MVCA, City of Ottawa Unveil Carp River Wetland Environmental Area
After years of restoration work, the Carp River is now a thriving recreation and education destination for thousands of City of Ottawa residents. The restoration included reconstructing the channel into a meandering river, creating fish habitat pools and wetland meadows, planting native riparian vegetation and reconnecting the floodplain. Future plans for the site include connecting the trail system, parking and an outdoor educational facility. The area is managed by the City of Ottawa in partnership with Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) and the Ottawa Stewardship Council to provide educational opportunities to schools and the general public.
“As Ottawa grows and evolves, the restoration of natural landscapes that provide essential ecological services, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities is a high priority for the City and for the community,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “Thank you to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority for their important work on this essential environmental resource.”
“The Carp River watershed is an important natural ecosystem which has come a long way thanks to the Carp River restoration work,” said Paul Lehman, Executive General Manager, Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority. “While it will be many years before we can gauge the success of the project, we can already see a large difference as the newly planted vegetation brightens up the landscape and native wildlife frequent the area.”
