High Park Nature Centre

Fall program registration will take place on THURSDAY,

photo courtesy of Jonathan Hayes

AUGUST 19th, starting at 8 am! The registration form and information can be found here.

Thanks to some funders – who we will announce in the coming weeks – we are able to offer another after-school program with Jon! This will take place on Tuesdays for kids aged 8 – 12 and will focus on the woodlands of High Park.

We have TWO more family nature walks happening in August. Check out the list on Facebook or download the poster

We look forward to seeing you on registration day and throughout the fall!

A fairy and a gnome at the photo booth. Make sure to bring your cameras!

Have you seen any fairies lately? High Park is an enchanted place. We hear reports of fairies and gnomes all the time. Perhaps it is the oak savannahs and woodlands that make High Park a healthy home for the fairy folks of Toronto. Flower Fays love the queen anne’s lace, black-eyed susans and evening primrose. And the Dryads depend on the red, black and white oaks because as we know, “fairy folks live in old oaks”. Lots of fairies seek shelter beneath the many mushrooms.

Come on out to the ever-popular Fairy Hike as part of our Family Nature Walk summer series.  Discover your true “fairy name”,  make a fairy craft and go on a fairy hike through the woodlands to learn the secret hideouts, food sources and written language of our fairies and gnomes.

An excellent shelter for a fairy to find!

High Park Nature Centre, 430 Parkside Drive (Parkside Drive & Indian Valley Crescent)

Tuesday, August 3, 1-3 PM

Free of Charge

More Info: 416-392-1748 x. 2

naturecentre@highpark.org

Funded by Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation

Learning about the fairy friends of High Park

It’s not really, truly summer until we start our summer camp programs.

This week, activities have included:

Quiet contemplation

Tree Hugging

Book Reading

Thanks to generous funding from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation, we will be offered a series of Family Nature Walks called ‘Wild in the City’ this summer.

While most of the hikes will take place during the day, we will also be exploring those creatures of the night – bats and moths – during some night hikes. This is a great opportunity to come out into the park as a family at night, under the guidance of local experts.

flickr credit: ellenm1

Day time hikes will include a fairy hike, where we will explore the world of fairies and gnomes in the High Park woodlands. We will learn the secret hideouts, food sources and written language of fairies and gnomes as we travel the trails near the Nature Centre.

All of the events can be found on our Facebook page or check out the calendar on the sidebar. You can also download the poster here.

We look forwarding to exploring the wild in the city with you!

Photo by Elissa. This Red Winged Blackbird was defending it's territory by calling loudly "KONK-A-REE!!!"

Have you ever noticed that young people take amazing photos? Well, the “Tuesdays on the Pond” kids proved this once again on our photo day, May 18. We hiked together through the woodlands, the savannah and down to Grenadier Pond, taking pictures along the way. We tried to use unexpected angles and interesting lighting in order to show the natural wonders surrounding us. We saw trilliums, birds, trees, feathers and lots more. Take a look at just some of these inspired photos taken by the Tuesdays on the Pond kids. Then take your camera down to Grenadier Pond and capture some nature moments of your own! And have fun! As Ambrose Bierce says a photograph is “a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.”

Photo by Scotia. A fallen tree among the cattails. You can sometimes find painted turtles basking on this tree.

Photo by Ella and Antonia Bonaldi. The phragmites grows by Wendigo Creek. You can see both this year's and last year's old growth.

Photo by Scotia. We found a sizeable patch of white trilliums. Notice the 3 petals and three leaves?

Since we like to share, we wanted to let you know about some awesome opportunities to contribute to the green of Toronto. Whether you want to get your hands dirty, learn new skills or want to contribute to High Park, there’s something here for you!

Citizen Scientists

Citizen Scientists is an entirely volunteer driven, not-for-profit group that focuses on ecological monitoring, environmental training and education. Our mandate is to build the capacity of the local community to monitor the local watershed and to collect, record and share accurate and reliable stream data which will contribute to the Ministry of Natural Resources’ (MNR) database.

Evergreen Brickworks

Formerly the Don Valley Brick Works, the buildings sat shuttered and empty for over 20 years before being acquired by Evergreen. In partnership with the City of Toronto, Evergreen Brickworks is becoming an example of urban sustainability and green design. Volunteers are needed to work in the gardens, work in the native plant nursery, greet visitors and assist with camp and other programming.

High Park Children’s Garden

The High Park Children’s Gardenwas created in 1998 on what used to be a parking lot and exists to promote outdoor learning, ecological awareness and hands-on gardening activities for children. Volunteers can assist with regular programming, drop-in programs, community events or special projects. If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail or call (416) 392-1329.

High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program (VSP)

The goal of the VSP is to assist the City of Toronto Restoration Crew in returning the natural areas of High Park (54 hectares or 135 acres) to pre-settlement conditions and to encourage the use of native plants in Toronto and beyond. Activities range from planting, weeding and watering to our semi-annual native plant sales, social activities, presentations and field trips. Visit the High Park VSP webpage to learn more!

Jerry and Robin, willing volunteers!

High Park Welcome Centre

The High Park Community Advisory Council (HPCAC) and the Friends of High Park opened a Welcome Centre on a trial basis in the summer of 2009 to help assist park visitors. Open on weekends and holidays from 10 am to 4pm during the summer of 2009, volunteers familiar with High Park were on hand throughout the summer to assist you in learning more about the park and various events and activities.

We are hoping for another successful summer for the Welcome Centre, having been granted funding from Canada Summer Jobs that will allow for the hiring of a summer student to run the Welcome Centre and ensure volunteers are on hand to help visitors. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Building, Infrastructure and Safety committee.

LEAF Toronto: Tree Tenders Training

Tree Tenders is a 15 hour training program (cost involved) designed for individuals who want to gain tree-related knowledge and skills. Each session provides basic arboriculture training which includes a combination of indoor and outdoor instruction. The final day of the course will feature a tree planting activity. Contact Sahar Ghafouri-Bakhsh for more information.

Toronto Community Garden Network

The Toronto Community Garden Network (TCGN) is made up of interested and energetic individuals and organizations from across Toronto who are committed to greening and organic gardening across the City of Toronto and to making community gardening an integral part of city life.

The Toronto Community Garden Network is looking for volunteers to help with events, organizational development, giving workshops, graphic design, gardening and much more.