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Attention!
Diver at work! |
Can we swim in the Rideau River without risking our
health?
This simple question, posed in the early 1990s by the
residents of Ottawa-Carleton, was the beginning of the Rideau
River Biodiversity Project, a three-year study that has painted
a detailed portrait of the River.
To respond to concerns of residents, the Regional Municipality
of Ottawa-Carleton (as the region was formerly named) joined the Canadian
Museum of Nature in 1995 in a study of the quality of the River's water,
its microscopic algae, and the spread of zebra
mussels (an invading exotic species). The study concentrated on the
stretch of the River that passes through Ottawa.
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A student
analyses chlorophyll. |
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As public interest mounted, and thanks to the contributions
of various financial partners, the field of study
was expanded in 1998 to develop a more complete picture of the Rideau
River.
Seven areas of study were added: fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, indigenous freshwater mussels, aquatic invertebrates and
aquatic plants. The length of the Rideau River to be studied was stretched
from Smiths Falls to the Ottawa River.
The Rideau River Biodiversity Project
was initiated with the goal of recording the River's biodiversity,
of determining its bill of health, and of
working towards its preservation, all with the close co-operation of the
community.
Over the course of the summer of 2000, the scientists
witnessed just what a jewel we have in the Rideau River. Discover for
yourself what animals live in it, what plants
grow in it and learn whether, at the time of the study, it was possible
to swim in it ... in perfect safety!
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Members
of research team: 31 (including 10 university students). |
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Scientific
disciplines: 9. |
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Other
Museum staff members participating in the Project:
18. |
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Volunteers
who gladly gave their time and energy: 50. |
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Hours of volunteer
assistance: more than 1000. |
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Organizations,
municipalities, public and private corporations and businesses
that participated in the Project
or supported it in various ways: 61. |
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Project
budget (financed primarily by the Canadian Museum of Nature
and the EJLB Foundation, but also supported by numerous
partners): $1,000,000. |
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New
pieces of data gathered about the River and its fauna and flora:
more than 100,000. |
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Sampling
sites: more than 150. |
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Laboratory analyses:
more than 30,000. |
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Species
of plants and animals found during the Project:
nearly 600. |
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Scientific
articles published (before the end of winter 2001): 27. |
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Conferences
and talks given (before the end of winter 2001): 71. |
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The
Rideau River Roundtable: one of a kind! |
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Bullfrog,
Rana catesbeiana. |
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The Rideau River Biodiversity
Project has demonstrated that the River is in much better shape
than most people thought. Nevertheless, it is still an environment
in need of protection. The survival and the diversity of its indigenous
species are dependent on the preservation
of its shorelines, the control of invading populations of exotic
species and a reduction in the concentrations
of fertilizer going into the River. |
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Swamp milkweed, Asclepias
incarnata. |
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