall at 8211 Campeau Drive (just before the new bridge). Mall management has kindly made 25 parking spots available for event visitors. There is also limited parking available at Insmill Park, which is close to the Kanata Avenue intersection.

We look forward to seeing you.

For more information about the event, visit: mvc.on.ca