South Nation Conservation’s (SNC) environmental services are now available to the entire municipality of Clarence-Rockland and its residents along the Ottawa River.
According to SNC, the services help protect people and property from natural hazards like flooding, support sustainable development activities and protect water quality.
SNC’s Board of Directors unanimously approved of the expansion. SNC says it was at the request of Clarence-Rockland’s Municipal Council, who voted in support of joining the Conservation Authority’s jurisdiction in February.
Mayor of Clarence-Rockland, Guy Desjardins, says they are pleased to join the South Nation Conservation jurisdiction.
“The value of their programs and services, and support for municipal planning and environmental reviews, far outweighs the cost of membership, especially as we’ve seen increased flooding along the Ottawa River in recent years.”
SNC says the jurisdiction expansion allows them to receive ecologically significant land in other areas of the municipality, to add more forests to the public land trust. The Land Securement Program has seen 500 acres of forest added to SNC’s land network to date within the municipality. SNC can now accept gifts of land and offer charitable receipts and tax benefits for future land donors because of this expansion, according to SNC.