TRCA Parks

Check it out! Our Brett Bond is one of the faces of the Headwaters!

Brett has been with TRCA for about 19 years, spending most of this time working at Glen Haffy. Part of his duties at Glen Haffy included raising rainbow trout at Glen Haffy’s fish hatchery.

For those of you who may not know, Glen Haffy is home to a fish hatchery, where our staff raises rainbow trout from egg to adulthood. These rainbow trout then make their ways to Glen Haffy’s ponds, Heart Lake, and the Glen Haffy Fly Fishing Club.

The process of raising rainbow trout is an intricate and timely process, that you can learn more about here.

What was Brett’s favourite part about raising fish at Glen Haffy? 

“I loved giving tours of the hatchery and seeing kids and adults react to the number of fish we had in each tank, as well as their reactions when they watched us feed the fish.” 

Cheers, Brett, for showing Ontario how real it gets when you spend time in the headwaters!

We see it… it’s on the horizon. The May long weekend, it’s almost here!  Here’s a list of activities you can do at TRCA parks and facilities this long weekend:

Get daring and explore the forest canopy on Bruce’s Mill and Heart Lake’s Treetop Trekking courses

Spend a night under the stars at Albion Hills, Glen Rouge or Indian Line Campground

Fish the weekend away at Glen Haffy or Heart Lake Conservation Areas. 

Fun fact: Ponds at Glen Haffy and Heart Lake are stocked with rainbow trout raised at the Glen Haffy fish hatchery.

Take a swing at Bathurst Glen Golf Course This year, Bathurst Glen has a new Family Course, perfect for golfers of all skill sets!

Enter a world of fairytale fun at Black Creek Pioneer Village’s Pirates and Princesses event!

Enjoy a Sunday morning bird walk through Tommy Thompson Park

Enjoy a picnic in the great outdoors at any one of TRCA’s conservation areas

Explore the wetlands at the Kortright Centre for Conservation

Tear up the trails on over 40 km of mountain bike trails at Albion Hills Conservation Area

 Get your paddle on at Albion Hills and Heart Lake Conservation Areas

Happy spring everyone!

While the weather may not be screaming springtime just yet, it has officially arrived, meaning warmer weather is in the future.

We decided to celebrate the first weekend of the season by visiting one of the sweetest events of the year – the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival!  

Last Sunday, we headed out to the Kortright Centre for Conservation to enjoy a day on the Maple Sugar Bush trail, learning about syrup (and tasting it, of course!)

Despite the cold weather, numerous families headed out to the Kortright Centre to spend time in nature, exploring the forest while filling their noggins with Canadian history.

The event at the Kortright Centre is scattered along the Maple Sugar Bush trail. Maple Syrup factoids lead visitors through the trail, teaching them little odds and ends about the collection and production process.

First stop on the demonstration list: First Nations production.

If all trees produce sap, how did First Nations learn that maple sap was sweet? Animals would lick it.

People began to notice, and realized that if the sap is good for animals, it must be good for people, too!

Next: Maple syrup production the pioneer way.

How did pioneers know that sap had been successfully boiled into maple syrup? Instinct. Some things pioneers would look for include: colour, taste, bubbling, sugar sticking to the bottom of the ladle.

And finally: How sweet maple syrup is made today.

This machine is a wood-burning evaporator. On a good day, it can turn sap into maple syrup in three to five hours.

And these tubes? They are a part of the modern-day method used to collect sap.

With the help of gravity, the sap flows through these tubes, into larger black pipes, which empty into one of two storage tanks located in the Sugar Shack.

It’s a case of whodunnit at Black Creek Pioneer Village this week.

A thief is  disrupting the Village and Sherlock Holmes needs your help!

Thankfully, it’s March Break. You’re off school, and have time to spare to help Sherlock bring peace back to Pioneer Village!

Here’s what you’ll do.

You’ll grab your Junior Detective Notebook, and you’ll head out into the Village, ready to solve the mystery.

You’ll stop by Town Hall to grab your badge and your disguise (what’s a detective without a good get-up?!)

Ask the Villagers some hard questions.

“Mr. Doctor, where was your book when you last saw it?”

“Why do you have so much clothing, Rosie, if you don’t sew?”

You’ll have to do some handy work.

And you’ll have to sniff out clues.

There might even be some top-secret message decoding to do!

But don’t worry. It’s not all hard-hitting investigative work. You can relax with a free horse-drawn carriage ride around the Village. (But then it’s back to work!)

Think you can help Sherlock? We do!

 Join us this March Break for the ultimate mystery fun.

Happy 2015 friends! Hope you had a very happy holiday.

A new year is not complete without promises of change, otherwise known as resolutions.

We’ve put together a list of easy-to-incorporate resolutions to make your 2015 greener, healthier and more nature-filled than ever!

EXPLORE MORE Exploration is the key to discovery, and can you guess the best place for discovery? That’s right, the woods.

Walk through the woods and who knows what you’ll spot? Perhaps you’ll see a field of trillium in bloom, or a deer, softly wandering through the forest. Overload your senses with new sights, sounds and experiences. Every walk in the woods differs from the last, as Mother Nature is constantly changing; leaving you with a new adventure each time you explore the outdoors.

The best part? Being outdoors is good for you. According to Harvard, being outdoors leads to a happier, healthier, more concentrated you.

SAY "HELLO" TO REUSABLE This year, help the environment by reusing more and throwing out less. Bring your reusable bags to the grocery store (leave them in your car!), and invest in a reusable water bottle, and help keep landfills plastic-bottle free.

Done that already? Green Planet has some great ideas for reusing household items. Check out their list  here.

Image via Pinterest

HELP SAVE THE BEES Bees are insanely smart creatures that play an important role in our ecosystem. As you may have heard, Canada’s bee population is in decline.

This year, make it your goal to help save the bees. There are many ways you can help, from reducing your lawn size to creating a bee-friendly garden. Check out our honeybee blog for more ways to help the bees in 2015.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR ROOTS This country we live in is mighty beautiful, but it didn’t always look and function the way it does today. This year, make it your goal to learn a bit more about Canada’s roots. Make a trip to Black Creek Pioneer Village this spring, and enter the world of 1800 Canada. Or learn about the important role maple syrup played (and still plays) in Canada at the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival. The festival kicks off February 28, 2015 and runs until April 6, 2015 at the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Woodbridge, ON and Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area in Stouffville, ON.

STRESS LESS We have plenty of responsibilities. We have work, school, families, dinners to cook, problems to sort. When we let our responsibilities overwhelm us, many of us allow stress-related tension to build, and this has negative effects on our health.

This year, make it your goal to tackle stress before it harms your health. Target stress with daily walks in nature, perhaps practice yoga three times a week, or take some time to read a book in the fresh air 30 minutes per day.  

Image via Pinterest

EAT GREEN Let 2015 be the year you bring green to the dinner table!

While eating more green fruits and veggies like kale, Swiss chard and spinach is a resolution we give the thumbs-up to, we also suggest that you eat more environmentally-friendly foods this year.

There are many easy ways you can do so. For example, try eating more in-season, local foods.  Instead of the grocery store, try hitting up your local farm or farmers market. Opt for organic veggies and fruits if possible, and adopt meatless Monday into your household. Implementing these minor changes will grant you many thanks from the Earth (and your tummy, too!) 

If there is any time of year meant for families coming together, it’s Christmas time.

And the Kortright Centre for Conservation's Magical Christmas Forest event is the perfect place to do so.

Located in Vaughan, the conservation area is overcome with lights, crafts, carols and cocoa… it’s complete Christmas bliss!

Inside the centre's main hall, crafts and games are set up for little ones to play and create to their hearts content.

Like little elves, children gleefully prance from station to station, excited to discover what new creation is awaiting them on the next table.

Little voices asking how many feathers they should put on their pinecone owls, or offering their hand-decorated shortbread cookies to their moms, giggling, “There’s too much candy on it for me to eat!” (Kids can really get carried away with their decorating ;)!)

The best part? There’s no schedule, no crowds and no stress.

The sold-out event never gives you the feel that you may not get the chance to play a certain game, or complete a certain craft. 

Parents can take their time building crafts with their kids, playing nature twister, and dressing like an elf.

It’s carefree and fun.

But beyond the indoor fun, out the doors, awaits the magic of Kortright’s forest, dressed up for the occasion.

Leaving the main hall to the forest, you’re led through Santa’s workshop. Pure splendor, leading you out into the forest, lit up to guide you through the night.

Once outside, every ten minutes or so, a faint sound of jingling bells and trotting horses can be heard, as horse-drawn carriages bring families along the forest path, dimly lit with Christmas lights, to the temporary North Pole.

At the picnic shelter, visitors enjoy unlimited cups of hot cocoa, topped to the brim with marshmallows, and spend some time by the fire.

There, kids sit lined up on the benches surrounding the fire pit, watching as freshly-made popcorn cooks over the embers.

 Pop. Pop. Pop.

But it’s in the cozy wood cabin that the guest of honour resides. The man in red. That jolly ‘ol soul. That’s right: Santa Claus.

But he’s not just any Santa Claus. He’s the real Santa Claus. Straight from the North Pole (we swear!)

When we said “real Santa” we meant it!

Some little ones hop onto his lap with glee. Others, well, they’re reluctant.

Either way, Santa’s kindness radiates through his snow-white beard, as he tenderly asks the little ones what they’re hoping to find under the tree Christmas morning.

But he doesn’t end the conversation there.

Happily, Santa takes questions from his fans.

“Um, Santa, how cold is it really in the North Pole? Is it real cold?”

“Oh, it’s always cold. That’s why I’ve got to wear clothing like this,” says Santa, gesturing towards the furry arm cuffs on his coat.

The little one nods, satisfied with Santa’s answer.

The Magical Christmas Forest at Kortright is an event that captures what the holiday season is all about: family.

While the event is sold out for the 2014 season, we hope you’ll come celebrate with us next year!

Now that December’s officially here, Christmas is in full force at TRCA locations!

This weekend, holiday celebrations kicked off at the Kortright Centre for Conservation and Black Creek Pioneer Village, with the Magical Christmas Forest (KCC) and Christmas by Lamplight (BCPV).

Christmas is on its way at Black Creek Pioneer Village! 

Last night, Santa's elves paid Black Creek a visit, sprinkling Christmas cheer all throughout the Village.

And while Christmas is over a month away, the Village will begin celebrations this Saturday, November 22.

It couldn’t have felt more like October at Black Creek Pioneer Village last weekend: A cool breeze, giggles, screams and the joyous sound of fallen leaves being trampled by excited feet. Crunch.

Little ninja turtles, super heroes and princesses visited the Village this weekend, ready to explore the Halloween adventures awaiting them at Black Creek’s Howling Hootenanny.

The event, which has been held for over ten years,is an annual celebration of Halloween, celebrated over two weekends in October. It encourages kids (and adults) to get into the silly, spooky spirit that Halloween brings to Toronto each year.

The events were autumn-y as ever this year, including a dash of apples, a sprinkle of pumpkins and a pinch of fright!

Pumpkin decorating was a hit with visitors both young and old. And what artists we drew into the Village this year. I mean, look at the scary faces on these bad boys!

The Fire Guy put on a heck of a show, taking fire to a whole new level of dangerous (and exciting!) 

And while his fire show left spectators astounded, his bubbly personality sent kids and adults into eruptions of applause, and fits of laughter.

“I used to eat my boogers, I thought they were candy” he told the crowd. “But they’re s-not.”

And a chorus of “ewwww’s” followed by giggles flooded from the Fire Guy’s crowd.

The Apple Slingshot was a great way for kids to practice their aim, and for parents to let out a little stress or frustration ;)

While it looks like an easy task, let’s just say, hitting a target takes more skill than meets the eye.

And while all of those other attractions made for a fun-filled day, it wouldn’t be Halloween without some attractions to make your skin crawl.

The Creepy Creature show provided some insight on the gross and creepy habits that some animals partake in.

Did you know that rabbits eat their own poop?!

But we must say, while the animals at the show may have some strange habits, we can’t help but love them for the cute creatures they are!  

And of course…there was… the Haunted Maze. Dun, dun, dun!

Sneak peek from the inside of the maze.

It was a huge hit!

While little shrieks could be heard from outside the barn housing the maze, when they exited the building they were running back in line for more!

But little ones who aren’t fans of fright could walk through the maze chanting “I don’t want to be scared” and could enjoy the setup without producing any shrieks (or tears).

 Halloween is such a fun holiday, and we’re so glad we can spend it with all of you at Black Creek year after year!

Autumn is such an endearing season. With beautiful colours overwhelming the landscape, it’s necessary that days be spent outdoors; exploring the beauty that autumn brings us for such a short period of time.

With autumn now in full effect, it’s time to plan some activities to get your kids outdoors!

We’ve come up with some fun ways you and your children can enjoy the outdoors all autumn long with this our Autumn Activities List.

Happy exploring!

  Geocaching Geocaching is a great way to get kids up-close and personal with nature. Searching high and low for hidden treasure, geocaching gives little one’s a chance to explore every nook and cranny that nature has to offer.

It provides the perfect opportunity to educate your little ones on the different plants and wildlife that can be spotted during the autumn months. It’s also a wonderful way to get active and enjoy fall colours.

You can also go geocaching solo. Just download the geocaching app, and search for treasures near you.

Set up a winter birdfeeder

The winter months can be difficult for birds within Ontario. You can help them out by providing a meal during those cold and dreary winter days by setting up a winter birdfeeder.

Setting up a winter bird feeder can also be a fun activity for kids. Include them in the making or purchasing of a feeder, in choosing the food for the feeder, and finding a perfect spot in the backyard to place the birds’ new kitchen.

This activity is a great way to get the children outside, and to give them a lesson on local wildlife.

Get more information on winter birdfeeders from Wild Birds Unlimited.

Image: Google

Bird watching

Autumn migration attracts hundreds of diverse, beautiful birds to Ontario. It’s the perfect time to bring your kids outdoors, and show them the various, beautiful birds that we have in our province.

If you’re new to bird watching, or would like a little guidance in doing so, check out Tommy Thompson Park’s Sunday Morning Bird Walks, running every Sunday up to November 15.

This FREE guided bird hike is a great way to learn about the fall migrants, and provides guidance for new or experienced birders.

The Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station sees hundreds of beautiful birds during fall migration. Check out some of the beautiful birds banded this year on their Facebook page.

Garlic planting

Some crops require cold weather for planting. One of those crops happens to be garlic! Include your kids in the preparation and planting of your garlic garden. He/she will be excited to find what has grown when harvest time rolls around in the spring!

Find information on garlic planting on the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website.

Looking for ways to enjoy the outdoors with your family this autumn? Look no further!

Last Saturday, Black Creek Pioneer Village hosted the 58th annual Pioneer Harvest Festival. Over 1700 people came together to enjoy delicious foods, demonstrations and a warm, sunshine-y day in the historic Village.

For the day, the Village was transformed into a bustling marketplace. All around the Town Hall Green, food stands were set up, with delicious scents tempting the noses of all who walked by.

What to eat?

Sloppy joes? Peameal bacon sandwiches? Perhaps some borscht or some fried rosettes? The options were plenty, and to be honest, I had to divulge into more than one snack. I mean, how can you really choose just oneoption when all are so tempting? The answer is obvious: you can’t.

Scattered along the grass, groups of families and friends sat, enjoying their delicious snacks, happily chatting with one another, enjoying the last Saturday of summer.

Musicians also set up shop, sending sweet tunes into the sky. It added to the relaxing, go-with-the-flow atmosphere that took over the Village.

When visitors were ready to roam, they could catch several demonstrations hosted around the Village throughout the day.

The Mennonites hosted a sausage making and meat butchering demonstration.

They also made homemade ice cream on-site, which doubled as an ice cream making demonstration.

Did you know? Homemade ice cream is made with a mixture of whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, powdered milk and vanilla.

The ice cream was served with slices of homemade pie, fried rosettes, or the delicious treat could be enjoyed solo. It was definitely a highlight of the event.

Besides some delicious food demonstrations, the Village also hosted pioneer demonstrations throughout the day.

There were candle dipping demonstrations, historic cooking and apple schnitzing.

Our head gardener also performed a grain threshing demonstration.

Did you know? Pioneers would thresh wheat to loosen/remove the grain from the wheat chaffs.

  Adults were also able to partake in some ale tasting at the Historic Brewery; the perfect treat to enjoy on an almost-autumn day.

And like any good marketplace, there were little stands of goods scattered throughout the Village.

The Iode Bargain Emporium, located inside of the Visitor’s Centre, offered treasure-seekers many well-priced items to take home.

For those who love a good quilt, the quilt auction was held at 12 p.m. What a thrill it was to hear the auctioneer rapidly roll words and numbers off of his tongue, and the arms of determined quilt-byers flying in the air.

The auction raised a whopping $20,550 for the Mennonite Centra Committee and their works. It's no surprise, as the quilts were all  astounding.

All-in-all the Pioneer Festival was an absolute success!  It was an especially good day for anybody who managed to take home one of the much sought after homemade pies. (Sold out by 12:35 p.m.!)

For the latest news and events at Black Creek Pioneer Village, check out our website: http://www.blackcreek.ca/. 

  Honeybees are more intelligent than one might assume.

Beneath that cute, fuzzy exterior and that gentle buzz, lies an insect with determination, brains and instinct.

Last month, we visited a honeybee colony, and were given a tour of the honeybee’s world from Dr. Amro Zayed, a biology professor at York University.

Today, we’re sharing that knowledge with you in our honeybee blog.

Bee Basics

Bees create wax cells, also known as honeycombs, from wax glands in their abdomens. These wax cells are used to store honey and pollen by worker bees, and are also used by the Queen Bee to lay her eggs. It is also where the larvae grow.

All female bees, besides the Queen Bee, are worker bees. These bees collect pollen, feed larvae, and clean the beehive. Male bees have one sole purpose in life, and that is to mate with the Queen Bee. When a male bee successfully mates with a Queen Bee, he dies.

A Queen Bee only leaves her colony once in her life to go mate. A Queen Bee mates with around 7-20 different male bees at this time, with the ability to store the sperm within her for up to 4 years. The Queen Bee lays anywhere from 1-2 thousand eggs per day. Depending on the size of the bees’ nesting space, a colony can continue to grow to house upwards of 50,000 bees.

The Wonderful World of Honeybees

When we think of the actions of animals, we may think of the perceptive actions of mammals, like life-saving actions of man’s best friend, or the heavy feelings of loss felt by a gorilla. But the instincts that honeybees possess are equally amazing, and a part of what makes the insects so astounding.

Much of the communication between honeybees happens through body movements, and usually expresses types of information relating to work, the colony or survival.

For example, a worker bee will shake another when she is not pulling her weight in the colony. It’s a form of motivation, and a way for the bee to say “you aren’t working… get to it!” 

Honeybees are also able to share information about resources with what is called the “waggle dance.” The waggle dance is a figure eight movement that bees make. They move downwards in a vibrating motion, then move upwards. The dance explains to other worker bees where resources like water and pollen, for example, can be found.

The Decline of the Honeybee

Bees may be a brilliant species, but they’re at risk of potential extinction.

“Bees are facing a number of threats, there’s no question about that,” says Julie White of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association.

Issues such as contraction of viruses, or varroa mites (parasitic mites that attack honeybees), and a change in agricultural intensity are all contributing factors to the decline of bees, White says. But there is one issue that trumps all the rest. The culprit? Neonicotinoid pesticides.  These pesticides, are “used to coat most commercial corn seeds and protect them from pests such as seed-eating insects,” according to CBC News. White says that if a bee is exposed to this pesticide, it’s vulnerability to viruses and mites is increased, and it becomes difficult for the bee to forage.

What happens if bees go extinct? If bees, along with other pollinators, become extinct, our food supply will suffer, White warns. About 75 per cent of our food supply is related to pollination, including fruits, vegetables, coffee and chocolate, she explains. Without pollination, what we’d be left with is a whole lot of wheat and corn to eat. This does not provide for a very balanced diet.

  How can you help the bees? According to White, there are a number of ways that you can show the honeybees your support. These include:

- Educating yourself on neonicotinoid pesticides and supporting the elimination of these pesticides

- Reducing the size of your lawn, instead replacing it with pollinator-friendly, native plants

- Incorporating more bee-sensitive planting in your home garden (see: the Toronto Plant Guide for Attracting Pollinators by David Suzuki)

- Supporting honeybee foraging by encouraging municipalities to reduce lawn-mowing on the sides of roads, allowing it to flourish as “wild land”

Trail Difficulty: According to Ontario Trails, the difficulty of the Kortright Centre for Conservation’s trails is 2/5. 

  There is a captivating charm about Kortright’s forest that can only be fully understood when you visit the property. The deep forest seems to extend into eternity, creating the illusion of  being transported into a tranquil world where only you and nature coexist.

Hundreds of couples in the GTA must feel the alluring energy that Kortright gives off, too, as each year, numerous couples choose hold their outdoor weddings here.

Besides playing host to brides and grooms, the Kortright Centre offers everyday visitors 16 km of stunning trails to explore at their own leisure. Most of the park’s trails are fairly accessible and flat, except for the Forestry Trail, which features a wooden staircase.

  Visitors at the Kotright Centre can also spend the day geocaching through the trails. There are over 25 geocaches hidden throughout the forest*, and they draw the attention of several geocachers each weekend, who are eager to explore the woods for hidden treasure.

  But geocaches aren’t the only treasures that can be found when trailing through Kortright’s forest. In fact, there are several natural gems that possess enough beauty to steal your breath away.

One of the most tranquil spots in the park can be found at the Spring Peeper Pond, located off the Perimeter trail north of the Kite Field. Here, boardwalks lead you to lookouts facing the water, the perfect spot for reflection, peace and solitude.  

  The Lookout is a close second when it comes to tranquil locations within Kortright’s trail system. This spot is located a short walk along the forestry path. A long, wooden boardwalk, integrated so effortlessly into the forest, leads you to the wide lookout spot, where the forest views are captivating. It’s like a treetop paradise. 

  And while tranquil spots are plenty in Kortright’s forest, there are two spots within the trail system that, according to wedding photographers, steal the show. These are the Maple Sugar Bush trail and “Coyote Alley,” as it's called by Kortright staff.

The Maple Sugar Bush Trail is especially captivating in the autumn months, when the lush, green canopy transforms into a splendor of yellows, oranges and reds; a sight that is absolutely striking.

Entering “Coyote Alley” is like entering another world. It’s a tunnel of trees located on the side of the Perimeter trail, and its beauty sucks you in as if into a vortex.  As you enter the shaded tunnel, it is the end point that will draw your attention; a mere speck of sunlight, calling at you to find your way over.  

Visitors are also welcome to enjoy Kortright’s trails in the wintertime. The park offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on-site. However, trails are not groomed during the winter season, and visitors should bring their own equipment, as it is currently not available on site.