|
Each year a selection of Workshops is offered from among the following. Those marked 2009 are to be presented: watch the homepage of our website for times and dates.
For more information about our events, scroll down this page. Please note, some events, such as Nuts for you! are FREE.
Discover Presqu'ile Park's rich biodiversity all year round through our popular NatureWorks courses. Experienced naturalists will guide you, first in the classroom, then out in the field. These courses fill up quickly … so book early. The modest workshop fee includes free Park entry! Workshops are suitable for children over 14 years of age.
Please confirm dates and make reservations
at 613 475 1688, Ext 2.
View Ontario’s only active volcanoes [weather permitting] during an outdoor hike led by a Park naturalist. Roam the Park and see how much life there really is in the "dead” of Winter. Then warm up in our Lighthouse Interpretive Centre with a steaming bowl of soup or hot chocolate. $2.00 per person or $5.00 per family. Entrance to the Park is included. Registration is required, please telephone 613 475 1688, ext 2.
Frogs get the jump on spring while newts, salamanders, and turtles crawl close behind. So early June is the best time to encounter them. Each species occupies an interesting habitat at Presqu'ile: swamp, marsh, tree and comfort station! We'll search all these out, aided by classroom examination of our specimens [no live snakes!]. Your leader is an experienced Herpetologist.
Stay after sundown in Presqu'ile and hear the Park really come alive! Build your own bat-house and meet your bat cousins - live. Watch their aerial encounters with insects and then visit their moth prey at our black light. Join an owl prowl and star gaze on a night marsh boardwalk amidst a chorus of frogs. [additional bat-houses $2]. Children, 8 and older, are welcome.
Late June is prime time for the 'flying jewels' of Presqu’ile. We'll introduce you to our glorious butterflies by viewing first our slide and rarely-seen specimen collection. Then we'll explore butterfly habitats and net samples for closer viewing. Your leader is an experienced Butterfly expert.
Insects…or Us! (2010 date to be confirmed) - full day
They outnumber us 2 million to one, so we’d better get to know them! Using our varied specimen collection we’ll discover the fascinating habits, forms, and colouration of 'bugs'. Then into the field to observe current collection techniques, and try our hand at beating, pan traps, malaise traps and identification. We’ll meet sociable wasps collecting invasive beetles! In the future, you may observe and collect your own bugs … rather than squishing them.
Hard to believe that as summer continues for us, the plant kingdom has got its Fall lineup on display! Locate Bottled Gentian, Ladies Tresses, Grass of Parnassus and Lobelias in their unique Pannes habitat. Few parks have such lovely flowers, which survive despite harsh conditions. In our classroom, and out in the field, you’ll see matters literally from the ground up with a well-known Park botanist. Cameras welcome!
Meet the fighter aircraft of the bug world! Deceptively pretty but murderously accurate, even without radar. The world of dragonflies is aerial combat at its best. Find out how these flying jewels emerge from their watery nursery to transform into four - winged wonders. At this time of year we hope to catch some of the largest species as they stop at Presqu'ile on their southern migration. We'll use classroom and field time to discover and meet these colourful insects in the company of one of Ontario's keenest odonatists.
Give yourself memories of Presqu'ile's beauty year round! It's our season of rare blooming flowers, fall-time lighting, russets, yellows and reds. Appreciate them all through the lens of published Park photographer. Whether your equipment is simple or sophisticated, you will learn to take better images at little-known locations. No experience necessary. Bring your cameras and stay till moonrise!
Come and see the invaders of Presqu’ile and how they might be conquered. Invasive species: bugs, plants, crustaceans, fish, and others move into stay with us and eviction can be tough. Learn about the successes of biosurveillance, biocontrol and the actions of humankind. Your leader is a MNR specialist on invasions. Classroom and field sessions included.
This artist-led program will help you develop an appreciation of nature through your paintbrush and just three watercolours -- even thought you draw stick figures! All material is supplied including a mat frame for your masterpiece -- stunning transformations guaranteed. Early Fall in Presqu’ile Provincial Park is full of colour opportunities! No experience is necessary; you’ll be coached by our Former artist-in-residence, Andrew Hamilton, a professional watercolourist and noted nature fine painter will guide us.
What's going on in the dark, dank soil beneath us? It's the magnificent fungi kingdom fruiting… and we'll classify over 100 Presqu'ile varieties. With a local Senior Park Naturalist you'll learn to separate a 'picker' from a 'kicker' in the magic world of mushrooms. Great photo opportunities too! Join us as we track mushrooms to their rotten core.
Trees are indeed the staff of life. Forget your vitamins, proteins and roughage! No trees, no life… And that may not be far off…at least our diversity of trees is changing. Come and see what pressures the green giants of Presqu’ile are under and meet the animals that are bringing them down. Also meet our forest regeneration program and do your bit to replant and renew. Bring your grubbies for a gentle but effective day of discovery, dirt, and diversity.
We can’t let squirrels and chipmunks have all the fun so come and collect the cones, seeds and nuts we need to renew our Presqu’ile woodlots. Energetic volunteers harvest the fall crop and prepare seedlings for winter hardening in our nursery and greenhouses. A casual, non-strenuous affair where many hands can gain on our furry friends. All day, all ages. Please pre-register.
Surrounded by water on three sides Presqu'ile Provincial Park is at the mercy of Lake Ontario! The Lake’s water levels and currents determine the size and condition of our beaches, marsh and influence the local climate. Come and explore the shore, learn about soil profiles, thermoclines, and aggregate dispersal. Discover life at the water’s edge with a former Park assistant superintendent and a respected naturalist and university researcher.
|
