SNC Conservation Areas and Boat Launches Set to Reopen
A sure sign that summer is right around the corner is the reopening of South Nation Conservation’s (SNC) seasonal properties!
SNC is installing safety and debris booms ahead of its water control structures throughout the region, including Crysler, Casselman, Russell and Plantagenet. Once water levels allow, the next step is to install docks at the following Conservation Areas and partner boat launching sites:
- High Falls and Doran Park Conservation Areas (Casselman)
- St. Albert Conservation Area (St. Albert)
- Crysler Park Boat Launch (Crysler)
- Embrun Boat Launch (Embrun)
- Cass Bridge Conservation Area (Winchester)
- Jessup's Falls Conservation Area (Plantagenet)
- Chesterville Waterfront Docks and Boat Launch (Chesterville)
- Spencerville Mill Riverside Park and Boat Launch (Spencerville)
Additionally, the following seasonal sites without docks will reopen:
- Oak Valley Pioneer Park Conservation Area (Winchester Springs)
- McIntosh Memorial Park Conservation Area (Berwick)
- Findlay Creek Boardwalk Conservation Area (Ottawa)
- Reveler Conservation Area (Crysler)
- Mill Run Conservation Area (Augusta)
- Alfred Bog Walk (Alfred)
SNC reminds anglers that it is unsafe and illegal under the Federal Fisheries Act to fish within 23 metres of a dam: please do not fish near dams or use water control structures to access rivers. Fish congregate in these areas to pass over dams and access fish ladders and fishing prevents many fish species from spawning, which pose significant risks to fish populations. Please use safe and appropriate fishing locations.
All SNC Conservation Areas and seasonal parks will be re-opened ahead of the May Long Weekend with portable washrooms being installed at most of the following sites:
- St. Albert Conservation Area (St. Albert)
- Jessup's Falls Conservation Area (Plantagenet)
- High Falls Conservation Area (Casselman)
- Warwick Forest Conservation Area (Berwick)
- W.E. Burton Conservation Area (Russell)
- McIntosh Memorial Park Conservation Area (Berwick)
- Cass Bridge Conservation Area (Winchester)
- Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area (Morrisburg)
- Robert Graham Forest Conservation Area (Brinston)
- Nokomis Park (Limoges)
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to open the remainder of our parks, boat launches and docks,” said John Mesman, SNC’s Community Lands and Outreach Lead. “With our 75KM Challenge in full swing, visitors to our sites have ample opportunity to log their distance, whether it’s by hiking, dog walking, or paddling one of our canoe/kayak routes.”
The 75 KM Challenge is a year-long campaign to help celebrate SNC’s 75th anniversary by encouraging people to visit an SNC Conservation Area and log their distances. Prizes donated by community organizations and local businesses will be available at the end of the year for those who tracked 75 km on local recreational trails and waterways.
As part of a continued commitment to improve public access to natural spaces, SNC will be completing restoration projects at the following sites this year. Visitors will be able to access the Conservation Areas during work activities:
- J. Henry Tweed Conservation Area (Russell)
- Mill Run Conservation Area (Augusta)
- High Falls Conservation Area (Casselman)
- Cass Bridge Conservation Area (Winchester)
- Findlay Creek Boardwalk Conservation Area (Ottawa)
SNC reminds users to please keep their pets on leash, do not litter, and be respectful and courteous to other visitors.
SNC manages 20,000 acres of Community Forest in Eastern Ontario and many of the public, day-use Conservation Areas have been donated to the Authority through SNC’s Land Securement Program to help maintain natural legacies for donors and to provide people a place to step outdoors and into nature.
SNC is a not-for-profit, community-based environmental agency that relies on donations and self-generated revenue to protect and enhance the local environment across its 4,441 square-kilometer jurisdiction, on behalf of its 16 partner municipalities.
For a complete list of Conservation Areas managed by SNC, please visit: www.nation.on.ca/recreation/about-recreation.
To sign up for SNC’s 75KM Challenge, please visit: www.nation.on.ca/anniversary.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Shannon Gutoskie, SNC Communications Specialist, 1-877-984-2948 sgutoskie@nation.on.ca.
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