The Conseil du bassin versant de la région de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (COBAVER-VS) announces the results of its campaign to mobilize shoreline property owners in the municipality of Rivière-Beaudette.

During the campaign, COBAVER-VS environmental officers made home visits to citizens owning land adjacent to the Rivière Beaudette. These meetings were an opportunity to raise awareness of riparian buffer issues, distribute information tools and collect commitment signatures.

Of the 131 riverside residents we met, 76 owners committed to improving the quality of their riparian buffer strips over the next few years with the help of COBAVER-VS. These 76 private properties represent a collective revegetation potential of 34,830 m2 of riparian buffer along the Beaudette River.

This project follows on from the characterization of riparian strips along the Beaudette River carried out by COBAVER-VS in 2017. The riparian buffer quality index (RBQI) assessment found that 67% of the riparian buffers along the Beaudette River have an index value of "low" or "very low".

The next phases of the project will support these riparian owners in the process of restoring their riverbanks by providing the expertise and resources needed to create a healthy, functional riparian buffer.

In particular, the COBAVER-VS team hopes to create landscaping plans through individual consultations, distribute adapted native plants and provide customized monitoring and maintenance tools. 

Healthy riparian buffers fulfill several important ecological functions, and are an effective and relatively inexpensive method of improving river water quality and preserving riverbanks.

Planting a variety of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants creates new habitats and promotes biodiversity. Revegetating riverbanks also helps reduce the amount of contaminants carried into the watercourse by runoff. In addition, the root system of riverside plants stabilizes banks and reduces soil erosion.

A good-quality riparian buffer strip ensures the presence of fish and protects their spawning grounds, helping to maintain recreational uses of the watercourse such as sport fishing.