The healing power of nature for seniors

Getting outdoors is important for people of all ages and walks of life.

Getting outside is a great way to relax and soak up the beauty of nature that surrounds us.

Best of all, there are real benefits to enjoying the outdoors, especially for seniors.

Studies are continuously reporting the benefits gained by seniors who spend time in nature.

These are some of the top reasons older adults should make time to get outside each day:

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August’s digital download

Appreciate the rocky Canadian Shield and spot sparkling blue lakes.

Halfway Lake is a hiker’s paradise!

Decorate your devices with this month’s FREE digital download featuring Halfway Lake Provincial Park.

Go on, read this blog to take a closer look at this wonderful park!

Throughout 2022, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your  computers, tablets, smartphones, and Facebook covers.

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July’s digital download

Watch velvety pink clouds strain out the last glimmers of daylight and feel all your fatigue fade away.

July is the perfect time to reconnect with the restorative benefits of nature.

This month’s FREE digital download comes from Woodland Caribou Provincial Park!

Join us on July 15 for Healthy Parks Healthy People Day to snap a special photo of your own. In the meantime, enjoy this stunning scenery on all of your devices.

Throughout 2022, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your  computers, tablets, smartphones, and Facebook covers.

Continue reading July’s digital download

Are you an ethical wildlife photographer?

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.

Continue reading Are you an ethical wildlife photographer?

June’s digital download

Watch the water glisten and shimmer as you glide across the lake, taking in the serenity of the late afternoon.

This month’s FREE digital download comes from Mikisew Provincial Park!

Throughout 2022, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your computers, tablets, smartphones, and Facebook covers.

Continue reading June’s digital download

The “Nature Snoopers”: a legacy in photos

Special thanks to Kandyd Szuba, a family friend of the Meissners, who helped donate the Meissner’s photo collection to Ontario Parks and contributed to this article.

Meet the “Nature Snoopers.”

To their friends, Erwin and Annie Meissner were the “Nature Snoopers.” Everywhere they went, they were “nature snooping” – down every back road and down every hiking trail, they would be on the lookout for new discoveries.

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April’s digital download

When you see a wildflower, does it put a little “spring” in your step?

Take a walk through your favourite park and see what blooming beauties you can spot!

This month’s FREE digital download features the aptly-named Spring Beauties.

Throughout 2022, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your computers, tablets, smartphones, and Facebook covers.

Continue reading April’s digital download

September’s digital download

Watch the autumn leaves dance as you dip your paddle in the water, reach the lookout on your favourite trail, or just relax on your campsite.

Don’t put the tent away just yet… a fall camping trip is the perfect way to cap off the season!

This month’s FREE digital download comes from Mikisew Provincial Park.

Throughout 2021, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your computers, tablets, smartphones, and Facebook covers.

Continue reading September’s digital download

July’s digital download

We tried to catch some fog, but just mist!

This month’s FREE digital download comes from Rushing River Provincial Park.

Throughout 2021, we’re sharing a free downloadable graphic for you to use as wallpaper for your favourite devices. We’ve specially sized these images for your computers, tablets, smartphones and Facebook covers.

Continue reading July’s digital download

DROP Unit formed to recover lost selfie gear

Today’s post comes from Park Naturalist Roger LaFontaine, a highly trained DROP specialist who aids in the retrieval of technology in distress or imminent danger.

With so many people coming to our amazing parks last year, social media was loaded with pictures. They took pictures of the landscape, wildlife, their families and friends, and themselves — lots of themselves.

And shortly after our spring visitors returned, we started getting the calls.

On average, they went something like this: “Hi, I was out with my family at X trail, and I got close to the edge of the cliff to take a selfie of our group. When I was trying to take the picture, I dropped my phone over the edge. Can someone come find it for us?”.

Continue reading DROP Unit formed to recover lost selfie gear