On Saturday afternoon, the Ottawa Valley chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) held a vernissage at Café 349 in Shawville featuring art that was inspired by the Pontiac wilderness along the Dumoine River.
John McDonnell, the director of CPAWS-OV explained that the works were created during the organization’s Dumoine River Art for Wilderness retreats (DRAW), which the organization hosts every summer. Each artist who attends the retreat is asked to donate a finished piece to help raise money for the organization, and there were a wide variety of paintings, drawings and photography on display. “So all this work is inspired by the Pontiac, mainly the Dumoine River but also the Noire and Coulonge,” McDonnell said. “All the work is available for sale and the proceeds will support the work of CPAWS Ottawa Valley in protecting areas in the Pontiac.”
Lyndon Johnston had his art featured in the exhibit and has been attending the retreats for several years, initially as the volunteer cook for the excursion, and later as an artist. He said he enjoyed the area’s serenity the most.
“The tranquility, the peace, the quiet, the beautiful nature, it feels untouched,” he said. “Like being dropped into pure wilderness, not just a hiking trail like other places.”
McDonnell said that CPAWS’s goal is to protect 30 per cent of the Ottawa River watershed, which includes the so-called “three sisters”: the Dumoine, Noire and Coulonge rivers, which flow into the Ottawa River from the upper Pontiac.
“Right now, about 11 per cent is protected, so there’s quite a bit of work to be done to reach that target but we have a lot of projects underway,” McDonnell said. “The Dumoine River watershed is partly protected today thanks to our work as well as the Noire and Coulonge, but we have a number of other projects, places like Lac Dumont near Otter Lake, Lac Brûlé, areas like that, where we’re hoping to see more protection.”
He added that they weren’t opposed to recreation activities in the territories, but more so protection from heavy industry.
“In terms of the level of protection we’re looking for, we’d like to see no logging, mining, or hydro-electric development in those areas,” he said. “But you know, hunting, fishing, trapping, recreational activities, cabin leases, all of those things are protected. The idea is to have a fairly flexible level of protection, to protect the values of that area but not restrict people from going there.“
The exhibit will run at the Café until May 29.
