Th e walk begins at the east above which are located several end of the parking lot at industries. Aft er much discussion the north end of E.T. Seton Park. and public consultation, it was Ernest Th ompson Seton (1860-1946) decided that the best action was was an international know author, to divert this short section of the naturalists, conservationist, youth West to reduce erosion leader and lecturer of which much problems in the future. Note that of his life and work focused in the a lot of shrubs and trees have been FORKS OF THE DON Don watershed. Th ere are two paths planted aft er construction work was heading east. Take the path to your completed. Th is walk begins along the West Don River, crosses to the East Don right that goes over a concrete bridge. and then past the Forks of the Don where the two tributaries unite From the bridge, watch the fl ow of Cross a low bridge with a the West Don River. Th e height of wooden fl oor and metal to form the Lower Don River. Th is section of the Don Valley, once the water and its rate of fl ow vary railings. Th e water fl owing beneath it heavily industrialized, now struggles to regain a natural state, oft en with the weather in the past few days. is the West Don River following its hampered by fl ood damage from heavy storms. Th e water will be higher and fl owing new diverted pathway. faster aft er a signifi cant wet weather event. It will also look muddy from Note the name on the sign Public Transit: Getting there; By TTC: Take bus 51, 54, 56 or 100 the disturbed sediment. Th e plants “Lung Cancer Canada Grove”. along Eglinton Ave. E. Get off at the stop at Leslie Street. On the south on both sides of the trail are mainly It almost makes it sound as if we are side of Eglinton Ave. E., take the set of stairs down into a parking lot. Th is invasive species. Th e two most honouring lung cancer. Of course, walk begins at the far (east) end of this parking lot. common ones are Garlic Mustard the sign really means that trees here Getting home; A 10-minute walk east up Pottery Road leads to Broadview and Dog-strangling Vine. Th e former are honouring victims and survivors has stalks with white fl owers in the of this terrible disease. Avenue from where you can take any TTC bus south to the Broadview spring. Th e latter grows into long subway station. vines with tiny maroon fl owers later Th ere’s a large area of mowed in the summer. In the fall you will see grass. Mowed grass is what the Parking: Drive into the fi rst entrance into the park system on the plenty of Goldenrod. Th ere are many public desires because it looks neat west side of Leslie Street just north of Eglinton Avenue. Th e sign says species of Goldenrod and all are and tidy and is wanted for picnics. ‘Wilket Creek and Sunnybrook Parks’. No matter how the road twists and native. In spite of what many people Others see the mowed area as a turns, always keep to your left . You will drive under Eglinton Avenue West think, no species of Goldenrod causes missed opportunity to carry out and enter a parking lot. Th is walk begins at the far (east) end of this parking any form of allergies. Th eir pollen is some forest restoration work. On the lot. Th ere is also a parking lot at the rear of the Park very heavy and sticky and attracts right, you will see a clump of across Pottery Road from the end point of the walk. many insects, including bees. Pollen evergreen trees. Th ey are native must be windborne to cause allergies. White Spruce. During the summer, Level of Difficulty: Relatively easy but note the following: Th e trail Examples include Ragweed, Oak look among the branches of these surface varies from pavement to some compacted soil and there are trees and many types of grasses. trees and see many vines with dark also steps/ramps where the trail is not stroller-friendly. Th is walk follows a green leaves and maybe also pale, multi-use trail. Watch for cyclists. Continue walking over a greenish yellow pods. Later in the second concrete bridge. Th is summer and fall, these pods may be Approximate Time: Th ree hours. location indicates the original path beige and might be seen releasing followed by the River. To the right, seeds with fl uff y attachments. Th is B erosion was undercutting the land A Distance: 6.0 kilometres Current as of November 2010 — 1 — plant is Dog-strangling Vine (DSV) Along the trail, you will notice archery range to see if anyone is that can cause signifi cant burning and is a very invasive perennial. plants that have very large practicing his or her skills. Do not sensations when it touches skin. Stay During the winter and early spring, if green leaves. Th is plant is Common enter the fenced area. out of this area and away from the you look among the trees’ branches, or Giant Burdock. It is sometimes railway line. you will see very thin beige threads. referred to as wild rhubarb but is Walk under the hydroelectric Th ese are last year’s dead vines. In the not related to it. Common Burdock lines. Th ere is another brown As you pass under Don spring, new vines sprout from the soil produces only rosettes of these fence on your right. On your left is Mills Road, follow the old, narrow, and climb higher and higher using large leaves in its fi rst year. In the a tree with four trunks and another wooden ramp upwards. Between the last year’s dead vines as ‘ladders’. second year, the plant produces one near it with two trunks. Th ese trees ramp and the railway tracks, there of more tall, branched stalks that plus others in this same grove of trees is more Phragmites - the tall plant To your left , past the White will have spiny green orbs topped are Crack Willows, a common non- with feathery plumes at the top. You Spruces, note a low brown with tiny purple fl owers. When the native species of willow planted years will also notice long vines that have building with a lot of glass. Th is fl owers die, the spiny spheres turn ago along many rivers throughout climbed quite high into the trees structure is the lowest level of the brown and grab onto any clothing southern . and shrubs. Th ese vines belong to Ontario Science Centre. or fur that touch them. Each of these Dog-strangling Vine (DSV). Th e burrs contains many seeds that are Once you are past the reason the lower tree/shrub branches Look at the slope on the far dispersed when the burrs are torn hydroelectric wires, you will are dead is because the DSV has not side of the River, note an off the clothing or fur and discarded. note a large expansive bridge ahead allowed enough light to reach the abundance of Phragmites, a tall plant Common Burdock only lives for carrying traffi c over the valley on lower leaves of the trees/shrubs. Some with thin leaves and a brownish two years but its abundant seeds Overlea Boulevard. Th ere is a small, of these trees and shrubs are also plume of fl owers and/or seeds. Th ese with their very effi cient dispersal covered picnic shelter. Th ere is also covered in Wild Grape, another vine plants extend a considerable distance mechanism ensure a future fi lled a drinking fountain and washrooms that can cause serious damage to the up the slope. Th e position of these with more and more of these plants. but these operate only seasonally plants on which it grows. plants indicates lots of available (usually June 1 – September 1). water. In the winter, you might be Note the rather old, brown, At the top of the ramp, there able to see a frozen ice-layer directly painted fence on the right. On You will reach a parking are a few wooden stairs to the left that on the slope to confi rm the presence the right, past the end of the painted lot. Stay on the paved path eventually lead to Don Mills Road of ground water discharge or seepage fence, there is a good example of a as it goes through the centre of the and TTC. Take the bridge to your from the slope. snag. Snags are dead trees that oft en parking lot. Th ere are a few picnic right, Bike Route 45 south over the remain standing for years. Snags are tables in this area. Just past another railway tracks. Th e other road with You will come to a fork in a valuable component of any natural parking lot. A sign indicates Bike the heavy traffi c is the Don Valley the trail. Take the trail to the ecosystem. Th ey provide shelter Route 45 south and a wayfi nding Parkway. right. (Taking the left path, you will and/or lookouts for a wide variety sign that mentions Taylor Creek and exit the Valley and reach Don Mills of critters. Many animals also fi nd Victoria Station. Both signs point to Th e walk continues southward Road with access to TTC buses) Note food in the cavities or under any a small paved road to the left . Follow on the opposite side of the railway the life-saving post on your right. remaining bark. this small paved path that will take tracks. If you notice stalks with It should have an orange ring and a you away from the West Don River. small purple fl owers, it is Purple long hook. Th is equipment sign is a On your left , but not usually Loosestrife. People used to think reminder of the dangers during heavy visible, is an archery range. Between the path and a that it was a very nasty invasive, but rain or sudden snow melting when Just past the painted fence, you will heavily-used railway line, there studies have now shown that it really the water level rises quickly and the see a small mowed grass path to is a lot of Stinging Nettle, a plant does not ‘take over’ an area as once rate of fl ow increases drastically. your left . If you’re interested, follow this mowed path to the large, fenced — 2 — thought. At the south end of a small with it – hence the name ‘Forks of the without a fl ower stalk. You may also another hydroelectric line. Th e bridge parking lot, note the bronze plaque Don’ – to form the Lower Don River see tall brown stalks bearing only ahead is the Millwood Bridge. Note on a rock to your right about the from here to Lake Ontario. (Just the seed pods from previous years. how the was Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve north of the Forks, Taylor Massey Teasel has a tall stalk with a prickly- installed halfway up the slope rather and the map showing the very Creek joins the East Don River.) looking globe with a ring of pale, than at the bottom of the Valley. elongated shape of this special area. purple fl owers. Th e prickly structures When trees die in natural areas, they Along both sides of the trail turn brown and remain for years. are usually left standing or lying Th e rounded, concrete bridge are many Staghorn Sumacs. Th eir Late summer is when you will see the where they fall unless they pose a passes over the East Don River. young branches and leaf buds are biggest variety of wildfl owers. Th ere hazard to trail users. When standing, Straight ahead you will see the covered with a fi ne ‘fuzz’ much also may be sightings of Groundhogs, these ‘snags’ provide shelter and food elevated wetlands. Take the path to like the horns of young deer. Each Beaver, Red Fox, Raccoons, Coyotes for a variety of wildlife. When they your right (Bike Route 45 south). bright green leaf has many small and White-tailed Deer. Th e ducks fall they provide the same amenities Read the sign describing the original leafl ets. Th is native plant turns a you see will usually be Mallards. Th e to a diff erent group of organisms. purpose of these structures. Solar- vivid red in the fall and adds a lot most common large bird seen above Ultimately, when they decompose, powered pumps lift water from the of colour to the Don Valley. Th ere this part of the Don Valley, is the they add nutrients to the soil. Don River into the structures. Th e is also a lot of Virginia Creeper and Red-tailed Hawk. Closer to the bridge, the open area water then cascades down into a Dog-strangling Vine in this area. seems to present an opportunity for small wetland at ground level and What may appear to be mounds Look along the far bank of restoration work but possibilities are ultimately returns to the River. of lush green vegetation are oft en the river and note the large limited because of the hydro lines. Within the structures, native wetland small shrubs completely covered and number of trees that seem to have a plant species were originally planted killed by these two vines. Virginia major portion of their roots exposed. Th e trail curves and has a lot of in a substrate of shredded plastic and Creeper is a native plant but it can be Th ey did not grow that way. Th ose vegetation on both sides. Look tires, instead of soil. Over the years, invasive in certain circumstances. It’s roots used to be covered with soil but to your right, across the Lower Don as plants have died at the end of their particularly good in an area where rising water levels in the Don River River, and see a fence and mowed life cycles, a signifi cant amount of very little plant life can survive. and excessive slope runoff has eroded grass surrounding the North decayed material has built up within the soil away from the roots. With Sewage Treatment Plant. You may the structures. Th is project has been When fast, fl owing water less soil to anchor their roots, these not actually see the building. Note plagued with a series of problems passes a curve in a river, it erodes trees succumb to heavy winds and the paved road coming down the far including failure of the pumps and the bank on the outside of a curve topple into the River. Along that far slope toward the River to the left of invasive species replacing the native while depositing silt on the inside of bank, you may also see small shrubs the facility. species originally planted. Th e City the curve. Th is action illustrates how and tall grasses lying down with their has hired a company to remedy the rivers migrate naturally. In an urban tops pointed downstream, the result is the problems and provide on-going setting, such river migration causes of a recent heavy rain that caused a wooded area to the left of this maintenance of both the mechanical a variety of problems. Between a low rise in the water level and increase facility. It extends also behind and parts and the wetland communities metal rail fence and the river, and in the speed of the water. Watch out to the right of the facility. Crothers living within the structures. also in the left side of the trail, large for locations where the trail you are Woods contains many mature trees pieces of natural stone have been following has washed out. including Black Walnut, Red and Follow the wooden ramp installed to reduce erosion. Many White Oaks, Butternut, Hickory, upwards aft er you’ve passed under types of plants grow along this trail. Th e trail now moves slightly American Beech and Sugar Maple Don Mills Road again. Directly Common Mullein has tall stalks with away from the River. Th ere and is one of Ontario’s most beside you is the East Don River. pale yellow fl owers and very fuzzy are trees now between the trail and northerly and easterly pockets Look to your right along the far bank leaves at ground level. Sometimes the River plus lots of diff erent kinds of Carolinian Forest. A trail to see the West Don River merging there is a rosette of large fuzzy leaves of fl owers. Th e trail now goes under management plan has been prepared — 3 — by the City of Toronto to help protect Further along on the right, the trees and understorey from you can observe the railway Trail Users’ Guide various forms of overuse by walkers, tracks crossing the River. Th e trail is • Users of these trail guides are responsible for their own cyclists and dogs. Implementation of now directly beside the Lower Don safety and well being. this plan was about 50% complete River. Just past hydro post #204 look • Cyclists: Yield to pedestrians. by 2010. into the water and see a weir creating • Walkers: Be aware of cyclists. a small waterfall. Th is structure • Walk with others. Stop to read the information is made of cement and there are • Keep your children in sight at all times. on the sign that is facing away pieces of metal overhanging the lip • Wear clothing to suit the weather and protect against insects. from the trail and then continue of the weir to prevent Sea Lampreys • Wear footwear for hard pavement, loose or broken surfaces walking straight ahead. A lot of the from migrating into the watershed. and bare earth. trees in this somewhat open area are Because fi sh have diffi culty getting • Carry drinking water. Trembling Aspens. Even the slightest over a high weir, an extended rocky • Protect against sun with dark glasses, hat and sunscreen. breeze makes the leaves ‘tremble’. At ramp has been created on the • Stay on the trails or mown areas; do not leave them the next trail intersection, continue downstream side of the weir. As a at any time. walking straight ahead. Th e area to result, the water gets more and more • Keep your dog on a leash. the right across the railway tracks shallow as the fi sh swim upstream • Stoop and scoop after your dog. and behind some trees/shrubs is very and approach the weir and they have • Do not pick or damage any vegetation. fl at and has been used for years as a no trouble getting over the weir. • Beware of Poison Ivy: “Leaflets of three, let it be.” City snow dump. In spite of the large • Do not feed the wildlife. snowfall in 2007, it was not used When you reach Pottery Road, • Do not light fires. and in 2009, the area was completely go out the little path to the • Leave nothing behind. removed from the list of snow dump right. Be very careful! Directly across • Washrooms operate seasonally. areas. Th e Task Force to Bring Back from this little path is an opening in • All walks involve stairs and slopes. the Don and the City are preparing one side of a double concrete barrier. • Trails are not lit or cleared of ice and snow. plans for the restoration of this area Cross one lane of traffi c, coming from • Avoid the trails during and after a significant storm; water levels can rise suddenly. with several interesting features. Note your left , to the space between the • Cross roads only at intersections, lights or crosswalks. that this area lies between the railway concrete barriers. Walk to your left line and the Lower Don River. and fi nd the end of the second barrier allowing you to cross the second lane For more walks in the Don River watershed, visit www.trca.on.ca/walkthedon Th e wooden rail fence on of traffi c, coming from your right. your left separates a restored Follow Pottery Road to your left but wetland from the trail. Stop and read walk behind the guardrail if you can. the sign about Beechwood Wetland. Th e initial work to create ponds Turn right into the entrance and remove invasives was done by of Todmorden Mills Park and machines, but then volunteers took fi nd the parking lot at the rear of this over to plant a huge variety of native property or walk up Pottery Road to species. Th ey continue to work to reach Broadview Avenue to get a bus keep invasive species from once again to Broadview subway station. www.trca.on.ca taking over the area.

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