In today’s post, Zone Ecologist Corina Brdar shares the exciting restoration story that’s been unfolding at Darlington Provincial Park.
There’s nothing like seeing an idea turn into reality, is there?
Especially when the idea is an enormous one, and it takes tons of cooperation from all kinds of players.
Today’s post comes from Emily Wright, a Discovery Leader at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. The park’s campground is surrounded by three crystal-clear lakes, and that rich biodiversity inspired Emily to take us on an aquatic tour of Ontario’s lakes and some of the complex life cycles contained within, from hard-working microbe clean-up crews to feisty Small-mouth Bass.
Cannonballing into a refreshing lake, casting a line hoping for the “big one,” dipping your paddle into serene waters, or simply enjoying the shifting lights dancing across the water’s surface on a sunny day…
Lakes offer us a plethora of enjoyment, both invigorating as you take a brisk swim, or peaceful and relaxing as you watch a sunset turn the waters from blue-green to wine red.
Today’s post comes from Jessica Stillman, school outreach coordinator at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
What do a Polar Bear, a Prickly Pear Cactus, a Five-lined Skink, and a Bobolink all have in common?
Aside from their snazzy names, they’re plants and animals that require unique environments to survive. Some of these special spaces have been changing and disappearing throughout history.
That’s where Ontario Parks comes in. We protect important landscapes, and conduct research on how we can ensure the species living in parks can thrive.
This year, we’re excited to share the science of parks during Science Literacy Week.
Today’s post comes from Yvette Bree. Yvette has been the park naturalist at Sandbanks Provincial Park for 35 years and retires at the end of August this year.
1986. A year forever etched in my memory.
The year I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (B.E.S.) with a Resource Management option.
The year I was married to my high school boyfriend (still going strong).
And the year I got my first job with Ontario Parks.
Continue reading Beyond the beach: one naturalist’s 35-year-career at Sandbanks
Today’s post comes from Rachelle Law, a Discovery leader at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
Are you looking for a fun do-it-yourself project to do this summer?
Would you love a solution to the amount of pesky mosquitoes in your backyard?
Are you passionate about creating habitats for wildlife?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this blog is for you!
For a while, park staff have been wondering: why do some of our guests who come to visit natural environments feel compelled to leave their mark on that beach, waterfall, or lookout after they’ve left?
At MacGregor Point Provincial Park, we’ve noticed some changes being made to our shorelines by well-meaning sun-seekers who visit our beach for a short time, but leave behind structures made of driftwood.
Staff in our park and others have disassembled several driftwood forts upon discovering them on our beaches, which can be a dangerous task.
Let’s talk about why we’d prefer our visitors to leave driftwood where it lies, and some fun things you can do at the beach instead of building forts.
Continue reading Driftwood: shaping shorelines and completing communities
Today’s blog comes from Tim Tully, Discovery Coordinator at Awenda Provincial Park.
That is the question.
After decades of doing things a certain way, can I rally the forces of change and adopt a new way of recording species data? Should I submit species data to iNaturalist or not?
I decided to empirically investigate in an unbiased scientific way. Specifically, what is all the fuss about iNaturalist anyway?
Here’s what I discovered….
Continue reading Can you teach an old naturalist new tricks?
Last year, Ontario’s protected areas experienced record-breaking demand.
Ontario Parks received 11 million visits, and Parks Canada reported over 2 million visits.
That’s 13 million visits to Ontario’s provincial and national parks in one year. That’s roughly equivalent to the population of Ontario!
Continue reading #ForTheLoveOfParks: 5 ways to help keep parks clean and safe this year
Lion’s Head Provincial Park needs our help! This summer, the park has experienced high use, which is putting stress on this amazing habitat.
What you may not know is that Lion’s Head Provincial Park is open for day use only, and has limited parking and no facilities or camping.
Continue reading Help us protect Lion’s Head Provincial Park’s sensitive species and ecosystems
Our “Forever Protected” series shares why each and every park belongs in Ontario Parks. In today’s post, Kathleen Houlahan Chayer tells us MacGregor Point’s story.
I worked as the Discovery Leader at MacGregor Point Provincial Park for four years, but it wasn’t really until I started working at Pinery (another park that I’m glad is forever protected) that I fully appreciated why MacGregor Point belongs in the Ontario Parks system.
Continue reading Forever protected: why MacGregor Point belongs
