Category: Park Stories
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A new house for Barn Swallows at Rondeau
In today’s post, Caitlin Sparks, a Senior Park Interpreter, shares a wonderful species-at-risk success story from Rondeau Provincial Park. The Barn Swallow is a commonly seen bird around southern Ontario. Actually, the most common and widespread of swallow species in the world! So why, might you ask, are their numbers declining so much that they’re…
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Turtle eggs and salamander spawn: spring monitoring at Grundy Lake
Today’s article comes from Emily Wright, Discovery Program Leader at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. Spring at Grundy Lake is a quiet time of year. The lake waters are cold from the melting snow and ice, birds are just starting to arrive from their long migrations, and visitors are few and far between. Park staff, however,…
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Forever protected: why Pinery belongs
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…
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5 things I love about being a Discovery Ranger
Today’s post comes from Madeline McNabb, a 2017 Discovery Ranger at White Lake Provincial Park. We all dream of turning our passion into a job. My chance came this past summer when I worked at White Lake Provincial Park as a Discovery Ranger. The Discovery program aims to inspire curiosity in park visitors and encourage exploration…
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My Park My Story: we asked, you answered
A few months ago, we launched the #MyParkMyStory campaign where we invited our visitors to gather around our virtual campfire to share their favourite park memories and experiences. And boy, did you deliver! So, pull up your virtual folding chair, grab a marshmallow or hot dog on a roasting stick, and let’s have a fireside chat.…
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Just roll with it: how one park adapts to an unpredictable shoreline
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…
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Visibility in the outdoors: why I love camping as a Black person
Today’s post comes from Claire Zlobin from LifeWithABaby.com. In honour of Black History Month, I wanted to talk about one of the things I always hear that Black people don’t do: camping. I’ve been hearing that “Black people don’t camp” for years, which is, of course, false. However I do think this deters some people…
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Travel back in time to the Bon Echo Inn
Today’s post comes from Lisa Roach, chief park naturalist at Bon Echo Provincial Park. Did you know some of your favourite provincial parks like Bon Echo, Sandbanks, Presqu’ile, and Algonquin have hosted the summer vacations of nature-lovers since the turn of the century? By the end of the 1800s, pioneer society was changing. Increased prosperity…
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Establishing a new conservation reserve in Prince Edward County
Our staff have been working hard to evaluate the possibility of establishing a new conservation reserve. Ostrander Crown Land Block and Point Petre Provincial Wildlife Area are two ecologically significant areas along the southern shore of Prince Edward County. They are currently designated as provincial Crown land, managed by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines,…