The Goulbourn Wetland Complex

The Goulbourn Wetland Complex, found within the Mississippi River and Rideau River watersheds, covers 906 hectares (or approximately 2239 acres). See Figure 1.

The portion of the Goulbourn Wetland Complex of particular interest to the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands is located immediately west of the urban boundary of Stittsville and north and south of the TransCanada Trail.

The Goulbourn Wetland Complex

Figure 1.

The Goulbourn Wetland Complex is found within the watershed boundaries of the Mississippi River Conservation Authority and the Rideau River Conservation Authority. These boundaries reflect the geospatial data provided through Land Information Ontario (LIO).

The portion of the Goulbourn Wetland Complex of particular interest to the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands is located immediately west of the urban boundary of Stittsville and north and south of the Trans Canada Trail. This area is shown within the yellow oval. Please note that this is for illustration purposes and is not exact.

There are four types of wetlands in Ontario, including:

  • swamps, which are dominated by trees or shrubs

  • marshes, which usually have open areas of water with floating plants, like waterlilies and emergent plants (standing above the water) like cattails

  • bogs, which are peat-covered areas low in nutrient and strongly acidic

  • fens, which are also often found on peat but are less acidic and richer in nutrients than bogs

    Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2017. A Wetland Conservation Strategy for Ontario 2017–2030.

The Goulbourn Wetland Complex is composed of three types of wetlands – swamps, marshes, and fens. It provides a home to Species at Risk including Blanding Turtles, Snapping Turtles, and over 150 species of birds (eBird), including the Barn Swallow and three other Species at Risk. The Goulbourn Wetland Complex also provides habitat for the red shoulder hawk, a provincially significant animal species, Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper, a provincially significant plant species as well as several other regionally and locally significant species.

This wetland also serves as a habitat for various species, including Northern Spring Peeper, bullfrog, muskrat, raccoon, beaver, mink, red fox, coyote, white-tailed deer, and red squirrel.

Blandings Turtle
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin

Snapping Turtle
Photo by Donna Yarbrough

Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper

Barn Swallow
Photo by Lia Maaskant

Red Shoulder Hawk
Photo by Greg Sellentin

White Tailed Deer
Photo by Slyvie Sabourin

Northern Spring Peeper
Photo by Ashlee Marie

Porcupine
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin

Beaver
Photo by Niklas Hamann

Red Squirrel
Photo by Tyler Ambeau

The headwaters of Poole Creek, which runs through the heart of Stittsville, are found within the Goulbourn Wetland Complex. The upper portion of Poole Creek, west of Stittsville Main Street, is considered a cold or cool water stream. That portion east of Stittsville Main Street is considered a warm habitat.[1] The cold or cool waters of Poole Creek are considered a crucial and rare habitat, sustaining a unique ecological system of significant environmental and recreational value to the community of Stittsville and Ottawa. The health of Poole Creek is dependent on the overall health of its headwaters, found within the Goulbourn Wetland Complex.

To learn more about the Goulbourn Wetland Complex check out Wild Stittsville: A Guide to Our Ecosystems and How We Can Re-wild Our Community written by Jessica Lozanski, a Canadian Conservation Corps alumni. The Canadian Conservation Corps is a branch of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Jessica’s home community is Stittsville.

You can also learn more about other observed wildlife and plants through iNaturalist. iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. Go to iNaturalist then click on “Explore” and under “Location” type Stittsville, Ottawa, ON, Canada and then choose “Map.”

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