The Ontario Parks Discovery team is hard at work coming up with creative ways to connect visitors with the special stories and values protected in our parks.
If you visit any of the parks offering Discovery programming, you may connect with Discovery staff along a trail, as they rove through the campground, at a drop-in program, in a Visitor Centre, or at a scheduled program.
In today’s post, Discovery Leader Olivia Bennett discusses turtles’ impact on Grundy Lake Provincial Park — and vice versa!
When I first started working at Grundy Lake, I was talking turtles with our park superintendent when someone asked, “Why do you care so much about turtles here?”
The answer is simple: while the park boasts a healthy turtle population and quality habitat, other areas are not so lucky.
This is only the beginning of why we should all care about turtles.
Today’s blog comes from Kaitlyn Plastino, Discovery Interpreter at Lake Superior Provincial Park.
As park staff living and working along the Lake Superior coastline, we naturally get a lot of questions about the water: “So how cold is it here anyway?” and “Is it warm enough to swim yet?”
The short answer we give visitors is: “If you aren’t used to the water, it’s probably too cold…but I’ve been swimming since May, so it’s warm enough for me!”
Here at Lake Superior Provincial Park, we have a tradition: the Daily Dip.
Continue reading The Daily Dip at Lake Superior Provincial Park
Did you know our parks, moths, and Discovery staff were featured in an episode of TVOKids Leo’s Pollinators Explorer Club?
The series was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series!
These awards are the Canadian equivalent to the Emmy Awards.
We caught up with our three Ontario Parks stars featured in this episode for an exclusive interview to learn more about their experience:
Continue reading Ontario Parks featured in CSA-nominated videos!
Happy International Women’s Day!
At Ontario Parks, we simply couldn’t do without our women team members. They work as biologists, instructors, wardens, superintendents, planners, managers, and more.
Here’s the inside scoop on our staff:
Considering applying to a park that offers staff house accommodations?
Living in a staff house at a provincial park can be an incredible, unique, and memorable experience.
Read on to discover what staff house living is like.
Today’s post comes from Mikhaila Lafleur-Weidhaas, a park warden at Pancake Bay Provincial Park.
Two beach trails diverged at a dune, one well-travelled and clear — the other a shortcut. Do you take “the road most travelled?”
The coastal shores of Lake Superior, with its sand beaches and Caribbean blue water, have been a popular attraction to thousands, from nomadic voyagers to people looking for paradise close to home.
However, as people run to Ontario’s beaches looking for a staycation, more pressure is being placed on our sandy shores.
This increased pressure can cause a decline of these dynamic and rare freshwater coastal dune ecosystems.
In our “Behind the Scenes” series, Discovery Program staff across the province share a backstage glimpse of their favourite programs and projects. Today’s post comes from Anna Scuhr, Discovery Program staff member at Lake Superior Provincial Park.
Many joys come along with being an Ontario Parks’ Discovery Guide. We work in some of Ontario’s most beautiful places, with coworkers who share our passions, and a job that is never dull.
Today’s post comes from Habitat Stewardship Technician Justin Johnson from Pinery Provincial Park. Justin has a M.Sc. in biology with a focus on bird acoustics.
Birders are an interesting breed of people. Sometimes everything they do seems to subvert the norms of society.
Sleeping in? Rather not. Too much coffee? No such thing. $4500 binoculars? Yeah, I’ve seen it.
Birders’ bread and butter is local natural spaces and their trails. They can be very particular about which trails they walk. Seasoned birders often only use trails they perceive as “birdy,” neglecting those off their sacred path.
But how do we really know which trails are the “birdiest?”
Today’s article comes from our bird recording specialists, Zone Ecologist Ed Morris and Zone Operations Technician Rebecca Rogge.
Birds are interesting. Most are visually striking, with noteworthy songs to match their brilliant feathers.
They are also very important.
Birds contribute to the health of our environment. They disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and help to control insect populations.
They have direct and indirect effects on human health and well-being as well.
The medical community recognizes the health benefits of spending time with nature and for many people, their connection with the natural world is through birds.
Continue reading Monitoring birds in northern protected areas
