The Friends of the Rideau, a member of the Canada Parks Partnership, is one of the many "Friends of ...." volunteer, non-profit organizations across Canada. Together with the other members of the Canada Parks Partnership, and Parks Canada, we work to provide Canadians and international visitors the opportunity to learn about and support our natural and cultural heritage. We encourage people to get involved and to help protect special places, such as the Rideau Canal, for future generations to use and enjoy.
To enhance and conserve the irreplaceable charm of the Rideau Corridor. To increase public awareness and enjoyment of the Rideau Corridor and to develop strong public support for the long term well-being of the Rideau Corridor
Our members are from both Canada and the United States, with even a couple from Europe. They include boaters, cottagers, cottage associations, other local non-profit organizations, municipalities, Chambers of Commerce, heritage societies, museums, and service clubs. Many local businesses join because they recognize the value of sustainable tourism to the area.
Our newsletter, Rideau Reflections, is produced three times a year, keeping our members up to date on all things Rideau and including interesting natural and cultural heritage articles. Become a member and get the newsletter delivered right to you. Recent copies of the newsletter can be viewed on our website.
We're actively participating in the Rideau Heritage Network. For more information about this network, visit their website at: www.rideau-info.com/heritagenetwork
We worked with Parks Canada to created the "Managing Aquatic Vegetation on the Rideau Canal" brochure, with information about aquatic vegetation (aka "weeds") and the permit requirements to remove them. The brochure can be downloaded from our Brochure Page.
We're working hard to make Rideau 175, the 175th anniversary of the opening of the Rideau, a memorable event in 2007. This includes creating the Rideau 175 website which you'll find at: www.rideau175.org
We published a new book, "Pathfinders - The Guides of the Rideau" all about the fascinating history of fishing guides on the Rideau. We are very pleased to have brought this previously untold piece of important Rideau history into the public domain. For more information have a look at the Pathfinders Page.
We created the "Be Rideau Loon Aware" brochure, dealing with loon awareness and responsible watercraft use, to help reduce the conflicts that can occur between boaters and loons, particularly loon chicks. An on-line version of the brochure can be viewed on the Be Rideau Loon Aware page.
We have reprinted the book, Building the Rideau Canal, A Pictorial History, by Robert Passfield. This is an important work about the Rideau which has been out of print for some years (originally published in 1982). For details, see the Passfield page.
We created a nature and heritage trail going from our retail outlet, The Depot, in Merrickville to the remains of the old water control dam at the end of the peninsula. An interpretive brochure was also be done as part of this project. The official opening of the trail was in the summer of 2003.
In early 2002 we offered a free copy of the newly reprinted Rideau Waterway, by Robert F. Legget, to all 81 High Schools in the greater Rideau region. We hope that this will help more students learn about the interesting history of the Rideau and encourage them to explore the Rideau Waterway, to see first hand the history that the book describes.
We have created a new brochure "How A Lock Works" to help visitors to Rideau lockstations understand how the locking through procedure actually works. An on-line version of this brochure, in both English and French, has also been posted to this website.
We are working towards achieving World Heritage Status for the Rideau Canal Waterway.
We successfully fund raised to get Robert Legget's book "Rideau Waterway" republished by University of Toronto Press. It was re-printed in the spring of 2001.
We published a new book about the Rideau, written by Friend of the Rideau director Ken Watson, in July 2000.
We have created a website for the new Rideau Heritage Route publication, a co-operative effort of all the Chambers of Commerces and tourist organizations in the Rideau Corridor (Kingston to Ottawa).
We put our Stop Wash publication, an educational brochure about the problems with excessive boat wash (wake), up on the web.
We worked with several groups in pursuing Canadian Heritage River designation for the Rideau Waterway. The Rideau Waterway received this designation in August, 2000.
The website that you are on now was first created in 1996 and it continues to evolve.
We run The Depot in Merrickville. Our hosts there, Dave and Jeanne Brett, provide over 25,000 visitors each year with invaluable Rideau information, ranging from "how does a lock work", to "where's the bathroom".
We distribute newsletters to our members, keeping them up to date on all that is happening on the Rideau
We hold an annual spring meeting where we bring in interesting speakers to talk about various things of Rideau interest (recent talks have included "Underwater Archaeology of the Rideau Waterway", "Rideau River Biodiversity Project" and "The Water Man Film Project" (story of John By)).
Our information and cultural interpretation centre is at the historic Depot beside the Merrickville locks. For those interested in the heritage, attractions, and charm of the Rideau Corridor, we offer books, prints of the steamer, Rideau King, (among others), etc., at The Depot and at our main office at 1 Jasper Avenue, Smiths Falls. You can order by E-mail, regular mail, telephone, fax, or by dropping in to see us. As a member, you'll receive a 10% discount on most of the products that we sell.
1 Jasper Avenue
Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada, K7A 4B5
Tel : (613) - 283 - 5810
Fax : (613) - 283 - 2884
email: info@rideaufriends.com
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