INTRODUCTION
This section of the Site describes current news items and upcoming events.
The calendar visible on the Home Page will contain reference to important community-focused events such as the Annual General Meeting of the Association, the Picnic in the Park; the Lasagna Supper Neighbourhood Party, Wassailing at Christmas, etc.
The CGCA hosts several annual events including: our Lasagna Supper in March; Open Gardens tour in June; the Annual P{icnic in the Park in September on the first Saturday in September after Labour Day weeekend; our Annual General Meeting of the CGCA held in mid-October; and our Annual Wassailing – Carol-Singing tour just before Christmas each year.
News Items can be posted by any resident or interested party by Emailing the News Item to Allan Martel and requesting that the item be posted on the Site. All requests will be reviewed and the approved items will be posted on the site. News items will also be removed when they become old news.
2023 was a busy year in the Glen with our Open Gardens visits; our Annual Picnic in the Park with a record # of attendees; the largest Raffle ever; many Dunbarton Court Islands improvements; and the arrival of many new neighbours – many being families with young children.
Macoun Marsh Rescue
Beechwood Cemetary has launched a well-researched and managed initiative designed to restore MaCoun Marsh in a permanent manner.
Sustainability of the Urban Macoun Marsh and Environmental Restoration – SUMMER
By: Jennifer Lamoureux, Biologist
Macoun Marsh is a rare wetland feature tucked away at the southwest corner of Beechwood Cemetery. Despite being in a highly urbanized part of the City of Ottawa, the Macoun Marsh provides an important and unique wetland habitat for fish and wildlife in the area. On the surface it appears as a cattail marsh with a naturalized shoreline area, however those close to the marsh have noticed some recent changes.
Wetlands by the very nature of the name are areas that are typically wet during various parts of the year and usually have plants that are tolerant of wet conditions. They provide many benefits to the watershed including the storage of water to help with flood control and erosion, filtering water to improve water quality, providing important fish and wildlife habitat, and are locations with generally higher biodiversity.
Due to the increase in the number of drought years that we are experiencing, the Macoun Marsh often suffers from extremely low water levels, which negatively impacts summer and winter habitat conditions for the species that rely on it. Along the shoreline zone there have also been increases in the number of non-native invasive plants including common buckthorn and garlic mustard. Over time, both these plants will negatively impact the diversity of the riparian area surrounding the Macoun Marsh, which will impact the terrestrial and aquatic functions of the wetland.
These observations have led to Beechwood forming a local with ASL Contracting to improve the wetland by implementing common wetland restoration techniques. Local partners have come together to enhance the marsh and to improve habitat conditions for fish and wildlife populations.
The work will involve opening up pockets of the cattail beds through excavation, installing wood structure from trees that have already fallen from previous storms and have been stockpiled nearby, and revegetating any disturbed areas along the shoreline with native plants and seed mixtures. Once the work is completed it doesn’t take long for the wetland to adjust, for the plants to take hold and for wildlife to thrive.
To read the text in the green box above, please click the link below to be directed to the Beechwood Magazine in which this article appeared originally.
Click to access Beechwood%20Way%20Spring%20-%20English.pdf
How Can You Get Involved?
There will be opportunities for the community to get involved with the project during and after construction. Opportunities for a community planting day to remove invasive species along the shoreline and replant with native shrubs will be available. Stay tuned for more details and opportunities to get involved with that aspect of the restoration plan.
Another important part of any wetland restoration project is to monitor the change after construction. To help us understand how the wetland restoration project is working, we will be asking the community to share their observations with us. This can be done in a variety of ways including application programs like INaturalist or simply by sending them in. This will help us understand how the wetland is adapting and what future work might provide additional benefits.
For further information on this restoration, please see the article in the Manor Park Chronicle NOvember – December 2024 edition by Christina Keys, a wildlife gardener with Garden Re-Leaf and Cardinal Glen Resident.