'GREEN CITY: WHY NATURE MATTERS TO HEALTH" - NEW TORONTO PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT

To read report, click here

 

SAM SMITH BEAVERS GET READY FOR WINTER

Our beavers have been busy building their larder for the winter months. The store of gathered twigs and branches is next to their lodge and will be accessible to them from under the ice.   
They are primarily bark-eaters, and ingest the bark of young twigs and the new growth of wood.  They don't actually eat the wood, only the "cambium", a soft tissue close to the surface in which new wood and bark grow.

Preferred foods and building materials are the poplars and willows that grow around the inner bay and were planted by the Conservation Authority when the lake fill areas of the park were naturalized. 
Click here for more information on the Castor Canadensis. 

NEW TREE PLANTINGS IN SAM SMITH

New trees now being planted by the City throughout the park.  The project is funded by Humber College as compensation for vegetation loss on the Welcome Centre site. Click here for more info.

SUMMARY: MINUTES FOSS STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING, OCTOBER 27TH, 2015

Summary: FOSS Steering Committee Meeting

October 27th, 2015

7.11 PM, LAMP, 185 5th Street, Etobicoke

• The Colonel Sam Smith Park ribbon cutting and community tree planting ceremony at the new Wetland Lookout (funded by a grant from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation) on Saturday, October 24. 10:00 AM-12:00 PM was a great success. Over 40 volunteers/supporters of all ages were in attendance.
• CSSP supporters should report all instances of graffiti/vandalism/illegal dumping of waste/off leash dog infractions at the Lookout and elsewhere in the park to 311. The city's response is "complaint driven".
• Representatives from the FOSS Steering Committee attended a Special Public Meeting on October 8 at  Toronto City Hall and are pleased to report that CSS Park has officially been  designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). FOSS continues to lobby for ESA inclusion of two additional environmentally significant  adjacent parcels of land.
• Dog Park Improvements: FOSS recently learned that its lobbying efforts for improvements to the dog park have been thwarted. The Water Treatment Plant administration controls the land in that area and will not allow the planting of additional trees.
• PHOTO EXHIBITION: FOSS is in the planning stages for a proposed photo exhibition tentatively scheduled for September 2016 and to be held in the Assembly Hall. Subject matter will be wildlife and other interesting natural elements found within the boundaries of CSSP. Keep checking our web site for additional details.
• BIRD FEEDER PROJECT: FOSS will erect and maintain bird feeders in the area behind the Power House during the December-March skating season. Volunteers are required to fill the feeders. Initial funding for this project was provided by a grant from the Weston Foundation. Contact FOSS (see web site) if you wish to participate.
• New FOSS web site on line: www.friendsofsamsmithpark.ca  - Links directly to the blog spot.
• FOSS Membership Renewals: See web site for membership form. Present members are encouraged to renew and individuals on FOSS’s contact list are welcome to join.
• FOSS's ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING is tentatively planned for March 2016. New volunteers are very welcome.