Although 2019 was a fairly quiet year for Ruisseau Jackson, it was marked by a series of community activities related to environmental awareness. The organization is quite proud of its achievements. Here’s a brief year-end review.

In February 2019, thanks to a donation, we organized a lovely winter hike in the RJANP area in the Municipality of Morin-Heights. It was very cold and there was a lot of snow, but the hikers really enjoyed the day. Click here for more information. The ecosystem dynamics of the forests and fragile wetlands surrounding Ruisseau Jackson were explained by a biologist.

In March 2019, we officially announced the creation of the Ruisseau Jackson Nature Reserve: 215 acres of new conservation in Morin-Heights. The reserve was donated to the Municipality of Morin-Heights to ensure its perpetual conservation. Jane Hope, a resident of Lac Echo and member of Ruisseau Jackson, headed this initiative. She brought together a number of buyers and donors, the Municipality of Morin-Heights and Invesco Habitation, a property development company. The goal was to protect a network of trails along with the natural environment in the Ruisseau Jackson watershed.

In May 2019, Abrinord – Organisme de bassin versant de la rivière du Nord (webpage in French only) and the Municipality of Morin-Heights completed an interpretive panel on the concept of watersheds and the importance of preserving water resources. We are still looking for the ideal spot to install it.

The Municipality of Morin-Heights, in partnership with RJANP, put up an interpretive signage panel made by the Société de plein air des Pays-d’en-Haut (SOPAIR). It is located near Wood Bridge, a popular hiking and snowshoe trailhead, where it is very visible.

In June 2019, local newspaper MAIN STREET published an article on RJANP by Mathieu Madison, a biologist who took part in the environmental assessment of the 215 acres that make up the Ruisseau Jackson Nature Reserve. In addition, a delegation of water conservation stakeholders from Martinique and Quebec got together with Abrinord, the North American Network of Basin Organizations (NANBO), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) representing North America, and the Office de l’eau (ODE) Martinique.

The RuisseauBlitz (webpage in French only), a popular RJANP activity, was held in July 2019 and focused on a botanical theme. Biologist Mathieu Madison led the group on a hike in the former Lac Seale area, which is now a large wetland. Participants identified many plant species, three of which were part of a contest to name RJANP’s emblematic plant. This was organised in preparation for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) in 2020. The activity was followed by a lecture by Danielle Landry, Quebec representative of the Leave no Trace Canada movement and founder of De ville en forêt : Plein air et tourisme viables – Programme Sans trace. Ms. Landry gave an excellent presentation on the ethics and principles of the Leave no Trace program and provided some salient examples of environments where these were not adhered to and how the environment was damaged.

Other 2019 activities

• September 2019 – Launch of the vote for an emblematic plant. The vote was held at the November 2019 Annual General Meeting.
• October 2019 – Installation of SOPAIR signage along various trails in the area.
• November 2019 – Lecture on the emblematic plant chosen by the community, the broad-fruited bur-reed.
• November 2019 – Transmission of the report prepared for RJANP on the application of the Leave No Trace Principles in the region and especially in the new protected area (Réserve naturelle Ruisseau Jackson). 

We also continued to take part in a number of activities, such as:

– Water sampling with Abrinord and local partners, including the Municipality of Morin-Heights.
– Follow-up on the Miller sandpit.
– Production of new photo books for donors.

We are turning the page on 2019 today! Lets now look forward to the new year…