Category Beach Stewardship
Making our Beaches Butt Free
Georgian Bay Forever is helping to spread the message about getting beaches Butt Free. This environmental campaign will help reduce cigarette butt litter from Wasaga Beach by providing a way for smokers to responsibly dispose of their butts, through local beach clean-ups, and education on the harms around cigarette butt litter. Cigarette butts are the […]
Ploverpalooza Speaker Series starts Tuesday June 6th
The Piping Plover 10th anniversary events, entitled Ploverpalooza, are planned to celebrate the success of this endangered species in Wasaga Beach. The first Speaker Series event starts Tuesday June 6th at 7 pm with a lively presentation by Mark Wiercinski, biologist and exceptional birder. Mark likes birds a lot and says “Birding makes everything better […]
Local Students and TD Bank Help Plovers
The Piping Plover program at Wasaga received a helping hand from local students with their artwork promoting this endangered bird and its habitat along the shores of Wasaga Beach. A colouring contest was held in June for the grade five class of Birchview Dunes Elementary School. They created their own original “Closed Area” signs for […]
Beach Stewardship in Action
On November 26th and 27th a number of local students and residents accepted Ontario Parks’ invitation to assist with dune restoration. This included beach grass planting and barrier fence installation in Beach Areas 1 and 2 of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. It was cool overcast weather but thanks to the students from Stayner Collegiate Institute […]
Dune Restoration at Wasaga Beach
Dune restoration is an important part of beach stewardship because sometimes, even with the best intentions, dunes can become degraded and require a little help to recover. Dune restoration typically involves planting marram grass and installing sand fencing to protect the planting. Marram grass is pretty much a miracle plant. No other species and no […]
My Dad’s Beach Stewardship Lessons
In 1949 my Dad bought lake view property in Wasaga Beach for $800. He always maintained that the property should remain natural and it is to this day. That approach has served us well for over 6 decades. We find it a lot less work and beautiful in its natural state. Over the years I […]
Learning about “Healthy Beaches”
On November 25th there was a huge turnout at a “Healthy Beaches” Speaker Series sponsored by Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. An estimated 60 people listened attentively to the following very informative talks: Marjorie Ridley, resident of Wasaga Beach showed photos and shared her experience of the changes in the beach over the past 6 decades. […]
Pulling for Plovers
Protecting plover habitat is an ongoing effort. Well after the last Piping Plover flew the coop for the Caribbean this fall, Wasaga Beach Provincial Park staff and Plover Guardians banded together to spruce up the plovers’ prime beachfront habitat. The stretch of Beach Area One nicknamed “Ploverland” – from Spruce Street east to the park […]
Keeping the Monarch on the Throne
To many inhabitants of Ontario, the Monarch is king of the butterflies! Its regal, black-and-orange wings wow butterfly watchers with their beauty, and warn would-be predators of their toxicity. Its staggering migration to Mexico humbles us and inspires awe. Despite its strengths though, the Monarch’s reign is wavering. Listed as a species of Special Concern […]
Restoring a Fragile Ecosystem: Marram Grass Planting
A little rain did not stop a group of eager boy scouts from the important task of dune restoration on Saturday, October 26th. We would like to thank Dave Featherstone from the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority for his participation and coordination of the restoration work. Wasaga Beach Provincial Park (WBPP) is a unique provincial park, […]
More Than Just a Beach... 