June 8, 2021 - Experience the Carp River Conservation Area like never before with a new, interactive and educational app – EcoTrekr. EcoTrekr is free to download on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android.

Inspired by the game “Pokemon Go,” EcoTrekr was developed to bring the site to life and help visitors understand and engage with what they are seeing by means of:

• a “Discovery Challenge” game
• information alerts triggered as visitors enter zone-specific GIS reference points
• an “encyclopedia” of plants, wildlife, geographical details, historical events and DYKs
• fun quizzes
• tools to capture, upload and share data and photos

“What began as an idea to educate youth on flora and fauna at a site as unique as the Carp River Conservation Area has now become a reality,” said Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority’s (MVCA) Community Relations Coordinator Shannon Gutoskie. “We all know how important nature is and spending time outdoors, and this new app is another tool and another experience to help foster a greater understanding and appreciation of nature locally.”

The Carp River Conservation Area is a new conservation area in MVCA's portfolio. It lies in the northern half of the newly transformed four-kilometre section of the Carp River restoration site between Richardson Side Road and Highway 417 near the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata.    In addition to realigning the river channel and restoring adjacent wetlands, the restoration project entailed planting thousands of native trees, shrubs, plants and grasses to support biodiversity and a welcoming habitat for wildlife.

If you're experiencing technical difficulty and/or have feedback, please email info@mvc.on.ca.

MVCA was established in 1968 by area municipalities to protect and manage shared watershed resources for mutual benefit. Today, MVCA is governed by a Board consisting of 17 members appointed by area municipalities, and delivers services in accordance with the Conservation Authorities Act. For more information, visit www.mvc.on.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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