Willow Park Ecology Centre




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	Willow Park Happenings What's new around the park? Summer 2007 Willow Park Ecology Stewardship Events 2007 Have fun at the Park with projects and recreational events! A variety of volunteers enjoy the outdoors while caring for this community asset – wouldn’t you like to have fun helping too? This season brings new projects and renewal to existing Willow Park features, a chance to experience interesting outdoor projects and events. Organic Vegetable Community Gardens - at Willow Park Community Garden Beds - sponsored by Evergreen Foundation Watching It Grow June 10, 1-3pm Individuals, families and groups are invited to join in for practical, physical and social experiences in gardening basics that can have immediate positive impact on the natural environment. Includes; natural pest control, late plantings, managing weeds and water resources. Organic Vegetable Community Gardens Early Harvest -August 19, 1-3pm Follow the progression of the gardens from field-to-table. Great chance to get children started in understanding where their food comes from and how we depend on the environment. Active living that enhances the health of the environment while improving yours. Includes; early harvest, fall plantings, transplanting, theme gardens. Putting It To Bed October 21, 1-3pm Season closing will continue to set up adults and children with the “tools” and skills they need to grow and harvest vegetables in their own yard. Includes; Harvest Celebration, cover crops, soil amendment, using your vegetables in recipes. Butterfly Garden Club - at Willow Park Butterfly Garden - sponsored by WPESC Committee Learn About Butterflies June 24, 9:30-12pm From what caterpillar becomes which butterfly, to their food and the flowers they like. Volunteers make the garden a success. If you have anything to share or would like to help out, we would love to hear from you! A great chance for practical gardening and outdoor family recreation with volunteer run crafts. Instil excitement in children about plants, animals and how we all depend on the environment! Exploring Butterfly Habitats July 15, 9:30-12pm Fun for children and adults alike to see how plants and animals depend on each other and on the environment. Explore and enhance butterfly habitats and populations by planting, managing, walking and observing the gardens. Theme events with volunteer run crafts and making cool stuff. Winter and Butterflies September 16, 9:30-12pm Adults, families and groups are invited to join in the Butterfly Garden Project and Club. See and learn how butterflies avoid freezing while you help to ensure that their habitat is suitable for their over-wintering needs as eggs, larvae or adults. Volunteer run handicrafts planned.		Contact Us: 905-702-9055 wpec@willowparkecology.com
	Summer 2007 Willow Park Ecology Stewardship Projects 2007 To ensure the park’s ecology theme continues to give us unique educational and recreational opportunities, the WPESC volunteers are committed to overseeing the projects listed below. Do these “spark your interest”? Let us know and have fun helping out. WPESC 2007 Projects 1. Bird Habitat Enhancement 2. Butterfly Garden Habitat 3. Compost Demonstration 4. Community Gardens 5. Earthday Recognition 6. Habitat Enhancement by Invasive Species Removal 7. Interpretive Gardens (Pavilion) 8. Tree replacement Plantings (especially riverbank) 9. Wetland Habitat (incl. turtle nesting sites, shoreline plantings, etc.) 10. Xeroscape -low water habitat-Garden (Entrance) This Park has been a success through the great volunteer base and local resource contributions. Willow Park Ecology Stewardship Committee (WPESC) is seeking more community partners – individuals and groups for a number of projects. To help out with projects or come out to events, please register at: 905 702-9055 www.willowparkecology.com Located at Mary St & Hwy 7 in Norval The new Willow Park Ecology Stewardship Committee (WPESC)… 2007 Events and Projects In 2007 –volunteers- continue to help the Town of Halton Hills manage Willow Park (Ecology Centre). The Stewardship Committee has committed to overseeing preservation of habitat features which make the Park a unique ecotourist attraction. This will occur through volunteer events, community donations and an Evergreen Foundation grant. Contact Us: 905-702-9055 wpec@willowparkecology.com
	Summer 2007 Community Events 2007! Join us at Willow Park to celebrate Spring and Our Planet! WPEC seeks more community partners - individuals and groups. A variety of volunteers enjoy the outdoors while caring for this community asset - wouldn’t you like to have fun helping too? This season brings new projects and renewal of existing park features, a chance to experience interesting outdoor projects. Support this center, dedicated to enhancing our outdoor experiences and wildlife habitats. What a great way to be a community leader! Season Opening - Earth Day Celebration on Saturday April 21 from 9am to 12pm. Butterfly Garden Start up and Park activities Halton Hill's Earth Day Resource Display on April 28, 8 – 4 pm at the Town Works Yard, Trafalgar Rd. features new Resource Guides on 1. Birds and Birding 2. Habitat: Backyards and Beyond Community Garden Groundbreaking Sunday April 29 from 1pm–3pm. Join in this Gardening Workshop! You can learn how to prepare the soil, plant many foods & flowers, and how to start seeds. Take away ideas and a potted garden for your backyard. This is the first of a 4 series program around organic gardening in raised beds.		Contact Us: 905-702-9055 wpec@willowparkecology.com
	Summer 2006 Community Events 2006! Join us in the park for these events! Hands On Willow Park & Art Jam (on going) Starts: Sat Apr 22nd Alt. Wed & Sun Time: Wednesday 6pm-8pm & Sunday afternoon 1pm-4pm May 3, 7, 17, 31 June 14, 18, 28 July 12, 16, 23 August 2, 16, 20, 30 September 13, 17 October 11, 15 Riverfest Norval 2006 Date: June 3rd and 4th Time: June 3 (morning), June 4 12 - 8pm Cost: $15/family of 4 ($5/adult, $3/child) Visit www.riverfest-norval.ca Picture Perfect at Willow Park 2006 Submissions due by August 11, 2006 Kids @ Play Date: July 25 Time: 10 am - 2 pm Ages: 5 & up Pre-Register by July 19 Cost: $17 Pre-Registration required! After Dark at Willow Park Date: August 12 Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm Open to All Ages Pre-Register by August 4th Cost: Donations welcome Presenter: Teresa Rigg 6th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day Date: Saturday August 19th Time: 4pm - 8pm International Migratory Bird Day Date: October 1st Time: 11-3pm (date and time subject to change) Register by Sep. 22nd Cost: Donations welcom Falling Leaves Festival Date: October 29th Time: 10-4pm Register by October 20th Cost: Donations welcome		Click HERE For more detailed Information on these events.
	Summer 2005 "Artists @ Play" in Willow Park We are fortunate in Halton Hills to have a large and vibrant art community. However, there is seldom the chance to share with fellow artists in a natural outdoor setting. We would like to join together with other local artists to hold a weekly "Artists at Play" day in Willow Park Ecology Centre in Norval starting in June. It's a great site for artists and their friends and families to create nature art outdoors without disruption by traffic and organized sports. We want this to be an informal group of artists meeting to share their love of the outdoors, landscape painting, ecology, and art. These outdoor art "get-togethers" will be held every week -- but artists are always welcome come early, stay late, or return at other times. We have a covered pavilion where artists can work or sit and enjoy a packed lunch and rest. There are park benches and picnic tables available in the pavilion and throughout the park but we ask that you bring your own supplies and equipment. (We may have a few easels, tables, and chairs to spare on a first-come basis.) This is not a sign-up, come every week, stay all day venture -- rather an informal, come when you can, stay as long as you want day. Hopefully, we can attract a variety of visual and audio artists to create, perform, and share their passion with others. The site at Willow Park is very amenable to small portable arts, crafters, musicians and nature lovers. So come -- bring friends and family -- or join us to make new friends.		Date: Sundays and Wednesdays June to September Time: TBD
	October TBD Falling Leaves Festival #4 Willow Park Ecology Centre invites residents and visitors to drop in on Sat and Sun., October (dates TBD) for their 4th annual Falling Leaves Festival, 10 am - 4 p.m. each day. The Centre is located in Norval just off Mary St., just east of Georgetown on Hwy 7. In addition to putting the park to bed for the season, there will be activities such as Pumpkin Carving, Rock painting, Toad House building, and much more. The winning photos of the 1st Annual Kids Art Contest, held in summer 2006 will also be on display. Come to the Centre to see the new alternative energy display in action, go on a tour to see what Halton Hills students have been doing in their Grade 3 program, and witness the activities in the wetland and butterfly garden. Refreshments will be served. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain some volunteer hours early in the school year and help out with the clean-up chores at the Park. Bring your work gloves, a shovel and make sure you have good work shoes or boots.
	Summer 2004 Picture Perfect at Willow Park Photo Contest The photo contest submissions were displayed, judged and awards given out at our 4th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 21, 2004. 2004 Picture Perfect at Willow Park Photo Contest Winners Fauna: Carolyn Martin (Georgetown) Flora: Carolyn Martin (Georgetown) Friends of Willow Park & People's Choice Award!: Art Domingos (Georgetown) Click any photo to see a larger view Friends of Willow Park & People's Choice Award!: Art Domingos (Georgetown) This photo was taken at the frog pond in Willow Park, on August 5, 2004. As I watched my children, looking into the pond at Willow Park, I hoped that one day my children would be in my shoes looking at their children, 30 years from now and realising what a wonderful place this is, and that things would continue to grow and flourish.		Fauna: Carolyn Martin (Georgetown) Flora: Carolyn Martin (Georgetown)
	April 2004 Willow Park Garners Large Trillium Grant Environmental education and outreach programs will be front and centre at Willow Park Ecology Centre through generous funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation which has provided $139,300 over three years. "The Centre is a superb example of a local initiative which draws tourists to the Halton area as well as helps local people become better educated about the natural environment here in Halton Hills," said Ted Chudleigh, MPP for Halton. These funds will support much needed opportunities in North Halton for school-aged children as well as adults to learn about the ecology of the local area. This year the Park's opening event celebrates Earth Day on Sunday April 25th from 10-2. Families, students and individuals are all invited to help out by volunteering an hour or two. Included will be an electrofishing demonstration to learn about what's in Silver Creek. The Ecology Centre, a partnership of seven community groups, the Town of Halton Hills, and Credit Valley Conservation, began restoration activities in 1998 by revitalizing the former trailer park on CVC property. Through the efforts of many volunteers, donors and granting agencies, a wetland, native species butterfly garden, snake hibernaculum, woodland area, pavilion, welcome kiosk, riverine structures, compost area and various gardens were created. Ontario Trillium Foundation representative Don Mitchell congratulated the Centre on the grant while Mayor Rick Bonnette stated that " Willow Park is a great example of community partnership which help educate our citizens and restore the environment of our local area." The Centre expects to continue improving the site as well as growing their outreach and educational programs with their Grade 3 "Plants and Soil Grow Together" Program, Summer Community Programs, an in-school program, summer camps, field guides, an eco-tourism package and a town-wide discovery program. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario's charity casino initiative.The Foundation allocates grants to eligible charitable and not-for-profit organizations in the arts and culture, environment, human and social services, and sports and recreation sectors.
	March 2004 Willow Park Interpretive Centre Valences The valences added to the centre in 2003 are engraved with quotes from a variety of sources and all pertain to nature. They include the following pearls of wisdom : Diversity is the spice of life -Robert Bateman Let nature be your teacher - William Wordsworth Man's heart away from nature becomes hard -Standing Bear We all live downstream -David Suzuki Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished -Lao Tzu One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin -William Shakespeare Environment is a process, not a container -Marshall McLuhan
	September 2003 --news release-- A SPECIAL AWARD FOR A SPECIAL PLACE Willow Park Ecology Centre has just won a Special Mention Award for Environmental Awareness from the Communities in Bloom 2003 at the National Level for communities with a population between 20,001 and 50,000. The park was centered out because it is a collaborative made up of numerous community groups which are working to revitalize a former trailer park along the flood plain in Norval. Through grants, sponsorships and the dedicated volunteer efforts of members of the community, Willow Park Ecology Centre continues to develop for the people of Halton Hills, as a place for walking, appreciation of and education about the ecologically significant area right in their own backyard. The Communities in Bloom judges commented that: "Willow Park is becoming the focus of an expanded educational program "linked to the curriculum of the local Boards of Education." The school program for Grade 3 students from several Halton Hills schools has been running in Oct 2003 with support from the Halton Healthy Communities Fund. Comments such as "I liked how involved the kids were and the opportunities for their own exploration" and I liked the Centre's approach so all kids got a chance to work, not just watch" come regularly from parents and teachers. With future funding, this program is expected to continue in Spring 2004. In presenting the award to the Willow Park Steering Committee, Mayor Kathy Gastle also acknowledged the 4 blooms received by Halton Hills are due to the many environmental organizations in Halton Hills who work together to promote and enhance environmental stewardship.
	August 23, 2003 Winners of our Volunteer of the Year Award 2003 Celebrated at the August 23rd Volunteer Appreciation BBQ, this year the Willow Park Volunteer of the Year Award was shared by Brian Thomas and Nikki Pineau. Brian has been instrumental in overseeing our Trillium Fund monies. And keeps us in good financial health. Many hours of work was put in on the final Trillium report and in readying our new application. Thank you Brian. Nikki designed Willow Park's new website this year. Willow Park decided to take care of it's own site to save money, and wanted to make the site a better information resource. A new design made the site expandable and more updateable. Plans are in the works to add field guide type information. We think the site looks great! Thanks Nikki.
	Summer 2003 Picture Perfect at Willow Park Photo Contest The photo contest was such a great hit with both adults and kids. Submissions were displayed, judged and awards given out at our 3rd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 23, 2003. 2003 Picture Perfect at Willow Park Photo Contest Winners Fauna: Kerry Jarvis (Georgetown) Flora: Jennifer Little (Acton) Friends: Steve Jackson (Georgetown) People's Choice: Natalie Mieles (Brampton) Click any photo to see a larger view People's Choice -Natallie Mieles		Fauna -Kerry Jarvis Flora -Jennifer Little Friends -Steve Jackson
	Feb 3, 2003 Willow Park Video Unveiling Willow Park now has its very own video, thanks to funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. It is ideal as an introduction to WPEC, showing some of the human activities, flora and fauna in the park. The video makes a good educational tool for schools and community groups, as well as being useful for fundraising efforts. It was produced in a cooperative effort over the last 10 months, between the WPEC committee and AVR Concepts. The committee is very pleased with the result. We hope it will make you want to visit the park, and maybe participate in one of the work parties.The video will be available for sale in VHS. To arrange a viewing of this film, contact Ruth Kuchinad at 905-877-3676.
	Feb 2003 Five-Year Vision Focuses on Education and Recreation Willow Park Ecology Centre will be used to educate students and the general public in Halton Hills about ecological and environmental matters, and will continue to provide passive recreation for visitors to the park. That’s the vision for the next five years as WPEC continues to evolve. Interested members of the community provided opinions last fall about the future direction of the park, and we have drafted a Strategic Plan that incorporates these views. Because of the increasing numbers of visitors to the park, we'll have to manage the park and on-site activities carefully to prevent habitat destruction. We also plan to develop our educational programs so that more people will appreciate the delicate balance needed between human actions and nature. We hope to present our five-year Strategic Plan to Council by early February.
	Nov 9, 2002 Willow Park Receives Award The Steering Committee of Willow Park Ecology Centre was presented in November with the Conservation Award of Distinction by Credit Valley Conservation. This award was for leadership in "the conservation and management of Willow Park Ecology Centre and provision of education and restoration activities related to the Credit River." The Steering Committee wishes to pass on its gratitude for the many volunteers, both students and adults, who diligently turn out for the planting and clean-up activities at the park. Without them the work would be so much harder to accomplish.