High Park Ponds in DANGER

[Photowyzard]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, please move it if it is not.

I, like many of you, enjoy wild life and their environment.  The ponds at High Park, starting at the Queensway and working their way north are some of my favourite places to see ducks, Great Egrets and Great Blue Heron, amongst other forms of wild life.

I discovered by chance today, the the City of Toronto has had a work order out for 15 years to FILL IN the top two ponds.  Starting with the pond near the children's play ground, down through the narrow channel to the pond directly below it.  The storm water collection pond by the Queensway would be left as is.  The plan calls for the water to be removed, the grown levelled and grass laid to make it a continuation of the field directly behind it.

When I heard this, it was like someone stuck a knife in me.  The only thing that has kept this plan from moving forward is funds are always in short supply and this project continues to be put on the back burner until the day they have extra money.

I am absolutely outraged by the thought of them filling in these two ponds as I personally, greatly enjoy the wildlife I see here and feel it would greatly diminish and important part of the natural eco system in High Park.

I also found out Fishing is an acceptable pass time at High Park as there is no rule to prevent it provided the person fishing has a valid fishing license. I voiced my displeasure at this as well.  I believe there should be NO fishing at High Park and to leave the fish there for the birds that feed on them.  Who in their right mind anyway would catch one and eat it?  I don't see the point.

High Park should be classified as some sort of Wild Life sanctuary and be left alone to continue to allow birds and animals of all types to flourish there.  

I am not an activist, I have not idea who to call or even if it is a good idea to do so, but I thought it prudent you should be aware of this, for what it is worth.  As long as the City has other things to waste money on, High Park is not a priority and the ponds will remain.  If the decision to act does happen, then an environmental study and the impact will be done before the work order is given.  I am hoping it would stop here.

The person I spoke to said the environmental group pulls a fair amount of weight in the decision making.  I can tell you, the park maintenance people hold the two ponds in very low regard due to the colour of the water.  It is always murky and greenish yellow in colour and doesn't look very attractive.  This is most likely because there is not stream that flows into the ponds.  At one time, when the City of Toronto had more money, they filled these ponds with, believe it or not.... tap water!  I think now, the ponds need rain water to sustain them naturally, which could explain why the northern most pond was a mud flat in July!

I also know the maintenance people find the lovely stone wall around the ponds an "eye sore".  Mostly because, they are missing stones in some places and they have to repair them.  I don't fault the maintenance people because I feel they do a lovely job at the park. I think they need to be educated on the value of these two ponds.

Well, there you have it.

[Leslie]

Hi Photowyzard,

Thanks for posting this.

I don't think there are any current plans to convert the duck ponds into playing fields.

According to the 2002 management plan which you can find on the City's website on the ravine page http://www.toronto.ca/trees/pdfs/HighParkMgmtPlan.pdf
the area is to be restored to better support migrating birds by restoring swamp and planting tall shrubs.

High Park is covered under the ravine by-law, and converting ravine to playing fields is incompatible with the designation.

I have no difficulty at all in believing that there once were plans to "improve" the park by creating more playing fields.

Unfortunately leaving High Park alone is not really an option, because it's too popular and even if all the people could be magically removed, the invasive plant species would take over.  Funding park maintenance is always an issue.  However, should you want to get your hands dirty improving habitat in High Park, come out an alternate Sunday with the volunteer stewards.  More info:
 http://www.highparknature.org/wiki/wiki ... tewardship

I can see the stone wall is a problem.  I should imagine it's crumbling with age, and natural swampy ponds do not have hard stone borders.

Fishing in Grenadier Pond is an issue.

Again, thanks for posting.

[Ron Luft]

The best vehicle to work through situations like this would be the High Park Advisory Committee. They are a city sanctioned volunteer group that works with the city in the community interests within High Park, especially environmental and natural restoration issues. They have been in existance since 1992. While High Park does generate revenue to the city it is largely reliant of donations from agencies such as The Great Lakes Cleanup Fund, Ducks Unlimited and others so the amount of money the city can spend on a clean up of those ponds is very limited and therefore not high priority. A lot of work has been done in the park to improve it and it's natural areas for people, wildlife and plants. The 'scummy duckponds' as they are sometimes called are not one of the jewels in High Park and while sometimes being a hang out to Wood Ducks is generally a catchment pond of windblown garbage not fed by any streams in the park so the water is largely stagnant. As such the 'ponds' are of little environmental value. The stone walls are a hazard to children and environmentally counter productive to a healthy ecosystem. When ever I am near that area I see very few people showing any interest in the ponds and they are largely ignored and avoided. Truthfully the cost of revitalizing the ponds into healthy wild life (bird) nurturing areas or a wetland would probably far exceed the cost of filling them in.

[Photowyzard]

Leslie,

Thanks for the links.  The report is a lot to read, but I will get through all of it.  

The information I received was from an actual City employee involved with High Park.  They were certain the plans exist but they are not a current plan.  It is something that was proposed years ago and continues to languish due to a lack of funds.

I know there are mixed feelings about the ponds, but I like them.  I have seen Hawks, Great Egrets, Night Heron, Great Blue Heron and Wood Ducks (I know there is more, these are the most interesting to me) around these ponds and I personally enjoy the walk and the scenery.  The wall around it seems to be an issue, but from what I see, it is mostly an issue because they don't repair it when something goes wrong with it.   Leaving gaps in the stone for long periods of time only advances more decay.  I have seen a steel fence around the middle part of the two ponds for two years and counting, without any work being done to repair it.

I don't doubt the ponds would look better with a natural look, but I believe the stone wall serves a purpose.  It keeps the dogs and the young kids way from the birds.  It is probably a safer option for the toddlers as well.  I think the wall should remain and a method of channeling water (other than City water) through the ponds should be explored.  If I had my way, I would actually expand them!  :wink:

Ron, I disagree with you on the ponds being ignored.  I typically see all sorts of people sitting around them.  The pond near the kids playground is typically the one with the most people around it.  I have to admit, I find this annoying because the parents do not watch what the children are throwing in the water and from what I see, no one can read signs!

[KPaw]

Hi, I met with Councillor Sarah Doucette regarding these issues just this past week.. there is a group of community citizens very concerned about these issues; particularly, fishing.

If you have concerns regarding any of these issues and particularly fishing... you should definitely contact the Councillor's office either by phone or email as, one of the things she mentioned, was that she is not receiving a high number of complaints from coummunity citizens.   Any changes she is successful in implementing are much easier to bring about if she has records of calls and emails to reference to City Staff and Council.   So, please do contact her and your voice of concern will be added to the numbers.  The greater the numbers the high chance of change.

Councillor Sarah Doucette

100 Queen St. W.
2nd Floor, Suite C46
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Phone: 416-392-4072

councillor_doucette@toronto.ca