Tag: The Pinery

5 cool facts about skinks

If you’ve ever seen a Five-lined Skink, you know just how neat they are!

The Five-lined Skink, which looks a bit like a salamander, is the only lizard species native to Ontario. And while researchers continue to study skinks, we still don’t know very much about what they do on a day-to-day basis, particularly from September to May when they’re hibernating.

Here are five cool things we DO know about Five-lined Skinks, courtesy of Alistair MacKenzie, Resource Management Supervisor at Pinery Provincial Park.

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A mouse, a beast, and a ghost: who’s using Pinery’s ecopassage?

In today’s post comes from Alistair MacKenzie, Discovery Supervisor at Pinery Provincial Park, shares one of his parks exciting new conservation technologies: ecopassages.

I have a lot to thank my parents for, not the least of which is for introducing me to nature as a young child.

When my family immigrated to Canada, we began exploring Ontario and seeking out opportunities to witness natural phenomena and wild species. Soon, this behaviour led us to Algonquin Provincial Park, and we started making frequent pilgrimages there in all seasons.

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Romantic winter adventures worth travelling for

A cozy cabin in the woods blanketed with snow. A forested trail leading to your very own frosty adventure. Gliding through the woods by skate or ski.

Sound like something out of a fairy tale? It’s not; it’s winter at Ontario Parks!

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Group camping reservations now online

Did you know you can book a group campsite online? Twelve parks in southwestern Ontario are participating in a pilot project aimed at making group camping easier.

You can reserve group sites at these 12 parks through our central call centre service or online as easily as you would a regular car camping site.

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Making Pinery more butterfly friendly

In today’s post, summer student Barbara Alber shares a project she completed this year at Pinery Provincial Park.

Butterflies. They’re beautiful, they’re ecologically significant, and they’re one of the only insects that doesn’t make people squirm.

They’re also in trouble.

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Billions travel Ontario’s migration superhighways

Today’s post comes from Brad Steinberg, our Natural Heritage Education and Learning Coordinator. An avid birder, Brad identifies several “migration superhighways” and the role provincial parks play in protecting Canada’s Important Bird Areas. 

Being stuck in traffic sucks. Especially with young kids.

This sentiment recently ran through my head while mired in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, Ontario. (My conclusion was reinforced when my son loudly announced his urgent need for a bio-break.)

But as frustrating as highways can be; they are vitally important to us, providing a reliable route from one place to another.

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Get outdoors for March Break 2016

Give your kids a sensory treat on March Break. Getting outside and exploring the natural world is a chance for kids to balance virtual with real.

According to research, that’s a good thing for a child’s overall health, development, creativity and joy.

Join one of our special events or create your own exciting park adventure.

Below are five March Break ideas to get you started:

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Winter events at Ontario Parks

Ontario Parks host the BEST winter events!

We’re starting the season with a December Victorian Christmas celebration at Oakville’s Bronte Creek Provincial Park, and wrapping up winter with a late March Candlelight Ski and Tea at northwestern Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park.

And there’s lots going on in between.

We’ve highlighted a sample of what’s planned. For a complete listing, visit our Calendar of Events.

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