Greenbelt (Ottawa)

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For other uses of Greenbelt and Green belt, see Green belt (disambiguation).

Map of Ottawa showing the approximate location of the Greenbelt

The Greenbelt is a crescent of land, formerly surrounding the city of Ottawa, in which real estate development generally is not permitted, although the Federal Government has developed limited parts of it. The Greenbelt is maintained by the National Capital Commission (NCC), a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada. It was created in the 1960s through expropriation of land by the federal government largely to prevent urban sprawl which was threatening the rural areas surrounding the city. Land cover with the current Greenbelt comprises mainly forest, wetland, and fields - all with mixed use for recreation, conservation, farming, research, forestry, but also limited urban development, including government buildings and the Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. To date, the Ottawa Greenbelt is among the largest urban parks in the world.

The present City of Ottawa comprises an extensive urban area surrounded by an even more extensive rural zone, a situation brought about by the January 1, 2001 amalgamation of Ottawa with several surrounding municipalities, both urban and rural. As a result, the Greenbelt no longer surrounds Ottawa, but rather it forms an arc through the inside of the city.

To some degree, the original objective of the Greenbelt--to curb urban sprawl--was a failure; many suburban areas have leapfrogged over and developed beyond the Greenbelt, namely Kanata and Stittsville in the west, Orléans in the east and Barrhaven in the southwest. In addition, new developments are starting to form in the southeast, along Riverside Drive and Bank Street. However, the presence of the Greenbelt has ensured that there are large protected rural and green areas in proximity to Ottawa's urban and suburban developed areas.

[edit] Places of interest

Places of interest within the Greenbelt are from east to west:

Greens Creek Conservation Area - a nature reserve of a small tributary of the Ottawa River, cutting through a lush clay valley.
Hornets Nest soccer fields - 11 soccer fields and an air-supported dome for indoor soccer.
Pine View Golf Course - 36 hole public course
Mer Bleue Conservation Area - 33 km² sphagnum peat bog. There are some 20 km of walking trails, including a 1.2 km boardwalk, through a remarkable boreal-like ecosystem normally not found this far south. Stunted black spruce, tamarack, together with bog rosemary, blueberry, and cottongrass, are some of the unusual species that have adapted to the acidic waters of the bog. The Mer Bleue bog (French for Blue Sea) got its name from the autumn morning fogs that make it appear as a blue sea.
Pine Grove Forest - 12 km² of mixed-use forest for hiking, wildlife reserve, and forestry.
Conroy Pit - a 1.1 km² site on a former sand/gravel pit off Conroy Road near Hunt Club Road, now used primarily as an off-leash dog park and for tobogganing in the winter. It has several kilometers of urban forest trails and wide open areas. The north end of the pit features a large toboggan hill.
Macdonald-Cartier International Airport - Ottawa's main airport for domestic, international, and general aviation.
Agriculture Canada Research Farms - 17 km² site for research in animal disease prevention and treatment.
The Log Farm - a restored homestead from 1857, with guided tours.
Stoney Swamp - 20 km² of provincially significant wetland, popular for hiking and outdoor recreation.
National Capital Equestrian Park
Ottawa Municipal Campground - public campground with 300 serviced sites.
The 19th Tee Driving Range - golf driving range and 18 hole mini-putt park.
Shirley's Bay - an important wetland on the Ottawa River, home to migratory birds and water fowl. This location is ideally suited for bird watching.