The Piping Plover 10th anniversary event, lovingly entitled Ploverpalooza, is scheduled to take place over the course of the summer of 2017.
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and the Friends of Nancy Island have spearheaded the Piping Plover Recovery Program since the species returned to Wasaga Beach in 2008.
Help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of the return of this beloved species at risk!
You’re out in the woods and a bird flies by. Not sure what is it? There’s an app for that.
Today’s smartphones make ideal field guides. Photograph a butterfly sipping nectar. Video a slow-moving turtle. Record a birdsong. Then look it up, find a match, and enter your geotagged observations in a virtual field book.
These virtual field guides often support citizen science. You just share what you see. Scientists, researchers and conservationists use the crowdsourced data to look at climate change, track migration and monitor species at risk and sensitive ecosystems.
Here are a few popular apps:
Today’s post comes from year-round multispecies angler and writer Ashley Rae of SheLovesToFish.com.
Have you ever targeted Common Carp?
When most people see a carp for the first time, they’re blown away by their size. Carp are one of largest fish species roaming our waters here in Ontario and as you can probably tell by the big smiles, they’re an absolute blast to reel in! They are open to be targeted year-round and are typically found in relatively shallow water throughout the open water season.
As such, carp are one of the first species I target in the spring while I wait for other seasons to open. There’s nothing quite like starting off the open water season chasing fish that can average over 20 pounds!
In today’s post, Chef Deb Rankine, a.k.a. The Fridge Whisperer, shares two of her favourite portable composed soup and salad recipes.
Healthy eating is tricky when you’re backpacking or hiking all day and making a from-scratch meal is not on the horizon.
Solution?
Composed soup and salad jars, of course!
Nothing beats the rich, smoky flavour of campfire cooking. Grills are simple to use and allow you to cook a variety of food at once, including faves like steak, burgers, and corn on the cob.
But too often we hear tales of campfire woe, from the classic charred veggies/cold meat conundrum to the tear-inducing “my steak fell into the fire” tragedy.
Fear not, would-be grillmasters: these 5 tips will have you whipping up the perfect fire-grilled meal in no time.
Today’s post comes from Cathy Entwhistle, the Natural Heritage Education Leader and Volunteer Coordinator at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
Reading the title, you might think this blog is about the many languages featured in Ontario.
While Ontario Parks is visited by dozens of different language speakers each year and we do our best to communicate with everyone, the staff we call “interpreters” might only speak one language (or at least, one human language).
In Ontario Parks, an interpreter’s job is actually to interpret Ontario’s nature and history for our many park visitors.
Continue reading Interpreting Ontario: introducing Ontario Parks’ interpreters
We’re proud to announce the winner of this year’s Ontario Parks Ecological Integrity Award: Yvette Bree, our Natural Heritage Education Coordinator at Sandbanks Provincial Park!
Yvette has given decades of dedicated, passionate service, protecting the ecological integrity of one of our busiest parks.
Continue reading Sandbanks superhero wins Ecological Integrity Award
Guess what endangered animal will be mingling with visitors at Quetico Provincial Park this summer. Need a hint?
They wouldn’t say “neigh” to a selfie.
We’re jazzed to introduce a new series for 2017 — IBAs in provincial parks — brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada. If you love birds, you won’t want to miss these monthly features.
Wondering what an IBA is? The acronym stands for “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas.”
The IBA program aims to identify, monitor and protect the world’s most important sites for birds and biodiversity.
Today’s post comes from Assistant Zone Ecologist Jenni Kaija, who shares a story of ecological restoration unfolding at Long Point Provincial Park.
As I made my way down to the sandy shoreline of Cottonwood campground in Long Point Provincial Park, I was overjoyed to spot a huge flock of gull and tern species resting just off shore.
Fall is one of my favourite times to spend time in our provincial parks. Everything was quite peaceful, and the birds seemed to be enjoying the quiet as much as I was.
Continue reading Beach therapy: some TLC for our most popular shorelines
