Acrylic, 30×40 on gallery wrap canvas – $1,320

Another gorgeous hot summer day. Petrie Island is known as “our small wilderness” to the dedicated volunteers that look after and care for this pocket of wild and the wildlife that call it home. There are numerous interesting and informative posts on Facebook including from groups “Petrie Island: Our Small Wilderness” and “Friends of Petrie Island”. Its a beautiful place to spend some time in all seasons. 

As the pressure from urbanization and for recreation increases, we need to appreciate and preserve these small spaces from pollution and invasive species. The numerous times the beaches are closed due to high e-coli levels is inescapable evidence of how we abuse our rivers. The Watershed Report Card , issued this past May by the Ottawa Riverkeeper tells “a story of a watershed under threat”.  Sad to say, turning around the neglect and exploitation of the river would likely require Olympic motivation. Its ironic that Paris is now trying to convince athletes it’s safe to swim in the Seine which has been banned since 1923 due to the health risk. Maybe we should host the Olympics here. ??