Situated on a man-made peninsula called the Leslie Street Spit, Tommy Thompson Park is an urban wilderness located a few steps away from Toronto's downtown. The Leslie Spit construction began in the 1950's where the area became filled with concrete, dredged sand and construction debris. It now stretches 5 kilometers into the lake. The spit along with the park are owned by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
Tommy Thompson Park is known as the largest existing natural habitat on the Toronto waterfront. Wildflower meadows, cottonwood forests, coastal marshes, cobble beaches and sand dunes are just some of the existent habitats. Presence of flourishing nature and wildlife makes up for one extraordinary nature-watching site in Toronto. In addition to an impressive natural habitat, the park provides an opportunity to engage in various recreational activities including hiking, cycling, rollerblading and fishing.
Things to do in March
Tommy Thompson is an admirable place to experience the great outdoors. The park is arguably the best in the city bird-watching spot, with over 300 observable species. Also, the park hosts a system of hiking trails and cycling paths which both make up for great spring-time activities. In addition to above activities, the location of the park provides unobscured and picturesque views of the Toronto's famous skyline.
Bird Sanctuary
The Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station (TTPBRS) was established in 2003 for protection of birds and their habitats through monitoring, education and research. It is an initiative started by Toronto and Regional Conservation. The bird sanctuary at the park is recognized as a globally significant Important Bird Area or IBA by Birdlife International. The close proximity to a large city and integration of urban wilderness makes the park an ideal venue for bird studies. Education is central to the sanctuary's operations and for this purpose they have developed a curriculum-based program for schools called Winged Migration which provides children with an interactive and exploratory introduction to the world of birds, ecology and conservation. In addition to this program, the TTPBRS offers regular talks and bird banding demonstrations to the general public. The research also runs a number of monitoring and conservation projects. To find out more about the program, you can go to http://www.tommythompsonpark.ca/ttpbrs/index.dot
Natural Heritage
Tommy Thompson Park has developed into a complex of habitats and diverse communities of flora and fauna species. The complex of plant communities found at the park, as well as the rare and significant plant species are a result of the highly variable soil of the site. Because the site was formed through the dumping of construction residues, soil fertility and composition can vary dramatically within very small areas. The area's diverse biological communities and location on Lake Ontario make it an important stopover point for migrating birds, butterflies and other insects.
Seasonal pools are also important breeding areas for amphibians. Although the upland areas do not currently support a great variety of amphibians, as the wooded communities mature, the park has the potential to be one of the few locations across the waterfront capable of supporting woodland dependent amphibians. The ecological value of Tommy Thompson will continue to increase dramatically as the habitat communities mature, and as the lands are enhanced through new and continuing restoration projects.
Habitat RestorationToronto and Region Conservation is an industry leader in habitat creation and restoration. The goals
of restoration work at Tommy Thompson Park are to preserve rare species, protect environmentally
significant areas and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitat. This approach integrates a variety of
wildlife habitats and areas of natural succession to create functional habitats.
For more information visit http://www.tommythompsonpark.ca/
