Many campers like to jump into the Halloween spirit by decorating their campsites.
But certain decorations can be harmful to the environment.
Here’s how you can create a super spooky campsite AND protect Ontario’s ecological integrity at the same time.
You’ve finished cleaning up your yard and now have a pile of branches and leaves to dispose of.
Sending organic materials to the dump may cost you money and increases the amount of methane released into the atmosphere.*
Wouldn’t it make sense to take it to a local green space to decompose naturally?
While we understand how people might think this is a good idea, yard waste that has been dumped in our protected areas puts park habitats at risk.
Read on to find out why.
Welcome to our “Considerate Camper” series. These are posts with tips and reminders on how to keep our provincial parks clean and healthy. Already know how it’s done? Please share these posts along for less-experienced campers 🙂
We’re taking a leaf out of the Lorax’s book and speaking for the trees today!
When maintaining our campgrounds, we often notice marks in our trees. Many are from axes and nails, and plenty of trees have names, shapes and initials carved across their bark.
Did you know these holes and gouges risk the tree’s health and may result in its destruction?
Today’s post comes from Sheila Wiebe, a marketing and development specialist at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
Provincial parks are all about protection.
We protect significant natural ecosystems and habitats while offering many outstanding and sustainable recreational opportunities for the people of Ontario.
This isn’t always an easy task. Invasive species have challenged our ecosystem management, knowledge, and skills. Keeping an area safe for park visitors while allowing natural processes to happen can be challenging.
This is especially true for managing our forests. We are often asked by our visitors: why do you leave fallen, dead trees in the forest?
Today’s blog comes from Ontario Barks’ Activities Director.
We all know the excitement that builds in your chest when you feel the car pull off the highway, gently rolling up to the gatehouse of your favourite park.
As your person navigates parking, a dance takes over the back half of your body, with your tail bopping out a lively beat.
But I’m here today to talk about what happens next, when the car shuts off and they turn to you and ask, “Are you ready to go?”
As Activities Director of Ontario Barks, it is my job to ensure you are on your leash when your adventure begins.
Ecological integrity can be a tricky concept to nail down.
But in the simplest terms, it means keeping nature — and all of its component parts — whole.
Planning to visits our parks this fall? Here are the top five ways to keep ecological integrity in mind during your visit:
Continue reading 5 ways to keep ecological integrity in mind this fall
Today’s blog was written by Jessica Stillman, school outreach coordinator at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
When you visit a provincial park, you will likely interact with staff from several departments.
From the gate staff who greet you to the maintenance crew that keep facilities clean, the park operates smoothly because everyone has a role to play in keeping the machine operational.
But there is one team who works so quietly that many of us don’t realize we are witnessing their efforts every day.
That team is the Ontario Parks F.B.I. unit, otherwise known as fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates.
Continue reading F.B.I.: the not-so-Secret Service of Ontario Parks
Today’s post comes from Laura McClintock, a senior park naturalist at Sibbald Point Provincial Park.
Tucked away in a neighborhood an hour north of Toronto lies a sliver of one of the rarest ecosystems in Ontario.
Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park is part of the last 3% of tallgrass prairies left in our province.
The prairie at Holland Landing has changed a lot over time and we’re excited to share with you the changes the provincial park will be going through in the future.
But first, what’s so special about a prairie anyways?
Continue reading Restoring a rare ecosystem at Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park
In today’s post, we’ve compiled emails from some of the wildlife that call provincial parks home.
Keep wildlife wild, respect wildlife, please do not disturb wildlife.
These are common phrases… but what do they really mean?
To help break it down, we have compiled a few recent emails from some of our furry and feathered friends.
Let’s hear what they have to say on how to be a considerate and respectful visitor:
You’ve recently unwrapped the latest iphone or a shiny new digital camera, perhaps an SLR with some fancy lenses.
Now you have itchy shutter fingers. You’re ready to point our camera at something spectacular and capture a beautiful memory forever. But where to go?
Not to brag, but Ontario Parks are beautiful, iconic places. Covering nearly 10% of the province and protecting some of Ontario’s most rare and scenic habitats, our parks are home to a variety of wildlife, from fascinating insects to enormous moose.
Basically, they’re a photographer’s dreamscape.
We’re animal lovers too. We know how exhilarating wildlife encounters can be. We understand how badly you want that perfect photo.
But before you hit the road, ask yourself: is taking the perfect photograph worth risking an animal’s life or an ecosystem’s health?
If your answer is “no,” check out our list of seven common photography infractions to ensure you’re keeping our parks safe and healthy.
