• Downsview Dells Community Environmental Programs
• Riparian & Steep Slope Planting Program
• Education through Action on the Black Creek
• Mt. Dennis Community Project
• Chalkfarm Park - Native Wildflower Garden #2

Downsview Dells Community Environmental Programs

Funding source: Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund.    See website

Riparian & Steep Slope Planting Program

Supported by: Community Program for Storm Water Management (GPSWM)

The Black Creek Conservation Project (BCCP) used CPSWM funds to meet objectives of the Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan in regards to tree planting in riparian zones of the Black Creek for the purposes of intercepting rainfall and/or surface water-flow on steep slopes leading directly to the Black Creek itself. The project will enhance the local hydrologic cycle and reduce soil erosion potential on four (4) sites in the Black Creek watershed. The work will also enhance natural ecosystems by planting native woody plants.

The sites selected to be part of this project have been identified as priority sites in the BCCP's, "A Strategy for the Regeneration of Black Creek". Some sites have been identified as priority areas under TRCA's "Humber River Watershed Plan" (DRAFT 2008).

• York University, Stong Pond - Hoover Creek.
  A 2 acre site with grassy slopes leading into Stong Pond
• Black Creek Parklands (Humber Blvd. east to Jane St. & south of Alliance Ave.),
  A 500 meter long riparian site being naturalized over the past 10 years.
• Chalkfarm Park (Jane St. & Wilson Rd.),
  A steep grassy slope leading to the edge of Black Creek now supports a 150 meter riparian corridor.
• Edgeley Park - Driftwood Park. (Driftwwod Rd. & Jane St.).
  Driftwood Creek (a Black Creek tributary) had no riparian cover and now supports a 200 meter riparian corridor.

Education through Action on the Black Creek

Evolution of the Black Creek Restoration Coalition project of 2006-2008

Supported by: EcoAction

The Black Creek Conservation Project (BCCP) seeks to provide a unique program in outdoor education that has the ability to interest, inform, and motivate a wide range of individuals and groups in the Black Creek watershed to become involved with and party to an extensive organization that jointly adopts the long-term environmental stewardship of the Black Creek watershed.

This project seeks to make use of our existing Black Creek Coalition of schools, community groups, and interested individuals in order to deliver a wide spread education program that is unique and interesting, primarily by being an active, hands-on program where those involved learn by doing the work rather than just talk about it and look at it.

The BCCP has a long history of involvement across the watershed with many schools at all grade levels from Kindergarten through to University and with many community organizations with interests in environment or community development. We have spent much of the last two years developing our Black Creek Restoration Coalition.

Our previous programs involved one school or community group at a time. New programs emphasize linkages between schools and community organizations and cooperation on projects that span larger areas of the watershed.

From extensive experience in delivering outdoor education programs to schools we have expanded the repertoire of our environmental subjects:

• Our tree planting has grown to include tree maintenance programs,
• Our bird house building has grown to include bird population monitoring programs,
• Our outdoor education programs have grown to include new topics on native plant propagation, tree care & pruning,
• Our native plant gardens are now managed and propagated by the adopting schools.

Current Conditions in the watershed necessitates this project:

• A major tributary of the Humber River, the Black Creek subwatershed is now almost entirely urbanized. From its headwaters in City of Vaughan, the creek flows through some of the most densely populated areas of Toronto,
• Forest cover on the creek currently stands at about 4.6%, 30% of the creek has been channelized, and green spaces are few and heavily used. Approximately 300 storm drains outfall into the Black Creek, washing large amounts of contaminants directly into the river, making Black Creek a major source of pollution to the Humber river, and in turn the Toronto waterfront. Regular instances of dumping household and commercial contractor waste plague several locations along the creek, impairing water quality,
• In 2000, the Humber Watershed Alliance graded the Black Creek the most degraded Humber River tributary in the document, "A Report Card on the Health of the Humber River Watershed". In 2007, the new Humber River Report Card, "Listen to Your River" identifies the Black Creek with the lowest level of forested area, the highest levels of E. Coli bacteria and gives an 'F' rating for the creeks health in terms of low Benthic Invertebrate populations,
• In 2001, the BCCP conducted a survey of the creek to produce the document "A Strategy for the Regeneration of Black Creek". The primary problems impacting the Black Creek were categorized as water quality, water quantity, and the loss of natural habitat/green space. The strategy prioritizes actions for addressing the problems on the creek, and identifies sites where significant improvements could be realized,
• Recently, the Black Creek has been impacted by large residential and commercial developments near its headwaters. These developments have resulted in significant natural cover and habitat loss, sections of the creek have been buried and several hectares of green-space removed, thus converting the headwaters of the creek to a residential sewershed and stormwater retention pond,
• The Black Creek watershed has suffered loses of large forest cover, when the invasive Asian Long-horned Beetle was discovered in Vaughan near the Black Creek. Numerous trees were cut along the creek as a control measure to contain the spread of the beetle.

The many factors cited above, demonstrate that there is a great need for the protection and restoration of Black Creek's water and habitat features. This is the type of work being carried out by the Black Creek Conservation Project and expressed to the community through our education programs.

Further weight is given to the need to restore Black Creek by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). The "Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy" draft document produced by the TRCA in 2004, calls for an overall increase of the forest cover in the Greater Toronto Area, from the current 17%, to a healthy level of 30%. This is supported by the TRCA's "Humber River - Habitat Implementation Plan". The naturalization work of the BCCP and our partners will contribute to the health of the Black Creek watershed, and will also contribute to the healthy targets that are being set for the entire Greater Toronto region.

Our experiences have shown that an informed and motivated community acting over a long period of time can positively and significantly influence the local environment.

Objectives of the project:

• Education programs and schedules developed at selected schools in past years will be delivered to a wider audience of 10 schools covering the full age range from grades K - 12,
• Education and awareness programs will be delivered at each community event. These events will have a strong component of environmental awareness and education through use of brochures and poster presentations.

• Establish seasonally re-curing education programs at 10 schools in the watershed area (4 elementary, 3 middle school and 3 high schools) within both the Public and Catholic school boards. (Currently we work with 5 schools; historically we have worked with 29 different schools),
• Establish and adopt restoration action sites at 10 different locations within the Black Creek watershed associated with each of the schools mentioned above,
• Organize a minimum of 150 educational and environmental events with the school groups, involving over 3750 students,
• Conduct a minimum of 60 community based events with 6000 community members involved in and/or reached by the initiatives of the project,
• Conduct monthly "Workdays' for the BCCP membership and volunteers. Workdays will include: 14 activity days and 8 hikes; each up to 4 hours in duration,
• Organize and host an annual workshop for all cooperators involving both school students and community members. Focus will be on collaborative efforts in the overall stewardship of the Black Creek.

• Plant a total of 3,800 native trees and shrubs throughout the Black Creek watershed,
• Plant a total of 4000 native wildflowers and aquatic plants throughout the Black Creek watershed,
• Establish four separate native wildflower gardens within the Black Creek watershed,
• Clean-up a minimum of 14 tonnes of garbage and debris from the Black Creek valley lands,
• Build and Install 150 migratory songbird boxes and implement monitoring programs with cooperators to assess their usage,
• Build and Install 50 Bat boxes and implement monitoring programs with cooperators to assess their usage.

Mt. Dennis Community Project

Funded by: Live Green Community Investment Program of Toronto

The project will be operating solely within the Mt. Dennis Community area of the Black Creek watershed. The area is bounded by:

• 401 Highway (North),
• Keele St. (East),
• Alliance Ave. (South),
• Jane St. - Weston Rd. (West).

We will work with both school and community groups to undertake a range of environmentally based activities and education programs which include:

• Tree planting,
• Planting native wildflower gardens,
• Garbage clean-ups (with re-cycling of metals and plastics),
• Construction & installation of bird boxes and bat houses,
• Community environment walks,
• Outdoor environmental educational programs.

The Black Creek Conservation Project will partner with the Mt. Dennis Community Association and will also form partnerships with at least 3 public schools in the area.

Objectives of the project:

• 900 school students and 400 community members will be engaged with outdoor classrooms and environmental activities including tree and native garden planting, nature walks and garbage clean-up programs,
• Volunteers will establish 2 native gardens containing over 2,000 native plants,
• Volunteers will plant 1,000 to 1,500 native tree in local parks, green spaces, and school yards and install protection (wood chips & tree guards) around these trees,
• Volunteers will build and install 100 birdhouse and/or bat-box nesting structures,
• During Clean-up events, volunteers will collect, remove and recycle an estimated 5,000 kg of trash from community green spaces and parks,
• The BCCP will install informative signage on project sites identifying project purposes and cooperating and supporting agencies (Specifically LIVE GREEN, TORONTO),
• Approximately 40 school and 20 community events will be held in the Mt. Dennis area in order to accomplish these goals.

(Note: these are targets specific to Live Green Funding and are NOT counted in other on-going BCCP programs.)

Chalkfarm Park - Native Wildflower Garden #2

Supported by: Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation - Community Grants Program

The project will establish a new native wildflower garden at the north end of Chalkfarm Park (West side of Jane Street, North of Wilson Ave.).

This garden will have an area of roughly 40 square meter and will accommodate roughly 1000 native wildflowers and grasses. The plants selected for the garden will be made up of species common to the historical communities once found along the Black Creek. 10 tonnes of sand will be used as the planting medium.

The planting of the garden will be conducted with volunteers. Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services will be our cooperating agency to organize the involvement of the Chalkfarm community. The B.C.P. has made arrangements for students from Chalkfarm P.S. (K-5) to be involved in this planting project. The new garden site is within view of their school.

Need For The Project:
Prior to rehabilitation work, much of the park existed as a heavily maintained monoculture of mown turf grass and provided little to enhance the ecological health of the Black Creek. The native wildflower garden will play a key role in the ecological improvement of this site.

• The native garden will provide an additional area of wildlife habitat along the creek.
• The garden's water retention capabilities will reduce stormwater flowing into the Black Creek.
• The garden will re-establish a plant community that was historically common to the watershed.
• This and other gardens along the creek will provide seed-sources that will assist to establish larger plant communities in nearby 'naturalized' areas within Chalkfarm Park and along the Black Creek.
• This garden will serve as an interpretive and educational point of interest.