June 14, 2019 - Everyone wants a nice, quiet spot where they can get away from it all, without driving hundreds of kilometres into the woods. That will become a reality this summer at Chapman Mills Conservation Area with the installation of a new, accessible public dock.

Thanks to a generous donation to the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) from Cabela’s Canada Outdoor Fund, the installation will replace the conservation area’s old dock in a more accessible location, creating a better place to catch a fish, launch a canoe or just dip your toes in the mighty Rideau River.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) owns and manages the conservation area off Winding Way and Prince of Wales drives. Conservation Lands technician Megan Dunster said the property’s current dock and water access set-up is damaging the fragile shoreline as anglers and paddlers find more convenient ways into the water.

The new dock will protect the shoreline and intends to meet accessibility standards for slope and width. 

Dunster said there’s a shortage of public fishing spots in the city of Ottawa, particularly along the Rideau River. The new dock will allow the thousands of families who live in south Ottawa to take part in the sport – some for the very first time.

“I firmly believe the more that people can experience the outdoors, the more they will care about maintaining a healthy environment for themselves and for future generations,” said Dunster. “This connection is essential to the RVCA’s goals for a healthy, sustainable watershed.”

The dock project will include interpretive signs about fishing in the Rideau River.

Cabela’s Canada Outdoor Fund provided more than $4,800 for the project through a partnership with the RVCF, a registered charity which supports the RVCA’s conservation and watershed management goals.

June 17, 2019 ‑ Members of the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) proudly presented their newly refreshed logo at the June Annual General Meeting.

“We’re proud of our history and our roots,” said Executive Director Diane Downey. “Our foundation’s profile has grown, and it was time to update our brand. The new logo still holds the red trillium as it’s central visual element but is presented in a more modernized style.”

The public will likely see both logos in use for some time as current stocks of branded materials are depleted before a full transition to the new look.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation offers a Special Occasion Tree Program to mark special family occasions.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is committed to protecting your personal information. Our Privacy Policy is intended to ensure that our actions are in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Our organization’s activities are almost exclusively in the province of Ontario but many of our donors, volunteers and Board members may be from other Canadian provinces. Donors can also be from other countries.

How We Use Your Information

The RVCF collects personal information from its donors for the purpose of processing donations and issuing charitable receipts, sending letters of thanks, providing information about the causes that donors support, maintaining donation history, sharing announcements, informing and/or inviting supporters to events, and to respond to requests for information.  

The information that we collect includes:

• Contact information
• Causes supported
• Donation information and history
• Legal Requirements
• Other information that is reasonable to provide appropriate donor support

Sharing of Personal Information

Detailed information about our donors is not shared unless we are legally required to do so. We share a donor’s identity only for the purpose of promoting your trust in our charity and to encourage support from other community-minded donors. Our default is to list our donors and provide links to business donor websites so that others can be aware of the type of donors who support our environmental charity; however, all requests for anonymity are respected. 

Board members and directors’ names are shared when required for grants or other reasonable purposes. We do not share contact information or birth dates without permission or unless legally required to do so.

Volunteer names and contact information is not shared unless legally required to do so.

Consent for communication with RVCF is implied with each donation. No information is shared unless we have written permission or are legally required to do so. 

Information Retention Period

Your information will be retained for an appropriate period to provide good donor, supporter and partner stewardship. It is kept to provide the services listed above. Our Donor Wall recognises and appreciates a donor’s historical support which we track for this purpose. All parties are welcome to have their names removed from our contact and recognition lists. Information is updated as required.  Information accuracy is the duty of the Executive Director. Requests for your information can be accessed anytime. Please contact the Executive Director with requests or complaints.

Protection of Sensitive Information

All donation icons on RVCF websites that process payments are links to external service providers who specialise in providing on-line security and processing and protecting sensitive information.  RVCF does not collect or retain any beyond that required to provide reasonable service to our donors.

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed every three years and updated as required.

Last review and update: December 23, 2023

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) is one of the best little local environmental charities in Eastern Ontario. We work hard to protect the greenest little valley in all of Ontario with lots of trees, wildlife, natural shorelines and conservation lands. We do this for families and communities — for today and tomorrow.

We hope you will join us in our ongoing pursuit for a clean and healthy environment … right here at home in the Rideau Valley

We would love to hear from you as we work to make our watershed one of the cleanest, healthiest in Ontario, now and into the future.

Patrons $100,000+

Sponsors $25,000 to $100,000+

Benefactors $5,000 to $25,000

Supporters $1,000 to $5,000

Friends $500 to $1,000

Thanks to the amazing support of several funding partners, the pond at Baxter Conservation Area was restored and ready for students this spring.

Located at the Baxter Conservation Area, the Baxter ASL Pond is visited annually by over 5,000 students from kindergarten to university looking to learn about pond ecology. It is home to frogs, fish, turtles, birds and aquatic invertebrates. It is a special spot where visitors get to observe the diversity of life hiding along its shores and in its cool waters. Equipped with nets, basins and sporting good old-fashioned rubber boots, students get up close and personal with the animals that call the pond home.

Funding partners and special friends gathered to celebrate the restored pond in May. Special thanks to the funders who made the restoration project possible.

“It just seemed like the logical choice,” said Wally Kaczkowski as he pondered his decision to donate land to the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF).  “The donation benefited me and the community in many different ways.”

In early 2017, Mr. Kaczkowski started to reflect on his ownership of a 1.55 acre parcel nestled along the shore of the Rideau River just north of Kemptville. Too small to develop and with dwindling interest in the property from his sons, it just didn’t seem to make sense to keep it anymore.

“It is a nice chunk of shoreline and wetland,” said Mr. Kaczkowski, while admitting that where it may not have been the best development purchase, it still has a value to the community. The retired teacher and MacSkimming Outdoor educator appreciates that the property has significant natural features and turned to the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation to see if they were interested in protecting the green space.

The RVCF has an active procurement plan and an established track record in receiving land donations. More and more families and individuals are considering giving their land to the Conservation Foundation. Some donors want to keep it undeveloped and in a natural state forever — others welcome the tax benefits of their donations. Regardless of the motivation, the RVCF reviews the environmental benefits of the property prior to acceptance. The RVCF is particularly interested in land that is ecologically sensitive or has unique water-related features (wetlands, shorelines and aquifer recharge areas). The Kaczkowski property fit the Foundation’s review process.

“Normally we don’t accept such small properties,” said Kristy Giles, Conservation Lands Planner. “But this property will support the growing neighbourhood of public properties in the nearby vicinity — making the area a much more productive and well-functioning natural zone along this stretch of the Rideau River.”

Natural shorelines and wetland areas are valuable areas. They help maintain clean water, they prevent soil erosion, reduce the impacts of flooding and provide wildlife with food and habitat. They are incredibly productive ecosystems — comparable to rainforests and coral reefs. The Kaczkowski property is the perfect blend of natural shoreline, wetland and trees that provides value habitat for many species including the endangered Henslow’s Sparrow and the rare Eastern Musk Turtle which have both been seen at the site.

“Staff were easy to approach and discuss options with. And what’s impressive is that all costs are covered, making it very appealing to donors like myself,” said Mr. Kaczkowski. The Conservation Foundation pays all of the costs associated with the transfer of title.

Although donated, gifted lands are not free. Each land donation could have a cost of up to $10,000 in terms of legal, surveying and appraisal fees plus the ongoing taxes, maintenance and fund in addition to the land itself. Some trust and conservation groups may only accept new lands if such fees are forthcoming.  

“It cost me nothing — instead, the Foundation gave me a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value of my land and the satisfaction of providing a lasting gift to future generations of watershed residents,” said Mr. Kaczkowski.

“The RVCF has a fund to help offset the cost of accepting these lands on behalf of the public,” says Michael Poliwoda, Executive Director of the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation. “These hidden costs of a donation are in large measure funded by the RVCF’s Environmental Land Fund made possible by annual support from Mattamy Homes. Obviously, it would be a shame to lose the opportunity to protect an important piece of the Rideau Valley — after all, no more wilderness is being made.”

The local community can help RVCF continue to accept important land donations by donating to the Steve Simmering Endowment Fund.  This fund supports the perpetual costs of maintenance and ownership. 

Mr. Kaczkowski’s waterfront is now one of 51 unique parcels owned by the Conservation Foundation and managed by the Conservation Authority. The sites, including the Boucher Property, Curtis Property and DePencier Property, are to be kept in a natural state in perpetuity and are located across the entire Rideau watershed.

RVCF is a member of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance and adhere to the Standards and Practices set out in the Land Trust documents. Guiding principles in our land donation program include integrity, perpetual responsibility, and excellence in public service and good governance.

Special thanks to Wally Kaczkowski for his community-minded gift. If you are interested in learning more about land donations here in Eastern Ontario’s Rideau watershed, contact Michael Poliwoda or visit the RVCF Land Donation page