Want to keep High Park 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) "Toronto 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 Ontario ........ .. 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 BLOOR STREET 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 Keele Street 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 Victoria Day 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 Colborne Lodge 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.