Bronte Creek’s maple candy wars

Today’s blog post was written by Jessica Stillman, Discovery Program project coordinator and maple syrup aficionado at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.

Maple season is upon us!

Trees have been tapped, sap is boiling, and Bronte Creek’s annual Maple Syrup Festival is underway, which means the biggest annual debate has also begun…

…which is the better form of maple candy: taffy or sugar?

Continue reading Bronte Creek’s maple candy wars

Reforestation at Balsam Lake: round “brew”

Last year, we collaborated with our friends at Collective Arts Brewing to brew up a tasty ecological reforestation project for Balsam Lake Provincial Park.

Thanks to your unwavering support, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re back with Collective Arts to debut their newest brew: Trail Loop Honey Lager!

Keep reading to learn how Ontario Parks and Collective Arts are getting craft(brew)y this summer.

Continue reading Reforestation at Balsam Lake: round “brew”

Turtles love water (bottles!)

What do turtles and reusable water bottles have in common? More than you might imagine.

Turtles need our help, and we’ve partnered with our friends at Chilly Moose (and their reusable bottles) to help meet the challenge! Continue reading Turtles love water (bottles!)

Happy World Ranger Day

Ontario Parks staff tackle a huge array of tasks and challenges.

Our days are diverse. You might find us researching rare species, applying First Aid to injured guests, maintaining safe and healthy water systems, building a boardwalk, or welcoming families to a busy campground.

We’re stewards of our province’s most treasured natural resources. We’re educators, instilling a love of nature in new generations of Ontarians.

Internationally, World Ranger Day celebrates their wonderful work protecting our parks, and commemorates park rangers killed or injured in the line of duty in park organizations with high-risk activities.

We’re proud to keep our parks safe and welcoming to visitors, while protecting our amazing natural world.

Take a look at just a few of our everyday heroes:

Continue reading Happy World Ranger Day

7 reasons your family will fall in love with Bonnechere Provincial Park!

Looking for a new park to explore with your family? How about a park that offers great swimming, paddling, and hiking and will have your kids picking books from a tree?

Bonnechere Provincial Park — located in Killaloe, ON (just 2 hours from Ottawa) — is one of the Ottawa Valley’s hidden gems.

Here are some of the reasons your family will love this park:

Continue reading 7 reasons your family will fall in love with Bonnechere Provincial Park!

The Ontario Parks Discovery Program: 75+ years in the making

In 1944, Algonquin Provincial Park decided to try something new.

They hired Professor J.R. Dymond, Director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology, to deliver guided hikes for park visitors. Those first interpretive programs were a success and what would become the Ontario Parks Discovery Program was born.

More than seventy-five years later, roughly 300 Discovery staff in over 70 parks continue to engage visitors with stories of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage and encourage them to explore further.

Continue reading The Ontario Parks Discovery Program: 75+ years in the making

Pinery goes to battle for bats

Today’s post comes from Natural Heritage Education Supervisor Alistair MacKenzie and Bat Stewardship Technician Heather Sanders.

Did you know Pinery Provincial Park has been a bat research hot spot for more than four decades? We’ve collaborated with research groups at York University, Western University and the University of Waterloo.

Much of what we know about Ontario bats — including their migration, diet, and behaviour — is all thanks to work done at Pinery.

Continue reading Pinery goes to battle for bats