Spring is here at last!
Take some time this month to sit on the shoreline, listen to the lapping waves, and breathe in that sweet spring air!
This month’s FREE digital download comes from Pinery 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.
Today’s post comes from Alistair MacKenzie, Discovery Supervisor at Pinery Provincial Park.
Have you ever thrown a tangle of rope to the ground in a frustrated fit?
I used to, but then I was lucky enough to be exposed to the sport of rock climbing. In short order, I learned a few essential knots that have changed my life.
For some, it’s the song of summertime. For others, it’s the song that signals impending doom. It was part of what made Hank Williams (so) lonesome, but many consider its presence far too surrounding.
Despite your interpretation, it’s easy to learn this bird’s classic “WHUP-poor-WILL” song.
Continue reading Saving the unseen: managing habitat for Eastern Whip-poor-will at Pinery
Our “Forever protected” series shares why each and every one belongs in Ontario Parks. In today’s post, Alistair MacKenzie tells us Pinery’s story.
Not until I began working for Ontario Parks did I realize that our great system of protected areas is based upon a model of representation. Each park is different and critical to the success of our protected areas system on the whole.
I am the Supervisor of Natural Heritage Education and Resource Management at Pinery Provincial Park, and I’d like to tell you why Pinery belongs in our provincial system.
Imagine you’re standing in Pinery Provincial Park.
You close your eyes and take in the peace of nature all around you. All of the sudden, a loud yodel interrupts the quiet! That unbelievable sound is actually thousands of birds yodeling en masse as they fly over the park in search of their next feeding ground.
This unforgettable experience is courtesy of the Tundra Swan.
In today’s post, Amy Hall, a resource management group leader, gets us up to speed on invasive species, and shares some of the great prevention work happening at Pinery Provincial Park.
It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week!
No matter what role you play in parks, you are an essential part of preventing the spread of invasive species in Ontario.
Which of these anti-invasive heroes sounds like you?
Continue reading Invasive species in our parks: what’s your role?
Did you know 18 of our parks have cross-country trails, about half of them groomed?
Cross-country skiing is a great way for families to get outdoors and enjoy the winter together! It’s less expensive and safer than alpine skiing, it helps keep kids fit, and it’s a skill they’ll have their entire life.
Here are our top seven tips for getting kids hooked on cross-country skiing:
Continue reading How to get your kids to love cross-country skiing
Today’s post comes from Amy Hall, a Resource Management Project Technician at Pinery Provincial Park.
Many of our visitors have been coming to Pinery for decades, witnessing the park change in many ways over time.
If you’ve been here in the last few years, you may have noticed that our beach is constantly changing month to month, and even day to day!
Continue reading Just roll with it: how one park adapts to an unpredictable shoreline
The air is crisp and clean. The evergreens are covered with snow. If you’re lucky – and observant – you might spot a cardinal, a finch, a waxwing or a blue jay as you glide along the ice.
And when the sun goes down, you can huddle around a big bonfire with a cup of hot chocolate and warm up before relacing your skates and heading back out to skate under the stars.
It’s simply magical.
This winter, plan a skating trip to these four provincial parks:
In today’s post, Sarah Fencott, a naturalist at Pinery Provincial Park is sharing her journey to completing the ultimate Pinery challenge. The goal? To complete all ten trails at Pinery, including lookouts and extensions.
Last year, my goal was to hike every trail before the end of the summer. I completed my goal with three days left in my contract.
This year, my goal was to hike all of the trails in one week. This worked out well, as we needed to do an infrastructure survey of the park trails anyway! By hiking three trails per day I had completed my goal within my first week back at work.
With my initial goal so easily achieved, I set my sights on a new challenge that would be harder than anything I had done in the park before: the Tour de Pinery.
