Featured Park ? French River

Ontario Parks Insider

It’s the sense of history that draws most visitors to the French River Provincial Park. The moment their paddles dip into the same waterway used by the great Voyageurs of the North West Company the imagination runs wild. It’s a feeling of kinship with these great early explorers – not that lightweight Kevlar canoes or streamlined kayaks match or even compare to their 36-foot birchbark canot du maitre - but the prospect of adventure is identical.

The men of the North West Company were made up of an astonishing consortium, known as “pork-eaters,” “coureurs de bois”, “Voyageurs”, “Canadians.” They were the work horse of the north, part of a commercial empire that opened up new routes across the continent and at the same time laid the groundwork for what Canada is today. Take note that on September 11, 2009, this epic chapter in Canada’s history will be brought to life in a major exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization – titled Profit and Ambition. For further details check out www.civilization.ca

If you’re not into paddling the French River, then even a brief visit to the French River Visitor Centre can give you a strong sense of how important this time in Canadian history truly was. And if you’re looking for a place to camp then why not give Grundy Lake Provincial Park a visit and help celebrate its 50th birthday party. A great number of events are being held throughout the camping season to mark the anniversary of not only the protection of 2,500 hectares of lakes and forest, but also one of the best rated family parks in the province.

Nearby & Natural

  • Just an hour up the road from the French River is the City of Greater Sudbury, home of, among other things, Science North and the Big Nickel.
  • The town of Killarney is less than 100 km away and home to some of the best fish and chips along with some great camping at Killarney Provincial Park.

How to - Be Healthy by Nature

Ontario Parks Insider

Most Canadian kids are earning a failing grade on a new report card assessing their levels of daily exercise. Active Healthy Kids, Canada's annual report card on physical activity of children found that 87 per cent of children and youth are not getting the recommended minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day. The report card also found that 90 per cent of Canadian children are spending too much time in front of television, computer and video game screens.

Minimizing screen time is a good first step to a more active lifestyle, but it is not as easy as it sounds. Like most habits, it is best to avoid the temptation by removing yourself from the source of temptation…thus enters Ontario Parks. A visit to an Ontario park not only severs the power cord from the screens (handheld devices might need to be confiscated in advance), it also provides endless opportunities for physical activity.

A great park to unplug in is Arrowhead, located just north of Huntsville. This park boosts over 20 kilometres of scenic trails. Hiking or biking through the maple forests, past waterfalls and beaver dams is the perfect way to get the blood flowing again. Best of all is that there is no need to lug your bikes to the park; Arrowhead offers bike rentals, along with canoes and kayaks. Finish off the day with a refreshing dip in the lake at one of three beaches.

Just up the road from Arrowhead is Algonquin Park. Well known for its canoe routes, Algonquin also has several biking trails. The Minnesing Mountain Bike Trail is a moderately difficult trail through hilly hardwood forests and has four loops ranging from 4.7 to 23.4 km.

A little known fact: Your valid Ontario Parks camping permit allows you day access to any other Ontario park. So if you’re staying at one park, feel free to explore the trails of nearby parks as well.

Please note that the transition from the two dimensional screen to the real world might not be smooth and symptoms may include real conversations and the awakening of the senses.

Inside OP ? Piping Plovers

Ontario Parks Insider

Southern Ontario is blessed with two amazing beach destinations – Wasaga and Sauble. Flocks of people descend on these beaches for fun in the sun every summer. Volleyball nets go up, beach towels spread out and sand toys get digging. All is well with the world … that is unless you are a small, sandy-coloured bird trying to protect your eggs and young.

After a thirty-year hiatus from the Great Lakes, a pair of endangered Piping Plovers successfully nested at Sauble Beach in 2007. Since then both Sauble and Wasaga Beaches have been the summer home of nesting Piping Plovers. As soon as they arrive in May, before any beachgoers arrive, the males begin aerial and ground courting displays and the female usually lays four buff-coloured eggs. Incubation is generally 28 days and the young leave the nest within a few hours of hatching to feed on their own, but are carefully guarded by their parents. In another four weeks the young are able to fly. Soon afterwards the whole family leaves Ontario for the warmth of the Gulf Coast, that is of course if all goes well.

Unfortunately there are several threats to the survival of the Piping Plover:

  • Commercial, residential, and recreational developments have decreased the amount of shoreline habitat available for Piping Plovers to nest and feed.
  • Human disturbance often curtails breeding success. Foot and vehicular traffic may crush nests or young. Excessive disturbance may cause the parents to desert the nest, exposing eggs or chicks to the summer sun and predators. Interruption of feeding may stress juvenile birds during critical periods in their development.
  • Pets, especially dogs, may harass the birds.
  • Developments near beaches provide food that attracts increased numbers of predators such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and gulls. Domestic and feral cats are also very efficient predators of plover eggs and chicks.


And if that wasn’t enough, in 2008 a freak hailstorm killed four Piping Plovers at Wasaga Beach. Even before the hailstorm, it was clear that the little feathered friends would need some help.

They call themselves the Plover Guardians – a group of over 90 volunteers that come from the Wasaga community (and as far away as a two-hour drive) help to do what it takes to protect the plovers. Once nesting sites are established, exclosures are erected to protect the nests. An outer snow fence prevents human and dog entry while the inner wire predator exclosure area allows the birds to fly in and out of the nesting area while preventing entry of gulls and other wild predators. Volunteers then take shifts keeping an eye on the birds, collecting behavioral data and protecting the plovers from disturbances that might affect their nesting activities. They also educate the public about the Piping Plover and the need to protect their beachside nests. It involves long hours and dedication, but when the time comes the satisfaction of witnessing a plover’s first flight south just can’t compare.

Things You Can Do to Help Protect the Piping Plover
  • Respect all areas fenced or posted for protection of wildlife.
  • Do not approach or linger near Piping Plovers or their nests.
  • If pets are permitted on beaches used by plovers, keep your pets leashed.
  • Don't leave or bury trash or food scraps on beaches. Garbage attracts predators, which may prey upon Piping Plover eggs or chicks.


For the more information on the plovers at Wasaga Beach, check out the website of the Friends of Nancy Island and Wasaga Beach Park.
This very informative slide show comes from our Friends at the National Parks Service in the United States.

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Ontario Parks Insider

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