Does the thought of holiday shopping for the nature-lover in your life have you quaking in your snow boots?
Fear not! Pick up some of your favourite Ontario Parks merchandise (and new releases) from the comfort of home with our holiday pop-up store.
But don’t wait: the holiday pop-up store is only open until December 31 and stock is limited.
We’ve created a gift guide to check all your friends and family off your list:
Hey park-lovers! Did you know we are offering online merchandise sales this holiday season?
The holiday pop-up store is an opportunity to pick up some of your favourite Ontario Parks merchandise online.
But don’t delay – the holiday pop-up store is a limited-time offer and we will not be restocking items! The pop-up store closes on December 31, 2021.
Here’s everything you need to know about making a purchase:
Continue reading How to make a purchase on the holiday pop-up store
Today’s post comes from Rachelle Law, Discovery Leader at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
Sleeping Giant is known for several things, one of them being our awe-inspiring views of the Sleeping Giant.
Another is our park cleaner nicknamed “Maw”, who retired from the park last year.
Working at the park for 39 years, Maw has become part of the true fabric of the park. She has left an extraordinary impact on the park, visitors and staff.
Continue reading The incredible legacy of Maw at Sleeping Giant
In today’s post, Sarah Fencott, a naturalist at Pinery Provincial Park is sharing her journey to completing the ultimate Pinery challenge. The goal? To complete all ten trails at Pinery, including lookouts and extensions.
Last year, my goal was to hike every trail before the end of the summer. I completed my goal with three days left in my contract.
This year, my goal was to hike all of the trails in one week. This worked out well, as we needed to do an infrastructure survey of the park trails anyway! By hiking three trails per day I had completed my goal within my first week back at work.
With my initial goal so easily achieved, I set my sights on a new challenge that would be harder than anything I had done in the park before: the Tour de Pinery.
Today’s post comes from Megan Loucks, Discovery Leader at Pinery Provincial Park.
Have you ever been to Pinery Provincial Park?
Take a moment to think of your favourite spot. Is it the viewing platform along Riverside Trail? What about the boardwalk leading to the beach? Have you been to the top of the Nipissing Trail lookout?
Often we admire the beauty of the park’s natural wonders from boardwalks and lookouts, but have you ever wondered who built them?
Today’s blog is all about the man behind the boardwalks: Raymond Sheppard.
Continue reading The man behind the boardwalks: Ray Sheppard retires after 30 seasons at Pinery
In our previous post, we discussed the Big Bang and the formation of galaxies, globular clusters, and supernovae remnants using images taken from the observatories in Killarney Provincial Park.
In today’s post, we will explore how stars are born and start their lives.
Continue reading From the Big Bang to beyond: the astronomical origins of the universe – part 2
Sneaking out of your tent in the middle of the night to stare up at the stars… is there anything better?
There’s no substitution for witnessing a starry sky firsthand, but this month’s FREE digital download is a good start!
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered “how did it all begin?” Check out our series about the astronomical origins of the universe.
Boo! The scariest night of the year is almost upon us.
As we celebrate Halloween with costumes, trick-or-treating, and plenty of scares, let’s take a look at the history behind this spooky day. Continue reading The spooky celestial history of Halloween
In our “Behind the Scenes” series, Discovery Program staff across the province share a backstage glimpse of their favourite programs and projects. Today’s post comes from Rosemary Minns from Emily Provincial Park.
Emily Provincial Park is a lovely place. Plenty of docks to fish, beaches to swim, and large campsites. I was extremely excited to work as a Discovery student at Emily. There was one catch to this job…
…I had to learn to take care of a Snapping Turtle.
Continue reading Love at first snap: caring for Spike at Emily Provincial Park
You might think that snakes are creatures of the night, slithering around in the dark, looking for prey and striking when they find it.
But you’d be wrong. Most of our snakes are active during the day, though the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Milksnake and Ring-necked Snake do come out at night.
