Spring 2007 Planting Events

The city has published its summary of spring planting events. You can view the two page PDF here. This includes events city wide including the Don. I will continue to summarize weekend events on Thursdays for the next month or so.

NOW Slags Mountain Bikers

The NOW magazine published an article about mountain biking in Crothers' Woods in its latest issue. It covers the topic fairly well but unfortunately it reads as pretty one-sided. "Chainsaw-toting trail bike high-flyers cutting valley into mucky ribbons" is the article's by-line which gives you a pretty good read on the reporter's stance.

Naturally this has the biker's pretty incensed. If you follow their chat forums you can see they're upset.

Some of them might say that I lean towards this type of thinking, but that is not exactly correct. True, I have criticized some of their "stunts" as an abuse of the valley but overall I support their presence. As long as they respect the natural environment I think the bikers are a positive presence in the Don.

The city is currently putting a management plan together for the forest which includes a rationalization of the trail network. In some places this is leading to some serious fragmentation of the natural area. Once implemented and with proper management the plan will develop this area of the valley into a great place for both human users as well as its natural denizens.

Don Valley Events for April 28-29

Just one event this weekend but it's a big one.

Saturday, April 28

Trees Across Toronto, 10 AM - 12 Noon. This is a city wide event. The site in the Don is Sun Valley, the same site we've been going to for the past three years. We'll plant about 1000 trees. Expect a huge crowd.

Trumpeter Swan Spotted in the Don Valley

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

I noticed this picture on one of the mountain biking forums. Someone there asked me if I knew what it was. They thought it might be a Trumpeter Swan but I thought it unlikely since these birds while native to this area were extirpated due to overhunting in the early 1900s.

I looked into it further and found out that there is a program by the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland to reintroduce these birds into Southern Ontario. The website says that they band the birds plus attach a large yellow tag to the bird's wing. The picture shows one of these tags which I think says "915".

The bird was spotted in a pond near Crothers' Woods. I am not sure if it is a migrant or if it is looking for a nesting area but it is certainly significant that it has made its way to Toronto. It would be nice if they became reestablished here.

The wildlife centre is keeping track of where these birds show up. If you spot one you can report it using this form.

Well Built Stunt

Technical trail feature on a Don River trail


Construction close-up


Stunt in use

I took a lot of flak from the biking community for my post a couple of days ago. Some of them can get pretty rankled when you criticize their work. The construct that I portrayed may be well built but it is in the wrong place. Building something that close to the water is not good, especially a river as volatile as the Don. One good rainstorm like the one in August 2005 and it will be turned into a pile of junk.

This is not to say that all the "technical trail features" are poorly constructed. I came across this one last year and took some pictures. I was particularly impressed because it conforms to IMBA building standards, new wood (no reused pallets), screws used instead of nails, and nothing attached to the tree. In addition the stunt doesn't block the trail so a timid cyclist (like me) or a hiker can veer around it.

The only thing this builder didn't do is obtain permission from the landowner to build it. The main landowner in the Don Valley is the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. Surprisingly, the city doesn't own this land but does manage it on behalf of the TRCA. This is a legacy of Hurricane Hazel. In the aftermath, the TRCA became responsible for all the river valleys in Toronto.

While this stunt (and others like it) are unauthorized it is unlikely that anybody is going to tear it down anytime soon. Both the city and the TRCA have other priorities. So in the meantime, if you've got the right bike and the gumption, get out there and enjoy them.

Don Mouth Designs Critiqued

Beach Riverdale Mirror Article

Two weeks ago, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation held a public meeting to showcase four different designs for the mouth of the Don. Since then I've seen two articles that reviewed the designs.

The first one was in a recent issue of the Beach-Riverdale Mirror. Journalist Mike Adler interviewed Dalton Shipway, a long time Don Valley activist who has grave concerns with all the designs. Too much development and not enough marsh I gather is his lament.

A second article from the Spacing Wire blog by Ian Malczewski is a more in depth review where he analyzes each design. In the end he gives the nod to the Valkenburgh design with the Stoss team as a close second.

The TWRC will announce the winner on May 6 at a ceremony to be held at the corner of Villiers St and the Don Roadway. Coincidentally, this will also be the place where canoeists end their trip for the Paddle the Don Day.

Previous Don Watcher blogs on this subject here and here.