2025 Otty Lake Brush Bundle Project
In early fall, Watersheds Canada’s Fish Habitat team met with volunteers and partners to deliver a fish habitat restoration project on Otty Lake.
This project used some unique materials, though. Instead of the typical brush bundles, which are piles of branches lashed together with a rope, the staff instead used former Christmas trees. The old pines were diverted from their fate of being turned into wood pulp, and instead were repurposed for a much greater good: providing critical habitat for native fish species.
Fish need shelter just like people do. They use woody debris from fallen logs and branches in the water for many of the most important parts of their life cycle, such as feeding and resting. With the current surge in shoreline development and modification, less and less woody debris is naturally falling into lakes. This project addressed this problem directly, putting back what should have been there all along and bringing benefits that will echo throughout the entire lake ecosystem for decades.
In total, 20 bundles were sunk to the bottom of Otty Lake. The project would not have been possible without the partnership with the Otty Lake Association, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and local summer camp Camp Iawah. The passion for positive change brought out with the community was palpable, as they took charge to move words into actions after months of planning.
The drop locations of the bundles were each marked with a GPS device, allowing them to be monitored in the future. Divers visiting the bundles in the future will see what they often do – fish, tadpoles, turtles, and countless other wildlife species using this new habitat.
The project was delivered thanks to generous funding provided by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, which puts money rounded up from customer purchases towards making real changes for the outdoors. All Watersheds Canada fish habitat projects are completed with applicable permits and approval by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
In partnership with grassroots organizations and local volunteers, Watersheds Canada has completed many fish habitat restoration projects across Eastern and Central Ontario over the past decade, including walleye spawning bed enhancements, cold-water creek enhancements, lake trout spawning bed enhancements, and in-water habitat enhancements through the deployment of brush piles (woody debris). If you think your Ontario waterfront community could benefit from a fish habitat enhancement project, please check out the free Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit: Watersheds.ca/download-the-fish-habitat-enhancement-toolkit/
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