RLEF and BRLA address environmental challenges on Cow Island The RLEF and the BRLA share a commitment to the appreciation, understanding, preservation, and safe enjoyment of the Big Rideau Lake. BRLA programs, specifically Cow Island Day Camp, instill a passion for our lake in our youth and help ensure sound stewardship into the future; an educated, strong, committed community is…
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rideau Lakes Environmental Foundation Announces 2026 Research Grants Four projects to study the impact of docks, long-term lake change, microplastics, and road salt in the Rideau Lake Portland, ON — March 2026 — The Rideau Lakes Environmental Foundation (RLEF), a registered Canadian charity, today announced the recipients of its 2026 Small Grants Program. Four research…
Every year, the Rideau Lake Environmental Foundation invites researchers to submit proposals for environmental research on and around Big Rideau Lake. This year, we budgeted to fund three projects. The proposals came in, and now we have a problem: four of them stand out. In each case the issue is timely, the science is sound, and the work would directly…
A new article in Aquatic Conservation from the Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory at Carleton University reports on research funded by the RLEF (Dusevic et al., 2024). Fish sanctuaries on Big Rideau Lake and two neighbouring lakes benefit a much wider range of wildlife than they were designed to protect. …
RLEF has been supporting research on lake fish populations, including that Dr. David Philipp and Dr. Steve Cooke for some time. Studies have shown that the Bass populations in Big and Upper Rideau Lakes was declining over time due to preseason catch and release fishing taking male bass away from their nests. Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) is working on a…
From Dr. Steven Cooke, Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Carleton University One of the most common questions I get as a fisheries scientist is “How is our fishery doing?” When it comes to black bass populations in eastern Ontario, it is really difficult to know. Although the Ontario MNR does some sampling, the methods used are more appropriate for…
December 2025 Dear Lake Friends and Neighbours, As the year winds down and the snow settles on the lake, it’s time to pause and reflect on the value of this special place to our own well-being and that of our families. Time at the lake allows us to reflect and reconnect. We rely on a healthy lake environment for our…
Small Grants for Scientific Research on and around the Rideau Lake
DEADLINE: January 31, 2026
To develop our understanding of the science that underpins our environmental activities, the RLEF has established a program of small grants to support research projects. We are interested in receiving proposals from scientific researchers working in any discipline that contributes to our knowledge of the flora, fauna, or environment of the Rideau Lakes.
The Big Rideau Lake Association (BRLA) is working with the Rideau Lakes Environmental Foundation (RLEF) and the Upper Rideau Lake Association (URLA) to develop a conservation plan.
Here is an update on getting a larger, new Bass Spawning Sanctuary Study up and running in the expanded group of bass lakes that make up our Coalition for Innovative Fisheries Conservation (CIFC). That all said, it became very clear that the study as we envision it, cannot get started until spring of 2027. Even if we could have had…
RLEF activities are featured in an article in the Westport Review-Mirror, September 18, 2025…
Restoring degraded aquatic habitat is one of the most appealing tools in freshwater conservation.
A study on Big Rideau Lake, published in 2024, tested one such intervention for smallmouth bass spawning habitat — and the results illustrate how difficult translating that logic into practice can be.