A new eco-tourism business in the Ottawa Valley is set to celebrate its launch later this month with a community barbecue and a chance for visitors to experience a solar-powered canoe excursion through a protected bald eagle habitat.
Happy Little Canoe Rides will hold its grand opening May 25 at 72 Lacroix Bay Rd. in La Passe, near Westmeath, offering burgers and hotdogs to guests while introducing its no-paddle canoe tours along the Ottawa River.
The business operates two linked canoes — “Sunshine” and “Patience” — designed to provide a quiet and environmentally friendly wildlife-viewing experience through the Bald Eagle Conservation Zone at the Isle of Grand Calumet.
“Sunshine,” the lead canoe, is powered by twin solar panels connected to a lithium-ion battery that runs a 55-pound-thrust electric trolling motor. The vessel tows “Patience,” a three-seat canoe equipped with swivel seats and outriggers for added stability.
The tours can accommodate up to four passengers at a time and follow a 12-kilometre route lasting about three to four hours. Organizers say the silent operation allows guests to photograph wildlife and experience the natural surroundings with minimal disturbance to the environment.
La Passe, whose name is tied to the area’s annual Canada goose migration, is known as an important ecological corridor for migratory birds and other wildlife species.
The marshes and forests surrounding Grand Calumet Island provide habitat and feeding grounds for a range of species, including loons, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, belted kingfishers and bald eagles.
The company says the excursions are aimed at nature enthusiasts, birders and wildlife photographers seeking a quieter and more sustainable way to explore the Ottawa River region.
(Steve Berard)
