About the Highlands

The South March Highlands Carp River Conservation Inc. (SMH-CRC) and the Coalition to Protect the South March Highlands are groups of concerned citizens and organizations voicing their concerns about development in Ottawa who are working furiously to save this important old-growth forest. We want to live in a City that values its wild places and green spaces. We have in Ottawa a mini-Algonquin Park, right in the city. And if all goes according to the current plan, it is going to be clear-cut and blasted to bits, and turned into roads and subdivisions.

The South March Highlands — along the north edge of Kanata — have the highest ecological value and biodiversity of any area in the City of Ottawa. These are Canadian Shield uplands, more than a billion years old, rich in wetlands and mature forest. They are home to more than 654 species, including eighteen species that are at risk of going extinct.

We want a City that:

• Does not cut down old-growth trees to build roads that can’t be economically justified.
• Protects its most important ecological reservoirs.
• Understands that we want to live in balance with nature.

** We’ve developed a Stewardship Plan for the South March Highlands, offering the City our ongoing commitment to maintain and promote these lands as a wilderness and environment destination, providing a wide range of both non-profit and revenue-generating recreational, educational, scientific and fitness activities for residents and visitors. We are finalizing the Business Plan for the period 2013-2018 which will be available in 2013.

** We’ve assembled a staggering amount of expert opinion from archaeologists, hydrologists, biologists and other professionals who’ve attested to the area’s unique natural and cultural heritage, which will be lost if the area is developed.

** We’ve earned the support of notable Canadians such as David Suzuki, Algonquin Elder William Commanda, author Diana Beresford-Kroeger, and Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May.

* We’ve kept up the pressure on City Hall, and our scrutiny lead staff to abandon a major re-alignment of Shirley’s Brook, and to undertake an Environmental Assessment for Urbandale’s planned diversion of stormwater from Shirley’s Brook.  The City has also started a long overdue population study for the endangered Blanding’s Turtle in the area.

Now we need to step up the campaign, spread the word further, and convince decision-makers that a bold vision for the South March Highlands is the best way forward, for everyone.

The South March Highlands should be protected as a wildlife park in the city; a piece of iconic Canadian landscape 20 minutes from Parliament Hill.  It can be a destination for the people of Ottawa and for visitors to the Capital, as a centre for environmental and cultural education, ecological research, and recreation.