Want to keep a safe & friendly place? IT'S JOUR mAtE - '-

. 392 ' 72" ~7- " ' 6-~'-~'" ~ '"~'::9~t-/i;:~:~': . -. _" " ' e-~l,. •--. ~ \ : ,:i£~~. » .. .. _. is the new ParkWitclfline phone for information about Park Watch, or to volunteer • this message is sponsored by Sak's Fine Foods (Howard Park & Roncesvalles)

" is a safe city. We know some Sak's Fine Foods is proud to people don't feel safe. WhenOcitizens help promote the new get involved it ensures the park ° Park Watch Line and becomes safer. We are lucky to have wishes everyone a safe citizens who care so much about their neighbourhoods." & happy spring while - Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall - enjoying High Park. Departments HIGHPARK Editorial ...... 4 A Park Lover's Quarterly Park Politics ...... 4 Briefly ...... 5 Editor - Gigi Suhanic Naturalist's Notebook...... j- ...... 12 Contributors - Gera Dillon, D.W Dorken, News Mary Lou Kumagai, Mario Maceda, Joan Coosing Centre Island's Wildlife Sanctuary Miles, Ken Winlaw. A fourth of July blast from a starter pistol regularly pierces Cover photo by D.W. Dorken the peace at a Centre Island wildlife sanctuary ...... 6 Old-growth gem in Sherwood Park Back page photo by Gera Dillon citizens are rallying around Sherwood Forest to protect one High Park - A Park Lover's Quarterly is published four of the few old-growth forests left in southern ...... 6 times a year by High Park Quarterly Inc. Editorial enquiries New park spawns pike habitat and letters to the editor are welcome and should be sent to: A new park at Toronto's waterfront will have habitat created High Park Quarterly Inc., 53-C High Park Boulevard, especially for pike spawning ...... 7 Toronto M6R IM9. Telephonelfax 588-5678. Subscriptions Feature are avai lable for $4/year or $7 for two years. No part of this The ups and downs of Crenadier Pond publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without On Grenadier Pond is a new regular feature focusing on ~ the written permission of the publisher. Canadian Publication ongoing work to restore the pond. In this issue read about 1 Mail Sales Agreement No. 0454494. High Park Quarterly Inc. new efforts to raise and lower the water level...... 8 ~ is an independent publishing organization. High Park - A Columnists g Park Lover's Q uarterly is a member of the Canadian High Park in History ...... 10 ~ Magazine Publishers Association. Park Pundit ...... 13 ~ o r------,~ 15%. • 15% ~ Migrate to Birders 0 i ., ~ _ = ~ High Park's Back to Nature Store ~ ~ ~ BIRD FEEDERS - HOUSES B I ROE R S SPECIALITY SEEDS ~c NATURE STORE BINOCULARS - BAT HOUSES 2 WII"'"'""""''''''''H''AlisrS ~ WEATHERVANES ~ ~ - =:=' -- MARTIN HOUSES ~

(416) 234-0044 " ,'- BOOKS - SUNDIALS ..c~ 2943 WEST INDOOR & GARDEN FURNITU RE ifj ETOBICOKE ONTARIO M8X 1B3 Ol 'Ci 15 ' & L ______% Present thIS ad receive 1 S% off your purchase 15 10 ~~~ th oug hts of love. 1t seems the Editorial...... same thing has hap pe ned a t Ban bikes from trails Toronto Parks and Rec. Contributor Ken Winlaw encour­ If the good fo lk there ages increased use of Hi gh Park have their way, amorous northern as an effecti ve way of decreasing pike will have a pl ace to pitch crime and violence in the park. woo in flooded grasslands per­ (See In the park, when it 's dark, fect fo r pike-styl e spawning. pg.9) That' s great fo r the fish, This always leads to the we suppose. But wh at about us o ld , f a mili a r conundrum - bipedal, mammalian types? increased use means increased T ake Hi g h Pa rk fo r wear and tear on the park envi­ example. It seems every feath­ ronment. For evidence, we onl y e red, furry o r finned de ni zen need examine the e rosio n and therein has carte bl anche to make da mage along the tra il s o n the whoopee whe rever their hearts western slope above G renadier lead them. Pond at its northern secti on. Except fo r those with We' re all for increased o pposable thumbs, of co urse. pa rk use, b ut the re has to be A ny thing m o re th a n ho lding compromi se. hands will get you busted PDQ. The first thing we mi ght We'd like to see parks s uggest is ba nning those and rec in vest some of its ener- very Bag damnabl e mountain bikes. We' ll g ies in develo ping conduc ive spare the ecosystem - and spare mating e n vironme nts fo r th a t a strolling seni o r a mild coro­ endangered species, the lovelorn ViSi Market nary. tax payer. Maybe hire a consul ­ the tant Ot; something. Pike pitch woo in grass I on-Roncesvalles We' re parti a l to those In .the ,spring a youn g magazine I pink, heart-shaped bathtubs. OPENINC IN MAY edItor s fa ncy li g htl y turns to HIG H P ARK C ITIZENS' A DVI SORY COM M ITTEE meets th e third W ednesday of every other mo nth . David Hutcheon The next meeting is May 2 1, 6 :30 Toronto City Councillor - a guide to grassroots involvement in High Park p. m. at the Community Centre. The committee meets to di s- If you need help with c uss the work of the Hig h Park subcommittees o n Safety a nd city government please Recreati on, the Natural E nvironme nt, and call me at: 392-7907 Tra nspo rta ti o n . The "Constituency office open annual general meeting is scheduled for June at 2231 Bloor Street W. 25. For more info rma­ Thursdays, 2-6 p.m. ti on phone Jami e Bell at 604-7421. HIGH P ARK N ATURAL E N VIR ON M ENT Call me for assistance S UBCOMMITTEE meets regarding any municipal issue May 8, 6:45 p.m. at the Hig h P a rk Tra ining Centre, just south of the Ward 2 Councillor David Miller Gre nadie r Resta ura nt Metro Councillor and beside the hangin g Chris Korwin- baske t garde n. New Suite 228 - Metro Hall me mbe rs a re al ways Kuczynski 55 John Street welcome. Topi cs di s­ Toronto ON M5V 3C6 cussed include cleaning up G renadi er Pond and 392-0202 392-4072 restoring Hig h Park' s ..... ______...J oak woodl ands. page 4 Pizza Pizza president Day the way the Victorians used to. Children can participate in traditional wants to build more militia drills conducted by a soldier from Pizza Pizza president Michal Overs wants to Multrum. nearby Fort York. Cake and sparklers for replace hi s present home on Grenadier "The technology is so great and it everyone. Pond's west shore with a new one. has little negative impact on the environ­ May 24, 25 learn about how the Overs' application to the ci ty of ment," said Scott Walker, a city engineer. original owners of Col borne Lodge gardened Toronto's planning department was submit­ "It sounds funny but when you get in High Park. Chi ldren can plant redubeckia ted in March and call s for a two-storey struc­ to learn about it, it makes sense," Walker seeds in peat pots to take home. Free with ture, plus an attic and walk-out basement, at said. admission. 225 Ellis Avenue. The new home is approxi­ The Clivus Multrum is used widely mately 97 feet wide and 54 feet high, with Tennis club aces renos in cities across Europe. Information material 8,400 sq. ft. of total livable space, not includ­ Following some major renovation from the Canadian distributor says the toilet ing the attic and walkout. work last spring, the courts at the Howard functions like " ... a forest floor in a polyethyl­ Overs' current home at 225 Ellis is a Park Tennis Club in High Park are in top ene tank". three-storey building with about 5,000 sq. ft. form for a fu ll season of play. It takes toilet waste, a bulking agent in living space, according to the project Of the seven courts at the club, like wood shavings or pine bark mulch, and arch itect Carson Woods. located close to Parkside Drive just below oxygen and converts it into a "safe, usable, A hearing date was set for April 23 Howard Park, five have been completely compost". There are two end products, a for the city's Committee of Adjustment to rebuilt and resurfaced with an acrylic paint. solid compost, and a liquid product. review Overs' appl ication. The work was paid for by the club. Overs was seeking permission from springs "They're in top playing form for the the committee to sever some property he into High Park season game," said Bill Clancy, a planner with owns at 227 and 233 Elli s Avenue and join it Col borne Lodge taps into the Victorian tradi­ Toronto's Parks and Recreation design divi­ to 225 Ellis Avenue. tions of park founders John and Jemima sion. Overs was also seeking permission Howard for its spring calendar of events. Previously, the courts had problems to build his new home 1.8 metres from the April 26, special tours of Colborne with water pooling. The city of Toronto paid northern lot line rather then the required 7.5 Lodge are available focusing on natural for drainage imp ovements which have metres. ingredients used in cleaning products 100 cleared up that problem. Overs recently won a case at the years ago. For more information about tennis Ontario Municipal Board allowing him to Earth Day in High Park on April 27 call the club at 769-5600. build a subdivision of six homes also on inaugurates the Grenadier Pond's western slope. beginning of the ___1111111111111111111111 walking tour season Royal LePage Waste not, want not ROYAL LEPAGE Real Estate and summer hours at ___1111111111111111111111 Compostable toilets may be the answer to the Services, Ltd. woes caused by High Park's troublesome the lodge. Earth Day 2320 Bloor St. W. porcelain facilities. events include enter- The city of Toronto is looking at tai nment, crafts and installing compostable toilets at two locations food markets, guided CAROLYN HILLMAN in the park - Col borne Lodge and down at nature walks, story­ Grenadier Pond. Parks staff are hoping the telling and displays. (416) 762-8255 work will be completed by the fall. Tours of Colborne Toilets have been a major topic of Lodge are pay-what­ debate, especially with several public wash­ you-can. As of April room buildings in the park closed permanent­ 27 Colborne Lodge ly - for example, one building near Col borne is open daily, except Lodge and another near Grenadier Pond. The Monday. washrooms near the lodge were closed Sample because men were having sex in them. In the 19th century spring case of washrooms near the pond, tree roots recipes at the lodge, have destroyed the plumbing system. May 3,4 and 10, I I. Not only are the two areas underser­ Visitors are invited viced, both sites have been chosen for com­ to sample specialities postable toilets because running in a sewer made from spring would be next to impossible. produce such as The new toilets would be single asparagus and occupancy and wheelchair accessible with rhubarb. Learn about food planted at the two stalls per location. Built for his own family by the prominent architect of the Arts lodge a century ago. The city is still in preliminary and Crafts Movement in . English cottage style. Superb Free with admission research stages. According to a staff member restoration of an architectural joy. Four bedrooms. Inglenook, from noon to 5 p.m. at the city's engineering department, there so musicians gallery. Mechanically updated. Delightful perennial May 17,18 far appears to be only one true compostable garden. Details by fax. Asking $535.000 toilet - a Swedish design called the Clivus celebrate Victoria page 5 return to the place where they learned to fly. cover that right in the heart of Toronto there Whistling pistol According to Reed the pistol doesn't lives an old-growth forest with towering harm the birds. The cartridge discharges and pines that even Bob Rae might be proud to a quacky idea releases a high-pitched whistle that is intend­ chain hi mself to. ed to only have an effect on the geese. "We Sherwood Park, in the Eglinton­ The ears of Canada Geese must be burning. got the idea from the Toronto Island Mount Pleasant area, is home to one of the Actually, there must be raging inferno going Airport," Reed said. best old-growth forests remaining in southern on in there. Reed said in the past there have Ontario. Everybody is talking about the poor been as many as 2,000-3,000 geese on the One of the features that fits bemused birds, plotting new and more islands. He said using the pistol has reduced Sherwood Park's forest into this category are bizarre ways to bring about their demise. their numbers significantly. the 35-metre white pine trees forming a Lately, there has been much rubbing together It could be that the geese are build­ "super canopy" above the rest of the forest, of hands over a scheme to round up a certain ing a tolerance to the sound just as some said Beth McEwen of the Toronto number of geese, slaughter them and hand forms of bacteria are resisting antibiotics. Department of Parks and Recreation. them over to foodbanks for distribution to the People who have seen the parks That's not all Sherwood Forest has hungry. This notion is the brain child of staff shooting off the pistol said it seems to to offer. It also has an underlying canopy of municipal government in the U.S. twin city have little effect on the geese, but instead dis­ ash, oak, pine, hemlock, and black cherry, to Minneapolis/St. Paul which has run such a turbs other birds. name a few species. pilot project for the last two years, and "I would think it had a momentary Like many of the special natural received a lot of attention for it. panic that lasted three seconds. Then the places in Toronto, Sherwood Forest is under While government officials plot geese settle back down. However, it does attack. One of the major forces being brought witch hunts, there's still no rest for the weary effect a lot of other birds. Water fowl like to bear on the forest is over-use, and inappro­ geese. On the where the ducks and common terns, they certainly are priate use. birds' numbers are large, Metro Parks and adversely effected," said Don Barnett. " I believe it's quite critical," Culture thinks its come up with a way to Barnett is a birder. He was recently at the McEwen said. "If you walk through the for­ make the geese someone else's problem. Centre Island wildlife sanctuary when Metro est it is really heavily used in all areas," she Parks and Culture has permission parks staff shot off the pistol. said. from the wildlife division of Environment "It doesn't have any place in a pub­ She saicV signs of damage include Canada to fire off a cartridge from a starter's lic place. It's invasive in what is supposed to loss of ground cover, and damage to older pistol. The cartridge behaves like fireworks be a wildlife sanctuary. I submit any birds trees. She also said there is a bank of cherry and makes a whistling sound that supposedly scared off will come back the next day if not and birch seeds in the ground that are germi­ effects geese only. the next hour," Barnett said. nating. "It tells them they have to move on McEwen said these seeds are pro­ to greener pastures," said Bill Reed, Metro Sherwood Park's grammed to germinate under catastrophic operations superintendent at the Toronto conditions, and would normally be triggered Islands. old-growth forest by disturbances like fire. Because these cata­ Reed said parks and culture uses the strophic scenarios haven't occurred the seeds pistol mostly during the periods of May and Torontonians usually associate old-growth are germinating in low-light conditions that June with the goal being to discourage the forests with British Columbia, or at the out­ will make it impossible for the trees to sur­ birds from nesting. Birds that nest and suc­ side, Temagami and Bob Rae chained to a vive. A pilot restoration project is starting cessfully raise their young will return to that white pine. this spring. location the following year. Their young will Urbanites might be surprised to dis-

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page 7 design teams, and a total of 67 completed entries. Memorial garden full of life "We were thrilled with the interest. In part it was a testament to the strength of Alex ' s work," said Lorraine Johnson, chair of the Alex Wilson's legacy of renewal will be captured in living colour Alex Wilson Community Project. "He was well-known, respected with the construction of a community garden in memory of the well­ and loved in the landscape community," she said. loved urban activist. Ultimately the Kent Ford group was best able to translate the After three years of tireless work by Wilson's friends, col­ goals for the garden into something do-able. "Their's was a simple, leagues, and neighbours, the Alex Wilson Community Project took a elegant solution," Johnson said. major step toward completion with the announcement recently of a The garden, as Kent Ford sees it, is a "literal translation" of winning design for the garden located at 552 Richmond Street West. the design competition requirements, that will take visitors on a The winning design by the Kent Ford Design Group is a pas­ whirlwind tour of three different bioregions from to tiche of Wi lson' slife's work that harmonizes his passionate beliefs in Muskoka - lakeshore, farmland, and wilderness. communal gardening and restoration landscaping to capture the gen­ Pavings the colour of water and dune grasses will greet peo­ erosity of spirit of Wilson's work as a prominent urban ecologist and ple at the garden's entrance. A raised boardwalk will lead people member of Toronto's gay community. through the garden, and also separates the food-growing plots to the "He was an activist in urban restoration. He was an incredi­ east and an agricultural hedgerow to the west. The boardwalk ends at bly beautiful and brilliant man," said Lori Spring, a friend. "The fact a woodland landscape of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. The that he was out there planting grounded what he did in a wonderful garden will be wheelchair accessible. way," Spring said. Construction of the garden is scheduled for the spring with a Wilson, a professional landscaper, worked hard to promote grand opening planned for the fall. Land for the garden is being the practical application of his philosophy that the earth could and donated by Dianne Croteau and Richard Brault. The garden will be should be healed in two ways: through social ecology movements like publicly owned and maintained by the city of Toronto which is also community gardening that reconnect people with the land; and contributing $80,000 toward construction costs. through the ecological restoration movement which looks to repair The '90s have proven that the community gardening move­ the landscape by recreating sustainable native ecosystems. ment really packs a punch. Wilson played no small role in that. The The inextricable relationship between land and culture were Stafford Street Community Garden, the first of its kind in Toronto, themes he would plumb in his book The Culture of Nature, and in was started by Wilson and his partner Stephen Andrews, in the late Restoring the Earth, a two-part series he wrote for the CBC radio '80s. / show Ideas. The Alex Wilson Community Project is hosting a free exhi­ He died of an Aids-related illness on Oct. 26. He was 40. bition at the Design Exchange (234 Bay St.), May 26 to July 13. Three years after his death, the spirit of Wilson' s work still - Gigi Suhanic has the ability to move. The design competition attracted over 140

Citizens' to Parks and Metro Toroflto hority. / Tour Co/borne Lodge for pay-what-you-can admission. Outdoor activities are -FREE! EARTH DA Y -kiCkS off the -programming season at Colborne Lodge. Open Tuesday - Sunday 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m. Enjoy special theme programming each weekend! Watch for special walking tours aI/ season longl

COLBORNE LODGE Heritage is located at the south Toronto end of High Park gThe new Toron/D H_aJ Bo.Id (416) 392-6916 down on the number pad, like it's a trampoline. I could spend hours In the park when it's dark watching them, and often do. Where the hell was I? Oh yeah. The mice ... ) might have responded, had they not been so busy, with The sun-dappled clarity of a spring day makes High Park seem a incredulity: warm and welcoming place. And it is. "Ken, it's three o'clock in the morning. You can't go jog­ Toddlers cavort under the watchful eyes of protective par­ ging in High Park," the mice might have said if they weren't just ents, old men in suit pants and fedoras feed their nuts to hyperactive glued to that darned Abmaster infomercial. "Who'll leave stale pizza grey squirrels, joggers jog, cyclists cycle, young lovers gambol, and I, crusts on the floor for us to gnash on if you get bashed on the head who watch all this with bemused detachment, obviously have way too with an iron bar, or stabbed in the ribs with a home-made shiv fash­ much time on my hands. ioned out of a metal bed slat?" Watching all this cavorting, jogging, cycling and gambolling Where the mice would get such detailed knowledge of put me of a mind to get off my ever-expanding duff and do some weapons normally used in prison is perhaps fodder for a future col­ exercise. Well, not immediately. Immediately it put me of a mind to umn (I doubt it - Ed.) but my rodents' unspoken ministrations were go home and take a good long nap. not my concern at the moment. I was going for a run. But when I woke up, I said to my roommates - 60,000 The park at night is an ominous and threatening creature. If cockroaches and a herd of mice all called Ralph - "It's time I got off the day-time park is a cuddly teddy bear, the night-time park is a my duff and do some exercise, I think I'll go for a run in High Park." sleeping grizzly. The roaches were too busy rearranging the fumiture to give I began my jog (stroll, run, dash for my life) at the park's my comments their full attention. Maybe they'll leave me a note on north end. A new moon hung like a knife edge over my shoulder and the subject later, I thought as I pulled on an antique pair of Adidas. pierced the shroud-like fog. A disconsolate duck quacked at the sound Perhaps the note would be a heart-warming expression of concern of my passing footfalls, but his heart wasn't in it. Branches reached over this sudden change of attitude regarding my own health and skyward like dead men's fingers. Gnarled Norway maples loomed at well-being. But I doubted it. Usually, their notes are more related to me from the darkness. "Yah, I could haf been in the Vizard of Oz" the mundane necessities of domestic life, as in: "Ken, Rogers cut off the maples said with their Scandinavian accents, "but the your cable again. The Roaches." Or, "Ken, we drank all your beer casti~g director thought I vas too menacing." again. (Urp.) The Roaches." "Hi guys. I'm home from my run in the park, and I didn't get The mice (all called Ralph), tend to be more sensitive to the mugged,or accosted, or stabbed in the ribs with a home-made shiv follies of their lord and master. Also, because a sense of self-preser­ fashioned out of a metal bed slat, or anyth-Ing." Silent pause. "Isn't vation is more developed among the higher orders, they are also sen­ that great?' sitive to where their next meal is coming from. The mice, if they had­ "Urp," the roaches said. n't been so busy changing channels on the remote control (It's actual­ - Ken Winla w ly kinda cute how they do this - three or four of them point the remote in the direction of the TV set, while another one hops up and The Black Oak Cafe in High Park (south ofBloor) • Opening in May. Relax on our patio under the shade ofHigh ParkJs beautiful oak trees & sample from our new menu

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page 9 Boating pleasures on pond howard TENNIS lasted for three decades Dark fligh Park in flijiol'lj ITENNIS CLUB ANYONE? by Joan milej Local legend has it that the British Grenadier soldiers met an untimely • 7 Newly-surfaced Outdoor Courts death by drowing in "bottomless" Grenadier Pond. That hasn' t • No Court Fees stopped eager boaters and anglers from their pursuits in High Park. • Clubhouse with showers, change Residents living on the west shore of Grenadier Pond had room and locker rentals and have boating rights on its waters. This opportunity was extended • Convenient Court Booking: to the general public on June 20, 1958 with the granting of 10-year 45 minute rotation, playas much boathouse concession lease to William Streeter on a site as you want just west of the base of the • Social events include BBQs, Round Robins, rock gardens on the east Tournaments, Cycle & Golf Days shore of the pond. The con­ • Private, Semi-private, and Group Lessons cessionaire was required to with Club Pro build and maintain the boathouse at his own • Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced expense and to pay business ~ Organized House Leagues, Club and realty taxes and $600 ~ Ladder yearly to the city of Grenadier Pond's boathouse was torn ~ Toronto. down in 1989. c: • Junior Lessons, Mon-Thurs 4-6 pm E The Victoria Day c: c weekend was the opening of the season in ~l.Jbsequent years, and row- c boats were rented out every day through the summer. The concession : Howard Park Tennis Club 769·5600 remained open on weekends after Labour Day, through the fall sea- ~ South of Bloor Street on Parkside Drive son. 8 Stepehen and Mary Kroshko took over the operation in E Open Mon-Fri 5pm-11pm , Sat-Sun & Holidays 10am-11pm c 1963. Two addition were made to the boasthouse during the 1960s. ~ On June 25, 197 I Robert Muran took over as opera­ tor and call ed the concession Grenadier Boats. He LaPemaChi · sought and received city approval to erect a ticket booth beside the boathouse. His request alluded to the mayhem wh ich could be averted: "In the interest of safety - for Good people ... standing on the loading deck whi le other people At La Perna, we are disembarking boats with fishing tackle and hooks dingling about, very often very close to their faces and budget needs of faces of children standing and waiting for boats; fo r the little people playing near the edge of the deck whi le We invite you to comparison boats full of people are arriving and may crush some lit­ shop tle hand between deck and the boat; for people being and as an added bonus mention pushed into the water by other people waiting in line." this ad to receive an additional The boathouse was demoli shed in 1989. 10 % off our Good Prices, Every Day Savings: Colimacon Cotton Sleepers high park lawn bowling Buy one and get the second of equal value for 1/2 price

Kooshies Cloth Diapers 5-Pack Special: $45 Also featuring: • Baby Trekker Carriers • Baby Paws • Baby's Own Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6 295 Roncesvalles Avenue (416) 533-1216 phone 463-5870 or 769-3127 page 10 Wetland glory days return

On Grenadier Residential Design/Build Pond is a new Gren Co-operative Housing regular feature to keep people Ravine Rehabilitation up to date on Ecological Restoration efforts to restore the pond to health. Community Landscapes Commercial Landscapes Once a glorious wetland with ex pansi ve grass marshes, Grenadier Pond lost its soul when city government of the 1950s turned its back on nature, tearing out the wetland and filling the pond edges with cement. Everyone has experienced a major attitude adjustment where the environment is concerned. Work has been ongoing for the past four years to restore the pond to some semblance of its former self. Wetland restoration projects dotting the pond's edge represent the David Orsini M. Land. Arch. bulk of that work. Landscape Design Another project that is much less visible but no less important has been operating quietly since last fall. Toronto's parks and recre­ Environmental Planning ation department has installed a new device in the pond that raises and lowers its water level. T (416) 604-4188 ) Water fluctuations only natural F (416) 604-4465 A natural pond experiences seasonal water fluctuations that have important consequences for the organisms living there. In the case of Grenadier Pond, in its virgin state it was separated from Lake Ontario by no more than a sandbar, so its water levels would have HUMBERSIDE mimicked those of the lake. MONTESSORI SCHOOL In recent years a weir structure has kept water levels constant 1 CLENDENAN AVE. in the pond. That was replaced last fall with a stop log that now allows the levels to fluctuate within a one-metre margin. There are lots of reasons why this is beneficial to Grenadier Pond. Two important results Christine Tu is a biologist with Gartner Lee, pond consultants to the city of Toronto. Tu said there are two important results that are being looked for. INVITES PARENTS TO REGISTER THEIR During the spring cycle, the level will rise a half metre, flooding the restored wetland areas. Tu said Gartner Lee is hoping CHILDREN FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR these new conditions will spawn an increase in the pond's pike popu­ STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 1997 lation. Pike like to lay their eggs in the nearshore grasses of flooded • Primary level: ages 21/2 to 6 years old wetlands. Grenadier Pond was once a pike pond with the carnivorous • Elementary level: ages 6 to 9 years old fish playing a major role in keeping the pond balanced. Loss of • AMI certified teachers spawning habitat decreased their numbers to almost zero. • Before and after school programs The other important aspect Tu said is the "drawdown" cycle • Home school bus pick-up and delivery: in the summer when the level drops. Tu said this will allow the areas door-to-door service that were once flooded to become exposed and dry out, resulting in wetland plant germination. There are many species of wetland plants sa For further information, that require a flood/draught cycle to grow. Right now most of the wet­ ~ application form land species growing abundantly in the pond, like cattail, favour the A~ special place for your and appointment flooded conditions of the past. children to learn, grow, and be happy. please call: 762-8888

page 11 NammiWs- nots~Oiih Lupines part of butterfly puzzle depot drops. Recycle renovation I ECONOTES materials, 392-7742/510-2'223, High Park's greenhouses are one piece of an intricate puzzle - that diapers, 1-800--KNO-Waste. when completed will hopefully bring back to Ontario the endangered CELEBRATE EARTH DAY at High DAVID MILLER'S ANNUAL Karner Blue Butterfly. Park, April 27. We'll be there ENVIRONMENT DAY, High Park. The Metro Zoo has been worki ng on a plan for the past six with free, helpful material to Aplil 26. Pick-up green tips and years to re-establish the butterfly in southern Ontario. The green­ encourage your efforts at making drop off household toxic waste, house's native plant propagation program is the zoo's source for wild your homes and Bloor West old books, etc. Collect free com­ blue lupines, the butterfly'S only food. community a healthier place to post (come early) 10-2 p.m. The Karner Blue Butterfly is native to Ontario where it was live. HEALTHY HOUSING: Learn more last seen in 1991. According to scientists it disappeared from the BASEMENT FLOODING with about this subject and enjoy a region due to a loss of woodland habitat and wi ld blue lupines. Small spring rain? Want to keep our free visit to CMHC's Healthy populations of the butterfly can be fo und in the U.S. in New York lake and beaches cleaner? House In Riverdale. Call State and Wisconsin. Downspout disconnections often (416)218-3343. This growing season the greenhouses will be providing the help both issues. Call you munic­ GREEN TOILET rebates and home zoo with a small number of plants for experiments with live butter­ ipality about their free program. audits. Call GreenSaver. 461- flies. Within the next few years the number should grow to the 100s, SPRING CLEANING TIPS: Have 9670. said Arthur Beauregard, supervisor of greenhouse production. fun and make money with a FREE FRONT YARD TREE: Increase property value and save Lupines grow naturall y in High Park and greenhouse staff street garage sale. Donate clothes or furniture to a local church on energy bills. City of Toronto, have learned to germinate the seed and re-introduce the plants in High 392-7281. Park as part of the oak woodlands project. bazaar, favourite charity or com­ HOT GREEN WEB SITE. Metro Zoo staff said they are at the stage in their experi­ munity shelter. For more ideas Evergreen Foundation: http://www.evergreen.ca. ments where they will be asking the U.S. government to allow them call TRAC, 392-7850. Dispose EcoNotes is a commullity service from to bringl3 of toxic household wastes call Pollution Solutions. 489-8855, or the Bloor West Eco-\lilIa~e. Contact /IS some Karner Blues to Canada. c/o Swallsea Towll Hall, 95 La vinia Metro Works, 392-4330 for For the past six years the zoo has been conducting its testing Avenue. box 107. Torolllo 011 M6S 3H9 .

.... Wild Geraniums carpet parts of High Park for a few weeks in June. Help preserve habitat for these delicate native flowers. Phone the High Park Volunteer Hotline at 392-7276, ext. 301

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We humans live, as the ancient curse has it, in "interesting" times. But don't think that other species get off scot-free - it's a jungle out there for them, too. Particularly, say the experts, in those parts of In memory High Park they're trying to restore to their glory days as authentic oak savannahs. It seems that nasty plant-type home invaders have been growing (dare I say li ke weeds?) everywhere they can find a toe-hold (root-hold ?) and choking out the rare and beauteous native species. What to do, what to do? of the one They' ve tried hand-weeding the vegetative villains and growing seedlings of the local lovelies in park greenhouses for trans­ planting to the sites. Both methods, with the help of citizen vo lun­ teers, show promise. Now they're about to try fire. FIRE? you love. As the parks folks are finding out, short of taking off their knickers and wearing them as bonnets, there's not much they could have done in the park that would have attracted more attention than de liberately setting fires. People are talking. Reporters are phoning. Cardinal funeral Homes has Faxes are fax ing. Rumours are spreading like, oh, say, wildfi re. After joined with Toronto Parks and all , everyone has seen the forest fire scene in "Bambi" at least once. Forty-seven times if they have children and a Recreation by sponsoring the VCR (u nless, like me, they fast-forward the scary parts). Well, we can all relax. That's not the sort of fire involved, planting of trees in parks and according to Toronto Parks and Recreation spokesperson throughout the city. We do this Carol Walker Gayle. In fact, it's not even close. Gayle, an urban forest planner (no park because we care about our ranger jokes, please, she's heard them all, twice) says that if people are expecting drama, they're going to be disappoint­ community and protecting the ed. It seems the plots to be burned amount to less than an acre total - about the same as a couple of city lots in a ritzy environment. neighbourhood. And the stuff they' re burning is mostly dried out grass and weeds, with a few shrubs for variety. In short, there's not much, it burns fast, and as for spectacular, But more importantly, we do this it isn' t. It should take about a half-hour per plot, says Gayle. If you're still feeling nervous, she says, to honor you - the families we consider that the burn is being conducted by an experienced team from the Ministry of Natural Resources - "these are serve. To the guys who actually fight forest fires in ". symbolize the And there' ll be a Toronto Fire Department crew and pumper on hand, just in case. preserva tion As for the local flora and fauna, she's con­ fident they're not in danger. The oaks themselves have very of your loved thick bark and the fire's relatively cool and quick, so they one's won't be damaged. Ambulatory wildlife should be okay too. Mid­ March to mid-April (the "window of opportunity" for burning) is too memory earl y for bird nests, she says, and Chip and Dale and their furry friends will make themselves scarce when all the activity starts. through the Ah, but wait - for those who are seeking excitement involv­ ing wildlife and high temperatures, all is not lost. A multi-municipal­ growth of ity goose committee has been formed to look for soluti ons to the new life. overpopulation problem. Thinking to kill as many birds as possible with one stone, they suggest culling the flock and donating the resulting harvest to local food banks. Tempting as is the thought, we suspect this sol ution wi ll not fly. The best argument against it has to be compassion - for the food­ bank users. Who knows where those geese have been? And what C~!I~ they've eaten. Only one thing's for certain - the feathered porkers are so overfed, their cholesterol content must be sky-high. It's hard 92 Annette Street enough being down on your luck without being expected to dine on something that not only tastes bad, but is also bad for you. Honk if 762.. 8141 you think this is one of the most feather-brained schemes you've heard in a long time.

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