SUMMARY: MINUTES FOSS STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING, NOVEMBER 24TH, 2015

Summary: FOSS Steering Committee Meeting

November 24th, 2015

7:08 PM, LAMP, 185 5^th Street, Etobicoke

• ·      BIRD FEEDER PROJECT: FOSS has erected bird feeders in the area behind the Power House and plans to maintain them 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.
• ·      Representatives from the FOSS Steering Committee will attend the ETOBICOKE PARK FORUM scheduled for December 12, 2015, 1-3PM at Etobicoke City Hall with the purpose of sharing/gathering information related to park improvement.
• ·      PHOTO EXHIBITION: FOSS’s plans for a photo exhibition scheduled for September or October 2016 have been accepted and have received the city’s endorsement. TOPICS: Natural Elements in Colonel Sam Smith Park (2 images per person; 8” x 10” prints mounted in black frames). Entrants will be charged a minimal fee. Watch the FOSS web site for updates as they become available.
• ·       FOSS is pleased to report that Colonel Sam Park has been officially designated as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). FOSS continues to lobby for the inclusion of two additional areas bordering the park. These areas are presently being evaluated and their fate will not be announced until the fall of 2016. For more information, see the following web site:
• ·      http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=68fd811f23248410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD>
• ·      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".
• ·      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. HOWEVER, in response to a recent letter sent by FOSS to Councillor Mark Grimes, the Councillor has indicated that he will consider improvements to the Dog Park as part of the 2016 budget. FOSS’s letter will be forwarded to the supervisor of parks.
• ·      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 1, 2016. Continue to check web site for details. New volunteers are very welcome.

SAM SMITH PARK/LAKESHORE GROUNDS FEATURED IN CITY'S NEW "CULTURAL HOTSPOTS" GUIDE

From May through October 2015, Toronto recognized south and central Etobicoke as one of the city’s cultural hotspots. This area is home to a diverse cultural scene, engaged community, beautiful green spaces and a unique local history.

The Etobicoke Cultural Hotspot Loops are designed as a series of self-guided walking tours that encourage residents and visitors to explore the neighbourhoods.

Loop One features Lake Shore Boulevard south to the lake, encompassing neighbouhoods like Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch. With its proximity to Lake Ontario, this loop focuses on the natural beauty of the area and includes an activity that encourages participants to spot and identify local wildlife in our waterfront parks – the plants, birds, insects and animals.

There is an emphasis on the natural environment in Sam Smith Park and the art and architecture of the Lakeshore Grounds is also featured.

Hard copies of the Cultural Loops Guide should be available in early 2016 and will be distributed throughout Etobicoke – at the Assembly Hall, Humber College, the Etobicoke Camera Club, community centres, BIAs etc.

For now, the online guide can be viewed and downloaded from the City’s cultural hotspot website.  Check out pages 35 to 55.

'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.