Hunt Clubbites are readers! As a way to share their reading materials, skilled and creative residents have built and erected ‘Free Little Libraries’ throughout our Hunt Club community. These are basically large boxes with a door that shuts tightly, mounted on a post. People place books that they have already read in the box. Others come and take one of the books, often replacing it with one or more of their own which they have already enjoyed reading. The idea is to promote and nurture a reading community.
Here are the three ‘Free Little Libraries’ that I have spotted in our Hunt Club community: 3 photos attached.
Can you locate all three of them? (Hint: two are in ‘Hunt Club Woods’; one is in the ‘Owl Park Neighbourhood’ east of McCarthy Rd.)
Where would YOU like to see another ‘Free Little Library’ installed in our community?
Friday, 22 September 2018. Early evening. I thought I was safe at home. Then suddenly out my front window, the howling wind tried to blow one end of my street to the other. In a few seconds, it was over. I’d have been terrified to see out of the back window the tornado which tore up trees in McCarthy Woods. Hunt Club was lucky, barely escaping the disasters in Craig Henry and Dunrobin.
An expert report to the City advises climate change will bring a heightened risk of extreme weather, including tornadoes, and cause Ottawa’s seasons to shift with shorter winters.
Climate change is real for us; it shows in local weather records.
Since the 1920s our average temperatures increased by 1.22 C. The rate is accelerating.
With our winters, warming doesn’t sound bad. We have fewer deep freezes. In the 1920s every year had “deep freeze” (<-30 C) temperatures, in the 2010s only one year.
But in the summer hot nights bring misery. Typically one hot night (>20 C) each year in the 1920s has increased to seven in the 2010s.
Even warmer winters have their downsides. Freeze-thaw cycles, causing potholes, have increased during the winter months, from five in a typical January in the 1920s to nine in the 2010s. The skating season will be shortened meaning challenges for Winterlude and the tourist business it brings to the City.
Climate models tell us more of this type of change is inevitable. While preparation can’t protect from the terror of a tornado it can mitigate some impacts. We can slow the rate of change by doing our part to burn less fossil fuel.
Did you know that we have a beautiful creek winding its way through our neighbourhood? It’s called the Hunt Club Creek It flows from the Department of National Defense (DND) lands bordering Hunt Club Road to the Ottawa Golf Course, then comes up at Uplands Drive near Country Club Drive, continues past Gillespie Crescent to Riverside Drive and then past Rivergate Place through NCC lands right to the Rideau River. Check out details compiled by John Sankey on the HCCA website at https://hunt-club.ca/community/history/hunt-club-creek/
Hunt Club Creek
The Hunt Club Community Association has renewed its adoption of the Hunt Club Creek with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA). The Hunt Club Creek was originally adopted in 2013, under John Sankey’s Presidency, John has decided to step down from his role of stream watcher after a number of years of surveying the creek.
HCCA will be putting together a team of stream watchers in the spring. The HCCA participated in an official Stream Watch with the RVCA in 2019. These in-depth surveys are done every 6 years so the next one will not be until 2025. In the meantime, under the terms of the adoption, HCCA must complete a stream watch at least once a year. What does this involve? As suggested by the RVCA, this can involve walking or wading along the stream and observing the stream and banks and documenting any significant changes such as increased erosion or pollution from the previous year. Also, the stream watchers may bag and remove any minor refuse encountered along the way. This fall I walked the whole length of the stream, except the golf course portion and noticed the culvert leading under Hunt Club Road was totally blocked, resulting in the creek in that area being totally stagnant. I informed the city at 311 and Councillor Brockington and a service request was made resulting in having the culvert cleared.
Would you be interested in being a stream watcher for the Hunt Club Creek?
Contact me at: vp@hunt-club.ca.
The Wendy Stewart Ponds (aka the Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetlands), have become THE outdoor activity hub for our community. Walkers, runners, in line skaters, love birds, bird watchers and photographers, berry pickers, picnickers, naturalists and babies in strollers – all have discovered the beauties of the seasonal transformations of this natural oasis alongside the Airport Parkway.
Over a dozen volunteers participated in a clean-up around the Wendy Stewart Ponds on Sunday, September 27, organized by James Mihaychuk, President of Ottawa South’s federal Green Party. Relatively little garbage was found thanks to the weekly cleanup efforts of the Reussner-Pazur family and friends who have informally adopted this area. This has given them a deeper understanding of the flora and fauna here along with the various bird species and humans present and not. I’ll let Sophie tell the story now.
Volunteers ready to start the clean up. Submitted Photo
Clean Up Crew
James Mihaychuk
Since the start of the pandemic, my husband and I have been walking daily around the Wendy Stewart Ponds, just East of the Airport Parkway. For the first time – because we were confined and working from home – our neighbourhood has become our main destination for outdoor exercise and fresh air! Day in and day out, we witnessed the wonders of nature in motion: the last snow of April, the budding leaves, the pulse of summer heat and the arrival and departure of migrating birds…
Yet, we noticed that people with reduced strength/mobility were rarely, if ever, seen on this path. Indeed, one does have to be fit to walk the 40-minute loop, as there are no benches beyond the Airport Parkway’s Juno Bridge…! Thus, we were wondering: How fantastic would it be if the City of Ottawa installed benches around the Watershed? How lovely if people with reduced strength/mobility could rest at various intervals and enjoy this natural gem, like everyone else? These two questions were followed by action. My friend Christine and I went on a “scavenger hunt” to find seven desirable bench locations around the Wendy Stewart Ponds. We had fun pretending to sit on imaginary benches, as the photo shows!
Where’s the bench?
So I wrote to Councillor Riley Brockington and submitted our bench location suggestions, along with GPS coordinates and photos. For the cherry on the cake, I asked Riley if the City of Ottawa would also plant a (fruit?) tree by each bench, so as to provide some nice shade on a hot summer day…!
It is our hope that this inclusive project – to benefit people of all abilities – comes to fruition once the snow melts next spring! If you think this is a good idea, please let Councillor Brockington know.
Although many of us are used to calling this area the Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetlands, we are trying to use its new ‘official’ name – ‘Wendy Stewart Ponds’, as per the plaque on the rock at the South-West end of the ponds, just North of the Juno Beach pedestrian and cycling bridge, in honour of the environmental commitment that former Councillor Stewart dedicated to our community in previous years.
Pride in our community was on display with the dozen volunteers who came on Saturday, October 17 for the annual fall litter pick up at Paul Landry Park. Even our municipal councillor, Riley Brockington, joined in with rake in hand! It was a gorgeous day weather wise, and with so many helping hands we made quick work of the pick-up. The good news is that the quantity of litter continues to diminish over the years, with just a few ‘usual suspects’ seemingly unable to hold on to their cigarette wrappers, chip bags, candy bar wrappers, water, beer and juice bottles or cans, until they get home.
Unfortunately, last winter was rather dismal with our pristine snowy pathways continuously despoiled by dog poop droppings all along the way. This coming winter, we ask all dog owners to please ‘Stoop and Scoop’ (City by-law No. 2003-77 ‘Animal Care and Control’) and respect others who use the park. We thank the vast majority of dog owners who do pick up after their dogs, for the pride and respect that you are showing for our community.
Garbage pickups have now stopped in the park, until next spring. Please do not dump your litter or dog poop bags in the bin at the Uplands Drive end, as they will not be picked up. You need to dispose of your own waste. Thank you for remembering this.
Very happy to report that seven new trees were planted on November 20 at the Uplands Drive end of the park: two each of Sugar Maple, Prospector Elm, and Honey Locust and one Hackberry. These trees will eventually provide food and shelter to birds and small animals, as well as shade for all of us. We thank our City’s Forestry department for replacing those diseased trees that had to be cut down over a year ago because of the Emerald Ash Borer.
Next on our ‘ask list’, as shared by many neighbours, is to have a few more benches installed around the play structure – for adults who are supervising their children; and maybe a picnic table or two near the newly planted trees, where people will be able to find respite in the shade on those hot sunny summer days.
