Nature For All
About Nature for All
Our vision is to make the Baxter Conservation Area a premiere destination where everyone can enjoy a natural outdoor experience.
Our mission is to raise awareness and funds to improve accessibility at the Baxter Conservation Area
About the Committee
We are a community-led committee working in partnership with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation. We are community champions and like-minded conservationists and adventurists, including people with and without disabilities.
Committee Members
- Mike Nemesvary, Chair
- Dan Cooper, Vice Chair
- Diane Downey
- Wendy Eberwein
- Mary Anne McPhee
Project Partnerships
Friday, 04 June 2021 15:55
WATCH: Going For Gold
Former world ski champion Mike Nemesvary is "going for gold" in a new way: to bring the gold standard of accessibility to Baxter Conservation Area. Watch the video!
Thursday, 17 June 2021 08:12
Going for Gold: World ski star champions accessible nature in Ottawa
MANOTICK, June 17, 2021 – A former world ski champion and James Bond stuntman is hoping to turn Baxter Conservation Area into Eastern Ontario’s most accessible natural paradise. Ottawa Sports Hall of Famer Mike Nemesvary was third in the world in freestyle skiing when he broke his neck in a…
Nature for All is about inclusion. It’s about accessing the natural world, but also feeling safe and welcome there.
Do you share our vision for Baxter Conservation Area?
Imagine: it’s mid-morning on a warm spring day. You follow a wide-planked boardwalk through the sun-streaked forest. Migrating warblers send trills through the treetops and carpets of blossoms decorate the forest floor. Look up and you may find a porcupine peering back at you, or, if you’re lucky, a shy barred owl. Passing through dappled sunlight and cedar-scented shadow, the trail leads to a long bridge. There, the marshlands overtake your senses: cattails bowing to the gentle wind, turtles plunking off their sunbaked logs; red-winged blackbirds sending warnings from their reedy watchtowers. The Rideau River laps at the bridge’s feet while the blossoming sun warms your chest and fills your soul.
Welcome to Baxter: a gateway to nature for all.
Our vision:
The outdoors should be accessible to anyone who wants to enjoy it: plain and simple. Being in nature is good for body and soul, but people with disabilities are disproportionately excluded from outdoor spaces because they’re inaccessible, unsafe or both.
We are transforming Baxter into Eastern Ontario’s most accessible wilderness haven, with gold-standard accessibility features throughout the park.
This includes five kilometres of permanent boardwalks and graded stone-dust trails through mixed forest, marshland and Rideau River shoreline; a safe and sturdy bridge over the marsh with viewing platforms for our visitors and outdoor education programs; accessibility upgrades to our interpretive centre and other facilities such as washrooms and change huts; and improved spots to rest and enjoy the views.
The completed bridge and its platforms are sturdy and wide enough to accommodate an entire group of people in wheelchairs at once – no waiting in line or backing up to let others pass. New and improved trails are underway, and will be wide enough for two people using wheelchairs, walkers or strollers to pass with ease. Gentle slopes and grading allow for easy movement without concern for steep hills or ruts.
These upgrades are ongoing, and have already allowed us to better welcome people of all ages and abilities safely and comfortably to our park, including (but not limited to):
- People with physical or intellectual disabilities
- Seniors with mobility concerns
- Students and special education classes
- Groups from local day programs, assisted living facilities and long-term care homes.
How we’re doing it:
Nature For All is a multi-phase project that continues to make progress every year. Community support, fundraising campaigns, political and charitable support and awareness of our project will continue to be crucial to bringing our vision to life.
Phase 1: Bridge Boardwalk and Education Platforms (2021 – 2023)
Phase 1 is complete! Our previous bridge and education platforms were at the end of their life cycles and met only the minimum accessibility requirements under provincial law. The bridge in particular had been closed for safety reasons since 2019. With support from federal and municipal funding as well as immense community support, the bridge replacement was completed at the end of 2023 and now offers a safe and stunning way to access Baxter wetland, including two extra-large education platforms for use during school visits.
Phase 2: Raised boardwalk and stone dust trails (2024-2026)
We are now fundraising to construct 950 metres of accessible trails and raise boardwalk that lead through Baxter's beautiful mixed forest and shoreline environements. Once built, visitors can expect raised boardwalks and trails that are wide and safe with gentle slopes, seemless connections and frequent resting points.
Ongoing: Facility upgrades
We continue to bringing our facilities up to the gold-standard of accessibility. This includes improving accessibility at the Patrick J. McManus Interpretive Centre, our outdoor education buildings as well as our washroom and change hut facilities at the beach.
If you believe in Nature For All, please donate today – and encourage others to do the same!
“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.”
– John Muir –
Wednesday, 09 June 2021 08:54
Baxter rolls out the welcome mat for people of all abilities
MANOTICK, June 9, 2021 – Beach-lovers of all ages and abilities can enjoy the beautiful sandy beaches at Baxter and Rideau Ferry conservation areas this summer thanks to the RVCA’s new accessible beach mats. The heavy-duty mats will help people with mobility devices like wheelchairs, walkers and strollers access the Rideau…
Wednesday, 16 June 2021 09:10
Birthday boys forgo gifts in support of Nature For All
KARS-ON-THE-RIDEAU, June 16, 2021 – Birthdays are for having fun, and this year Michel and Philip Charron are making sure people of all abilities can get in on the fun at Baxter Conservation Area. The twin brothers from Metcalfe, ON turn 10 on June 16. Instead of gifts, they’ve asked their…
Tuesday, 15 June 2021 08:09
Accessibility overhaul to transform Baxter for people of all abilities
MANOTICK, June 15, 2021 – Accessibility and conservation advocates are teaming up to transform Baxter Conservation Area into the most accessible nature destination in Eastern Ontario – but they need your help. The Nature For All committee is working to upgrade Baxter’s bridges, boardwalks, trails and facilities to the gold…
Monday, 19 July 2021 15:12
Plank by plank, help Baxter build a better boardwalk
MANOTICK, July 19, 2021 – Plank by plank, together we can bridge the gap in accessibility at Baxter Conservation Area. The popular hiking destination in south Ottawa needs a new bridge and boardwalk, which our Nature for All project aims to replace with the gold standard of accessible infrastructure. But the…
Thursday, 02 December 2021 10:18
Someone else’s shoes: Cubs complete “accessibility hike” in support of Nature For All
KARS-ON-THE-RIDEAU, Dec. 2, 2021 – You’ve heard it before: to understand a person, you must walk a mile in their shoes. A local Cub Scouts pack did just that recently when they walked – and rolled – in the shoes of people with disabilities at Baxter Conservation Area south of…
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Friday, 03 June 2022 12:25
Build bridges, build community: Ottawa’s rural grant supports Nature For All
MANOTICK, June 3, 2022 – Baxter Conservation Area will build more than just a bridge this summer: it will build a more inclusive and accessible community, as well. The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is one step closer to making that dream a reality, thanks to a $50,000 grant awarded by the…
Friday, 16 December 2022 08:14
Feds grant $429,000 for accessibility projects at RVCA properties
MANOTICK, Dec. 15, 2022 – Baxter and Chapman Mills conservation areas are fast becoming some of Ottawa’s most inclusive natural parks thanks to more than $429,000 in recent funding from the federal government. Nepean MP Chandra Arya announced the funding through FedDev Ontario's Canada Community Revitalization Fund on Dec. 15 at…
Monday, 28 November 2022 10:17
Nature For All breaks ground on accessible Baxter bridge
KARS-ON-THE-RIDEAU, Nov. 28, 2022 – The dream of turning Baxter Conservation Area into an accessible nature haven for people of all abilities is finally coming true. After three years of planning and fundraising, work has begun to replace the park’s defunct marshland bridge with a new state-of-the-art span that embraces the…
Friday, 21 June 2024 16:41
Accessible Bridge Officially Opens at Baxter Conservation Area
KARS-ON-THE-RIDEAU – June 21, 2024 – Dignitaries, donors, and special guests joined staff and board members from the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) to celebrate the Baxter Conservation Area’s flagship accessible bridge’s grand opening on Friday, June 21. The 100-metre accessible bridge and two large…
