It was -15°C with a windchill of -25°C, but if you are dressed for it, it’s not cold. But dressing for it means you miss some photos while fumbling with mitts etc…..

It was a grey, low cloudy day. I wasn’t expecting to see much as things always quieten down in winter.

Coming down Al Tweddle Road, the marsh on the west side was frozen solid with brown bull rushes lining the shoreline.

Dispatch from Petrie #153, November 2024

Busy beavers, and muskrats !

With the unseasonably warm weather  at mid-November it seemed the beavers were busy taking advantage of it to build up their larders, and new lodges. The beavers had been busy trimming/pruning the smallish trees everywhere.  … Continue Reading ››

Dispatch from Petrie Island #152, October 2024

An unusually warm late October morning brought out a good number of trail walkers. While there wasn't a lot of action in the ponds etc, the fall colours made the walk even more enjoyable.

Continue Reading ››

Starting last year, a handful of volunteers and scientists began a yearly ritual of collecting turtle eggs on Petrie Island, a conservation area off the shore of Orléans, a suburban neighbourhood in east Ottawa.

The area is home to several at-risk species that might otherwise get gobbled up by predators due in part to increased urbanization.

The turtle guardians lovingly watch over the hatchlings in a lab, finally releasing the tiny vulnerable creatures back onto the island a couple months later. 

The hope — a huge gamble, really — is that some will make it into the one per cent of area turtles that reach adulthood, therefore helping the population thrive.

La tête en l’air, humant toutes ces odeurs nouvelles, la petite tortue ne bouge presque pas. Elle semble apprécier le moment. La rivière des Outaouais devant elle doit lui paraître immense, et pourtant, l’eau l’attire. Elle avance d’un pas, puis s’arrête. Elle hésite encore un peu avant de s’élancer complètement. Elle est de retour à la maison. Une petite tortue qui nage vers un poisson.

We have had a full and rewarding summer with the key word being “turtles”. We were able to secure funding for a turtle technician position through Canada Summer Jobs. We extended this position with funding from LUSH Cosmetics and some late summer funds from Ottawa Riverkeeper. With the help of over 50 volunteers … Continue Reading ››

The sky was overcast, the temperatures had cooled down, and so it seems had the activity at Petrie the morning we visited.

The kingfisher must have been studying the fishing habits/location of the fishermen as a kingfisher was sitting on the culvert under the road studying the  outflow very closely. It … Continue Reading ››

We dropped by Petrie in the last week of August. 

Coming down Tweddle Road we spotted an egret, then a second egret and then a great blue heron  in the marsh on the west side of the road

With all the rain and heat in the last few weeks Petrie Islands, along with other areas in Ottawa, are very green and lush. Some trails are growing in. A number of plants seem ahead of themselves compared to other years.

Summer 2024 Dispatch (Le français suite)

As summer begins, we want to thank our members. Your support has enabled to undertake our environmental stewardship activities, offer educational programming, and protect Petrie Island’s amazing ecosystems. Here is an update of spring highlights and a peek at the summer.

Every year it snows in early June at Petrie. This year was no exception….

Birds, one in particular, beavers, muskrats, turtles, new growth….  It’s spring time at Petrie

It had been a busy month but hearing about the active beavers at Petrie I had to make a point of getting down. I arrived about 90 minutes before sunset and started looking for the beavers. 

Early afternoon, mid-week, and late February combined to present a very quiet visit. One ice fisherman on Muskrat Bay, two walkers and three chickadees who dropped by to say hello once.  The only noise was the quiet rustling of the ice flowing down the river rubbing against the grounded ice.

After the snow and rain of a few days ago I expected the river to be up a bit, but I found the Bill Holland Trail impassable with open, flowing water. I checked the River levels website and discovered it was some three plus feet over the normal summer levels.

I spent two hours in a winter wonderland at Petrie the day after freezing rain and some 4-5″ of snow. The trails and trees were all coated with snow. It would only have been better had it be a clear sunny day.

I didn’t get down to Petrie until the last week of the month, and it was the middle of the day when things are quieter. I noticed right away one sign that winter is coming…. the ice fishing huts were being lined up, and the muskie “lodge” was already in the water.

DISPATCH FROM PETRIE #141, SEPTEMBER, 2023

We visited Petrie Island late in the afternoon mid-month. The light was wonderful for photos, but the wildlife is much less active at that time of day.

The late summer/fall flowers were in bloom

(Scroll over … Continue Reading ››

DISPATCH FROM PETRIE #140

A brief walk on August 24, 2023 produced some flowers, and other things, not seen on August 15th

Impatiens, aka touch-me-not and/or  jewel weed, seemed to be everywhere. One was hosting a Japanese beetle (which was likely eating the blossom for a morning snack).

(Le français suit)

Summer dispatch - August 2023

Hope everyone is having a good summer. We have been very productive out at Petrie Island and it is amazing to realize we are beginning to wind down our summer activities already.  It has been somewhat challenging to work … Continue Reading ››

(Le français suit l'anglais)

This newsletter comes to you to share some of the challenges of our current period of transition. The protracted spring freshet meant Petrie Island was inaccessible for about a month. There is still considerable work to be done to repair or replace lost and damaged benches … Continue Reading ››

Al Tweddle was a great man. We became friends about a year after the Kennedy family first moved into Orléans. I had received a flat “no” (actually three), from the local Parks & Rec guy, when I asked if I could start a … Continue Reading ››

Petrie Island once again experienced significant flooding this spring.

See a drone video of the island from 5 May 2023.

April 17 2023. Photos taken 10:50. River is at 43.2 meters above sea level. About ten inches of water before the curve. At this rate, the road will be closed later this week.

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(Le français suit l’anglais)

Dispatch #2 - July-August 2022

As the summer comes to an end our students are leaving; we would like to thank Mason, Catherine, Anita, Meghan, and Alicia for all of their hard work. Many of you will have noticed the new signs with paintings … Continue Reading ››

(Le français suit l'anglais)

June was unusual this year as the river was so high that most of the trails were flooded. They are now walkable; however, there is still some debris on portions of the trails from the derecho storm in May. The City will be addressing the larger … Continue Reading ››

Turtle research study at Petrie Island

The turtle season is right around the corner and turtles should start basking in the next few weeks at Petrie Island! As many of you know, we will be continuing to research the turtles at Petrie Island in 2022 and here are the projects … Continue Reading ››

Happy Spring to all our members!

As the Island emerges from hibernation, conversations turn to the 2022 season. And it will be a special one. The Friends of Petrie Island are celebrating 25 years! A small group of passionate people came together in 1997 to protect Petrie’s unique ecology and … Continue Reading ››

As we close out summer, it is a great time to reflect on the progress to date and think about what comes next for the Friends of Petrie Island.  It has been a very busy summer and we are delighted with the increased interest in our beloved Island as evidenced by almost 600,000 visitors … Continue Reading ››

For all of our new members since May, we would like to extend a big thank you for supporting the Friends of Petrie Island! Your membership helps fund our conservation projects, maintenance of the picnic area and trails, and educational displays.

In June, the rest of our summer staff joined … Continue Reading ››

Quiet Morning on the Water

It has been 3 weeks since last paddling down at Petrie Island, and yesterday there was a dire need to refresh myself with an outing amongst the conservation area of the isle.

Canoe Paddle at Petrie Island

This morning was my first opportunity to go canoe paddling within the inlets and bays of Petrie Island. I was not only surprised to see the low water level, but also that the ramp and dock were not install. This did not deter me and … Continue Reading ››

Thank you for supporting the Friends of Petrie Island. While programming ended last fall after the Turtle Release, our volunteers remain active over the winter; there was a letter of concern about future development of a 25-story high-rise building at Trim Road submitted, social media continued, and onsite monitoring was done regularly. Attendance … Continue Reading ››

Petrie Island: Then vs Now

Article by Atirah Ally, FOPI summer employee 2020

Everyone has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been quarantined since April and only now have been allowed to properly resume everyday activities with proper precautions. However, it is often overlooked as … Continue Reading ››

July is nearing its end and our last summer month, August, is finally here! We have been seeing the attendance on the island steadily increasing due to the warm weather, with the number of individuals peaking in July. The majority of our summer staff will be here until the end of August; therefore, … Continue Reading ››

Paddle before the heat of the day.......While putting my canoe atop my car and tying down the last strap at 5:30 am, I became drenched with a sudden cloud burst of rain that didn't last long. This didn't stop me in my quest to go for a leisurely paddle around Petrie Island though.

As the summer goes forward, many new developments have been made. Provincial laws have now allowed groups to maintain a limit of 10 individuals. With this in mind, FOPI has decided to re-open the Picnic Area Rentals and modify the Children’s Naturalist Program. The Picnic Area Rentals will include the Event Tent, Picnic … Continue Reading ››

Thank you everyone for another month of support! This month the Friends of Petrie Island staff, along with the help of our Wednesday workday volunteers, have accomplished multiple tasks that have contributed to creating a more welcoming and informative area for all of Petrie's Islands visitors. The construction and painting of our new display structure, a new table … Continue Reading ››

We would like to thank you for all of your support in 2018! With your help, we were able to work on many projects last year, such as launching our Naturalist programs and building our display area. We also received much support during our Wednesday Workdays. Let us all work together, new members and old, and make 2019 … Continue Reading ››

I saw twin bolts of lightning during the first storm, obviously hitting somewhere near Jean D’Arc (North Service). It caught our little dog as he was looking out the patio door. He has been sleeping sheepishly since.

Al Tweddle just confirmed serious damage, many trees down, one hitting the Morin house, another missing the trail shed. … Continue Reading ››

Found the Blanding's Turtle this morning. It was just in front of the "Turtle Viewing Platform" and only had its head sticking up. First one I have ever found in August. Usually see females in June and males in October.

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Its been a long time since we’d been down to Petrie and even longer since I sent in a “Dispatch”. We found ourselves at Petrie at 1:30pm on June 21st, not the best time to see things, but we headed out for what was a 4.5km walk to renew old acquaintances. We checked out all … Continue Reading ››

From Dan Chenier, General Manager, Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services, City of Ottawa, regarding FOPI's nature centre, or interpretation centre.  This was an old cottage built by the Grandmaitre family in the 1960's.  It is now demolished.

The City has received the condition assessment report that was undertaken by Concentric Associates International Inc.  Their report outlines the … Continue Reading ››

After a short winter period Petrie Island was flooded to the highest level in many years during April and May. Floods caused damage to the causeway, which delayed repairs to the beach and picnic area and the area was not officially opened until late June. Petrie Island and the road was closed for 60 days.

Beavers … Continue Reading ››

As we now find ourselves at the end of August, the season is starting to wind down. The city will finally be coming in soon to remove the mold and debris from the nature centre. This will include removing the tile flooring and the insulation from the walls. When this is done, they will do … Continue Reading ››

Last week Friends of Petrie Island hosted an Eel Release Day in partnership with the Ottawa Riverkeeper, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Ministry of Natural Resources. Four hundred eels were tagged and released into the Ottawa River at Petrie Island. The event brought out many volunteers and spectators, and we would like to thank everyone who … Continue Reading ››