RBC Blue Water Project invests in water quality at rare Charitable Research Reserve
(Cambridge/North Dumfries June 3, 2016): Yesterday, as the rare Charitable Research Reserve celebrated RBC Blue Water Day, Royal Bank of Canada presented a cheque to the oragnisation to further their conservation efforts in water quality.
The $25,000 in funding from RBC Blue Water Project will develop rare’s capacity to monitor and manage its surface and groundwater resources, and educate on small stream conservation and stewardship, in a project that addresses key water problems in sustainability of water quality in the urban landscape.
The grant will enhance and strengthen rare’s conservation efforts by expanding its regular monitoring program to include regular benthic invertebrate and water chemistry sampling in all three streams, and provide equipment to allow basic chemical and hydrological monitoring within the organisation. With opportunities to partner with labs at the University of Waterloo and McMaster University, water quality will be assessed to support conservation around water in the community and schools.
Benthic Invertebrates are organisms that live in or on the bottom of water courses – streams, rivers, etc, and are highly affected by environmental conditions. Their presence, type, and quantities, are strong clues about the water quality of the aquatic environment being sampled and therefore of the surrounding landscape’s ecological integrity.
The RBC Blue Water Project is a 10-year, $50 million commitment to provide drinkable, fishable, swimmable water now, and for future generations.
About rare
Founded in 2001, the rare Charitable Research Reserve is a 900+ acre land trust and environmental institute situated at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in the heart of the Waterloo Region. The reserve is a beautifully and culturally significant landscape that includes trees more than 240 years old. Rich in biodiversity, rare is home to an array of flora and fauna – some of which are ranked significant regionally, provincially, nationally and even globally. Striving to preserve the land for future generations rare focuses on conservation, research and education through ecological restoration, environmental programming, and providing passive recreation opportunities to the surrounding community through 8km of trails.
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Contacts:
Stephanie Sobek-Swant, rare, Executive Director
519-650-9336 x 113
stephanie.sobek-swant@raresites.org
Tom Woodcock, rare, Planning Ecologist
519-650-9336 x. 121