Tag: Summer

Opening doors with Ontario Parks

Today’s blog was written by Pilar Manorome, a park planner in Protected Areas Section at Ontario Parks.

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the natural world around me and was very fortunate to grow up in Norfolk County.

It was a place where I could step out my door and have a wide array of trees, wildflowers, birds, insects, and everything in between, right at my fingertips.

I am also very blessed to have a family that encouraged exploration of the natural world through taking me to the local conservation areas and provincial parks to find frogs and wildflowers, and down dirt roads to find birds and butterflies.

Although my mom and grandparents lit the spark, the flame was truly fanned when I started volunteering for my local Conservation Authority.

Working for Ontario Parks has only further fed the fire.

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Where the best summer of my life has led me

Today’s blog comes from Laurel Finney. Laurel is the Discovery program project coordinator within the Ontario Parks Operations & Development section, providing direction and support for Discovery Program staff across the province. Previously Laurel worked at White Lake, Esker Lakes, Six Mile Lake, and Wasaga Beach provincial parks.

When I was 17, I applied to and was accepted into the Ontario Junior Ranger program.

Its tagline was “best summer of my life” – and that still rings true for me.

My parents drove me to Washago and from there, I traveled on my own, by train, to Gogama, where I had the best summer of my life and made some of my truest friends.

Continue reading Where the best summer of my life has led me

My summer as a Discovery ranger at Grundy Lake

Today’s blog was written by Justin Sallans, Discovery ranger at Grundy Lake Provincial Park.

As someone who has always loved nature, working as a Discovery ranger at Grundy Lake Provincial Park was the perfect choice for me.

Not only did I get to live and work in the park, but I also had the opportunity to share knowledge I had gained through my post-secondary studies.

Continue reading My summer as a Discovery ranger at Grundy Lake

7 tips to stay cool this summer

If you’ve set foot outside this summer, you know that temperatures have been hitting record-highs!

While the heat can mean beautiful beach days, sunset picnics, and other summer adventures, it also brings an increased risk for heat-related emergencies.

Stay safe, cool, and comfortable outside with these six tips:

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How to plan a day trip to North Beach

North Beach Provincial Park is a beautiful day use park offering long sandy beaches along Lake Ontario and their enclosed bay — 2,000 metres of sand beach to be specific!

Located in Prince Edward County, a short drive from its more famous neighbour, Sandbanks, it’s a popular spot for beach-goers and often hits capacity throughout the summer.

This year, you need to book your day use permit in advance to guarantee entry.

Continue reading How to plan a day trip to North Beach

Should you bring a floatie to the beach?

The day starts out with the best intentions.

You’ve brought your inflatable flamingo (or unicorn or yellow duck or inner tube…) to your favourite beach in hopes of getting some much-needed R&R.

You wade into the water, throw the shades on, climb aboard, and lie back to soak up the sun…

… when suddenly, you’re jolted awake with the realization that you’ve drifted way out into open water!

Your swimming skills aren’t great and you didn’t wear your lifejacket or PFD, so you attempt to paddle yourself near land with your arms. But the wind’s against you.

You wave your arms, trying to get the attention of people on shore…

…until you lose your balance and slide off your slippery inflatable friend into the water…

Continue reading Should you bring a floatie to the beach?

A Sandbanks summer: the life of a maintenance student at Ontario Parks

Last summer while other people my age worked in customer service or were out on placement, I chose a job with the beautiful Sandbanks Provincial Park as a maintenance student.

Hi, my name is Hunter, I am a post-secondary student studying photojournalism and am into the second year of my program. This past summer was my second season working at Sandbanks. While I might seem like an odd fit compared to many of my co-workers whose backgrounds or area of study relate to natural sciences or the outdoors, working at Ontario Parks has been one of the greatest summer jobs, full of adventures and lots of learning.

Continue reading A Sandbanks summer: the life of a maintenance student at Ontario Parks