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.
Today’s post comes from Megan Loucks, Discovery Leader at Pinery Provincial Park.
Have you ever been to Pinery Provincial Park?
Take a moment to think of your favourite spot. Is it the viewing platform along Riverside Trail? What about the boardwalk leading to the beach? Have you been to the top of the Nipissing Trail lookout?
Often we admire the beauty of the park’s natural wonders from boardwalks and lookouts, but have you ever wondered who built them?
Today’s blog is all about the man behind the boardwalks: Raymond Sheppard.
Continue reading The man behind the boardwalks: Ray Sheppard retires after 30 seasons at Pinery
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.
We’re doing it!
We’re helping more and more turtles in our provincial parks with the support of our incredible donors.
Over the past several months, we have collected donations for our Turtle Protection Projects across Ontario.
We are thrilled to report that many of these projects are well underway. Our park staff are working hard to protect and monitor nesting turtles and their hatchlings.
In today’s post, Alistair MacKenzie, Naturalist Heritage Education Supervisor at Pinery Provincial Park, recounts a dramatic encounter with an Eastern Screech Owl. © Can Stock Photo Inc. / mlorenz.
We desperately needed to confirm breeding evidence for Eastern Screech Owls in our survey squares for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas back in 2005.
It was our last chance given that the atlas was wrapping up the collection period and I was frustrated since I confidently knew that screech owls did indeed breed in the park, but sadly we just hadn’t managed to be in the right place at the right time to confirm it.
Today’s post comes from Jared Sanders, with information provided by Erin Postenka. They are both members of the Resource Management Team at Pinery Provincial Park.
In my youth, the sight of any yellow and black flying insect was terrifying to me.
Any child who has been stung quickly learns that bees and wasps are not to be messed with!
Today’s post comes from Megan Loucks, Discovery Lead at Pinery Provincial Park.
If you explore Pinery’s Old Ausable Channel, you might see a variety of fish swimming, water lilies floating in the sun, or even a beaver ducking into its lodge.
However, we have recently received reports of a large reptilian creature swimming just below the surface.
During the long winter months, many of us get less “Vitamin N” than usual. Yet contact with nature has been found to lower blood pressure, strengthen immune system, help prevent disease, and reduce stress levels.
Keen to spend time in nature with your family this March Break? Here’s a list of fun happenings across the province:
