1 Park 2 Natural Heritage Tour 7 6

Connect with ’s urban wilderness 3 and explore the unique history of this 5 park –its transformation from a military base to a green space that is home to urban agriculture and environmental stewardship programs. Learn about the park’s natural characteristics and how they represent diverse landscapes, such 4 as the rare tallgrass prairie. Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Start Point: 70 Canuck Avenue End Point: 70 Canuck Avenue Pg. 1 Stop #1

(a) What is Downsview Park?

Downsview Park is a 291 acre parkland that integrates a mix of forests, ponds, trails, active and passive play areas, sports fields, gardens and related uses. The Park is home and often hosts various active uses year-round. Tenants located in the business sector of the site add various amenities with diverse programs, activities and services. Indoor and outdoor third- party events held in various locations in Downsview Park draw tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Downsview Park in 2012 Downsview Park Natural Heritage Tour Heritage Natural Park Downsview Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Masters Indigenous Games held at Downsview Park in 2018 Pg. 2 Stop #1

(b) Downsview Park and the Downsview Lands When the Government of announced the closure of the former Toronto in December of 1995, the site transitioned into two distinct parcels: the Downsview Lands and Downsview Park, both overseen by . Downsview Park is the 291-acre parkland component of the site, completely separate from any development undertaken in the Downsview Lands. Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

A map showing Downsview Park and the Downsview Lands (shaded with lines). (2019)

Pg. 3 Stop #1 (c) Early Days of Downsview Park

In 1994-1995, the federal government decommissioned the Canadian Forces Base Toronto and announced that the land would be set aside for development, recreational and broader public uses rather than be sold as other bases were. CFB Toronto formally closed on April 1, 1996. Parc Downsview Park Inc. was established in 1999 to build and operate Downsview Park yet it wasn’t until administrative control over the land was transferred to the Park in 2006 that significant steps could be initiated for the development of Downsview Park. The Park will continue to evolve over time as Canada Lands Company strives towards fulfilling its mandate of reintegrating this former military property into the fabric of City of Toronto.

Tree planting at Downsview Park 2008 Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

A aerial view of park construction 2009 Pg. 4 Stop #2

Tree Planting Efforts

Downsview Park has worked with school and community groups to plant over 125,000 trees as part of ongoing naturalization efforts. These trees can be viewed as an investment in our shared natural heritage, an act for future generation.

This area was one of the Park’s first to be re-naturalized. One thousand native trees were planted including: white Spruce, American elm, Silver Maple, Bur Oak, White Ash, Black Walnut, Trembling Aspen, and iron wood as well as Grey Dog wood ,

Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview Fragrant Sumac, chokecherry, serviceberry, and staghorn sumac

A north facing before and after view of a 2001 tree planting site at Downsview Park. Pg. 5 Stop #3

(a) Land Moved by Ice

Downsview has a combination of silty clad and clay soils that tends to be heavy in texture and poorly drained.

Much of Downsview’s soil is made up of a glacial till deposit that is part of the larger Halton till sheet from the Wisconsin glacial stage. The Wisconsin Glaciation is the most recent glaciation in the Toronto region. It began 100,000 years ago, burying the region below the Laurnentide Ice Sheet, and ended approximately 10,000 years ago. Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Above: Soil work at Downsview Park in 2008. Right: an aerial view of Downsview in 1969

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(b) Human Connections to Soil

During the 20th century a number of buildings and roads were constructed to support Downsview’s expanding aerospace and military industries. These buildings resulted in significant soil compaction, limiting how much water and oxygen could penetrate the ground. The forest that surrounds us now used to be the location of a paved running track and turf field.

Much of the Downsview site was maintained with short cut grass during the military years. The Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview short vegetation allowed frost to This mid 2000s photo shows what the site looked like before tree planting efforts took place. penetrate deeper into the ground, Celebrating soil during a mud negatively impacting the diversity themed park program of microbes that live within 2018 Downsview’s soil.

Pg. 7 Stop #3 (c) Downsview Soil Today Some ecological studies have described Downsview’s soil as “denser than concrete”.

One study estimates that it would take 10,000 years for water to infiltrate a 10 metre unfractured layer of soil at Downsview Park. Some of the first park improvements at Downsview Park such as; planting of shrubs and trees and the re-establishment of native grasses, are slowly resulting Soil preparation work at in improved soil. Downsview Park Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Tree Planting at Downsview Park 2001

Pg. 8 Stop #4 Bioswales

During the military period much of the water on this site was moved into pipes as quickly as possible. Downsview Park has worked to replace many of these pipes with a network of Bioswales: low areas of land that collect and channel water.

The water that collects in Downsview’s bioswales are cleaned by natural materials like plants, rocks and soil. These materials also slow water which can help to reduce flooding in the Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview Downsview neighbourhood.

Park visitors exploring a bioswale during an education program 2016

Pg. 9 Stop #4

(b) Storm Water Lake

This 9-acre lake is fed by stormwater from the Downsview Lands as well as adjacent military and runway lands. The water is held in the lake for approximately 30 days before it is released into the Downsview Dells via a pipe underneath Keele St. After entering the Dells this water will eventually flow to Lake via and the Humber River.

The storm water lake during construction. 2011 Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

The storm water lake post construction. 2012 Pg. 10 Stop #5

Boake’s Grove

This area of the Park is named after the Boake family, four generations of Boakes farmed on this land until the land was expropriated in 1951 by the Department of Defence. The silver maple, black walnut and locust trees planted by the Boakes are still with

Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview us today.

Locust Lodge was built by the Boakes in 1860. This photo was circa 1896.

Pg. 11 Stop #5

(B) Downsview Pre-European Settlement

A 2001 City of Toronto study describes pre-European settlement Toronto as deciduous and mixed forests populated primarily by beech, maple and hemlock.

Rodney Bobiwash, an Indigenous scholar, says that Toronto’s pre- European Natural systems existing in a pristine “undisturbed state” is an illusion. “There is much evidence that when European explorers first penetrated the interior of North America they found broad park-like forest areas. This led to the

Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview mistaken belief that North American forests were proto-forests, or primordial forests. In fact, the park- like forest expanses were carefully managed and cultivated Boake’s Grove in 2017 storehouses for Native people. “

Pg. 12 Stop #5

(C) Indigenous Peoples and Downsview Park

Archaeological evidence does not necessarily reflect the history of Indigenous people as told through oral narratives and Creation Stories but they do help to further establish the point that different groups of Indigenous people have inhabited the Toronto area for at least 11,000 years. It is also important to recognize that indigenous people continue to live in Toronto today.

The lands that now make Downsview Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview Park was at various times part of Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Pre-contact Aboriginal ceramics found at Downsview Park. These ceramics are Mississauga territories. consistent with Downsview’s site affiliation with the Huron – Wendat people ca. 800 - 1650

Pg. 13 Stop #6

(A) Downs “view”

This hill was formed by re-using the soil that was excavated during the construction of the storm water lake.

The term “Downsview” was coined by Caroline Amelia Carpenter in 1843 in recognition of the views created by the elevated topography found in the Downsview area. Caroline Amelia Carpenter was the wife of John Perkins Bull and grandmother of William Perkins Bull (author of From Oxford to Ontario: A History of the Downsview Community). Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Perkins Bull house in 1954

Pg. 14 Stop #7

B) Downsview Park Tallgrass Project

Downsview Park is a proud participant in the Weston Family Parks Challenge that is supporting Tallgrass Ontario’s Downsview Park Tallgrass project.

An estimated 3% of Ontario’s Tallgrass habitat is all that remains of this vanishing ecosystem. By recreating a Tallgrass prairie on 5 acres at Downsview Park, this project will educate local school children and a city-wide Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview audience about the importance of biodiversity and habitat preservation.

Image is from Tallgrass Ontario Pg. 15 Stop #7

(B) Prairie and Fire Prairies rely on fire to exist. Without periodic burns, sun-loving prairie plants are eventually shaded out by trees and shrubs. The remarkable roots of prairie plants extend up to 4 meters into the earth, allowing them to survive and even thrive after a fire disturbance.

Fire was used by Indigenous people to create and maintain prairies or savannahs. The plants in these grassland communities provide food and medicine and created ideal hunting grounds. Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview

Image is from Tallgrass Ontario

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(c) Why bring a prairie to Downsview Park?

Citizen science data from Ebird.org shows that a number of prairie species already visit Downsview Park. These open habitat species are attracted to the broad landscape of Downsview Park and the adjacent runway.

The Downsview Park Tallgrass Project will significantly enrich this open habitat already found at Downsview Park. Bobolink Species Map The blue (historical) and orange (last 30 days) dots show when sightings of bobolinks, a prairie indicator species. The dates of some of the dots indicate how rare it is to see this open habitat species in an urban setting. www.ebird.org (2017) Location Date of Last Bobolink Sighting (as of 2017) 1936

Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview Don Valley Park 1945 2014 (second newest sighting was 1946) Cedervale Park 1948 Lampton Park 1923 Humber River Marsh 1936 1942 Bobolink at Downsview Park Downsview Park 13 sightings since 2013

Pg. 17 Thank you for taking the time to explore Downsview Park’s natural heritage! Please visit www.DownsviewPark.ca to learn more about the park and some of the education and community programs offered at Downsview Park.

The script for this Downsview Park Natural Heritage Tour was researched and written by Downsview Park staff as part of a Heritage Toronto’s Discover Downsview: More than a Park walking tour.

Downsview Park would like to thank Kathryn McLeod for contributing to the discussion of Downsview Park’s heritage through her masters thesis: From Topography to Technology: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Downsview Park’s

Downsview Park Tour Park Heritage Natural Downsview Heritage

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