Environmental Report Andrea Gowing and Harry Fischer April 28, 2026

 Spring Flooding April has been quite quiet in the neighbourhood. We are fortunate that the long periods of rain did not produce any flooding or sewer backups in or around the BACA catchment area. The storm ponds near Woodroffe have done there job well. Flooding has occurred along the Ottawa River which can be seen while driving along the Kichi Sibi Parkway. The Ottawa River levels have stabilized after a fast snow melt, but the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board advises that continued northern snowmelt and potential rainfall could cause a second, higher peak in the coming weeks. We will remain vigilant and report back next month. Experimental Farm Pathway The NCC cleared another large area of invasive Buckthorn at the entrance to the Experimental Farm Pathway at Edgeland Pl about 3 weeks ago. It is an area that I had been concerned about as the thicket was becoming quite dense and I thought there was a safety concern because of how densed in it was. I mentioned this to the NCC Biologist last year after the work near Bel-Air Dr entrance was complete, so was glad to see that this clearing was done. The NCC will be spreading a native pollinator seed mix with an annual cover crop along the pathway in the next week. This will provide a strong base of native plants to help out compete invasive as well as noninvasive but “ weedy ” plants. The Maitland Area Pollinator Projects (MAPP) will be helping out with this along with Friends of Hampton Park/Carlington Woods. After this is completed the NCC Forestry group will start to plant 9,000 native trees and shrubs throughout the corridor. This will help to fight the invasive herbaceous plants that are starting to take hold. Pollinator Appreciation Day June 21 Harry and Andrea as well as Pam will be attending Pollinator Appreciation Day (PAD) at Fletchers Wildlife Gardens on June 21. We will be wearing several different hats. Harry will be representing BACA, CAFES, and MAPP. And PAM will represent MAPP and Pollinator Partnerships. As BACA representative, Harry has arranged for several City councillors to attend to learn/ hear more about pollinators and pollinator gardens in their wards. Andrea has been taking a Pollinator Stewardship Certification course through Pollinator. One of the requirements for completion is outreach and Pollinator Appreciation Day satisfies this requirement. Advertising for PAD will be shared across social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, as well as through traditional media.