For those who suffer from asthma or allergies, the warmer weather and park visits can sometimes mean running nose, watery eyes or breathing difficulties.
It’s time for a quick pollen lesson to better equip you to take control of your breathing.
Martyn of the Madawaska
Today is dedicated to telling the story of Painted Turtle #353: “Martyn of the Madawaska” (mostly true, with some creative freedom by the author).
He is not particularly unusual for a turtle but, like most, he has an interesting story that begs to be told.
The Goldilocks Zone
Did you know that the habitable zone of a solar system is the range of distance from sun that is “not too hot, not too cold, but just right” for life?
It’s also known as the Goldilocks Zone!
Then & Now: park uniforms
Gearing up to celebrate our 125th anniversary had us digging through archives in search of vintage photos and documents. Over the course of the year, we’ll be sharing our discoveries in our OP125 blog series.
This month, we’re looking back at the evolution of our park uniforms.
Ouimet Canyon: a northwestern birding hotspot
Today’s post comes from our Northwest Regional Planning Ecologist Bill Greaves.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is typically visited for its jaw-dropping geological feature, but it’s also one of the better birding hotspots in the Thunder Bay area.
What might you see at Ouimet Canyon?
Continue reading Ouimet Canyon: a northwestern birding hotspot
The Boundary Waters/Voyageur Waterway: a Canadian Heritage River
Today’s post was written by Kestrel Wraggett, a planning intern from our Northwest Zone.
Did you know that there’s a network of nationally recognized significant waterways all over Canada?
There are 42 Canadian Heritage Rivers within the country, 12 of which are located in Ontario. Two of these designated heritage rivers run through Northwestern Ontario and both are located within the boundaries of provincial parks.
Continue reading The Boundary Waters/Voyageur Waterway: a Canadian Heritage River
Ecosystems and music
Not sure exactly what “ecological integrity” means? Today’s post from Park Biologist Shannon McGaffey explains how ecological integrity is like music.
Synergy: the creation of a whole that is bigger than the sum of the individual parts
If you are listening to a symphony, you are not listening to two violins, one piano, three flutes, etc. You are listening to music, an art that breaches the realms of spirituality. Music naturally generates measurable energy, but also produces energy beyond that, an energy that humans can feel, but just can’t quite grasp and understand.
Does the darkness need our protection?
Today’s post comes from our Natural Heritage Education Coordinator Brad Steinberg.
Not many researchers like being kept in the dark…
…except, that is, for scotobiologists!
Scotobiology is the science of darkness, a research topic that is growing in importance. Many birds, amphibians, insects and plants (and us!) have evolved to rely on uninterrupted periods of darkness during the night.
Find yourself at Ontario Parks
In honour of our 125th anniversary, we’re delighted to unveil our invitation to find yourself at Ontario Parks.
How to tell direction without a compass
Did you know you can determine your directions without a compass or GPS?
It would be wonderful if we had a built-in system to help us tell direction. If we did, it would probably have saved many lives who became lost by travelling away from safety rather than towards it.
Humans are not very good at instinctively knowing which direction they face. Most methods of determining one’s direction when in the forest tend to be unreliable.