(Please note that these are historical documents—some of the links may be inactive.)

Turtle Habitat

In 2002 and 2003, the Roundtable installed basking platforms, basking logs, and had turtle crossing road signs were installed on roads.

Fish Habitat

In partnership with Muskies Canada, the Roundtable created a 20 by 30-metre calm water fish sanctuary (embayment) on the banks of the Rideau River in Brewer Park, Ottawa. Dozens of volunteers, including several families, planted 262 trees, 440 shrubs, and hundreds of Bullrushes and Cattails (49 species in total).

Rideau River Stewards

A series of photographs was taken to document best shoreline practices along the Rideau River. Property owners who were “doing it right” were contacted and acknowledged as the first Rideau River Stewards.

Community Tree Sales

The Roundtable held community tree sales to make native trees and shrubs available to homeowners in small quantities at reasonable prices. Over 18,000 trees and shrubs have been distributed to residents throughout the Rideau watershed in small orders. We also provided literature on proper planting and care techniques: Tree Planting Guide

Along the Banks Festival
In 2005, the Roundtable sponsored a performing arts festival at the Merrickville Lockstation. The goal was to raise awareness of the natural and cultural features of the Rideau Waterway and to motivate watershed residents and visitors to get involved in its protection and conservation. The festival celebrated the rich history and ecology of the area using music, historical re-enactments, and other performing arts to draw people to the event.

Climate Change Workshops
With funding from Environment Canada through the EcoAction Fund, in 2005/2006 the Roundtable delivered a series of workshops on Climate Change aimed at helping householders find ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while saving money. For information on how you can do this too, see www.realaction.ca.

Healthy Living by the Rideau
Healthy Living by the Rideau (HLR) was an innovative health and recreation project for youth (ages 11 and up) from Smiths Falls and surrounding townships. Funded by the Healthy Communities Fund of the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport and coordinated by Rideau Roundtable, in partnership with local health, arts and youth organizations, the program promoted physical activity, recreation, creative expression and healthy eating through a series of one day “camps”. For more information about this successful project, please visit the Healthy Living by the Rideau page.

Rideau Canal Heritage Corridor: Realizing Our World Class Potential (2013)
In 2013 a Partnership Group including the Rideau Roundtable was formed to undertake a collaborative re-visioning of the Rideau Canal Heritage Corridor to enhance opportunities for travellers to connect with the Corridor, its natural and human heritage, and to ensure that the Rideau Canal and its adjacent communities live up to their potential on the world stage, with an eye for the future sustainability of the Corridor.

Good Shoreline Practices (2002)
In the summer of 2002, photos were taken of more than 200 shoreline properties along the Rideau River that showed great examples of people taking the right actions to protect their shorelines and making their properties beautiful. This was a joint endeavour of LLGreen and the Rideau River Roundtable (now called the Rideau Roundtable), funded by EcoAction. Other Rideau River Stewards projects undertaken that year were a series of 8 Protecting our Water workshops, 6 Natural Landscaping workshops and the development of a Guide to Buying Native Plants in the Rideau watershed. – See more at: www.realaction.ca/water/good-shoreline-practices/

Shoreline Naturalization Project (2022)

The Roundtable, in partnership with Tree Canada, FedEx, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, the Rideau Environmental Action League, and Smiths Falls Horticultural Society, helped to plant 165 native shrubs and 15 native trees on Turtle Island in Smiths Falls. The project aimed to encourage others along the Rideau Waterway to naturalize their shorelines and plant native species.