Altona Forest News & Events 2005

This section contains all postings from the year 2005. Postings are listed chronologically from most recent to oldest.

 

Make a Difference in the City of Pickering (Post Date : November 14, 2005)

The City of Pickering has launched a new program for the public to get more involved in helping to reduce litter, vandalism, graffiti and illegal dumping. Click here for details.

Forest Improvements Opening Ceremonies (Post Date : September 25, 2005)

On September 19th we officially opened the new trail system at the Altona Forest which includes more trail work, a new parking lot, more signage, boardwalks and an observation deck. The Mayor of Pickering and other regional politicians and city officials were also on hand for the ceremonies as well as members of the Altona Forest Stewardship Committee. Many school children from the near by school who have volunteered time to the forest were also there.

Click here for a video clip from Rogers Local TV news cast that was aired later that evening. You may have problems opening this depending on your browser and if you do not have the correct plugin. Further, given the size of the video clip, depending on your connection speed to the internet it may be slow to download.

Here are some photographs that were taken during and shortly after the ceremony.

Head to Toe Therapies Continues Financial Support (Post Date : June 15, 2005)

We once again extend thanks to Head to Toe Therapies for their support for a third year (2003, 2004 and 2004) in a row. Well done Head to Toe! Please consider supporting them. See Supporting Members section for more details.

Buckthorn Bust Event Upcoming (Post Date : April 19, 2005)

For those in the area we are holding a public event for a Buckthorn Bust on Saturday July 9th at 10AM. If you can help out for two to three hours please meet at St. Elizabeth Seton school parking lot at Stroud's Lane and Rosebank. The buckthorn is an invasive tree. It is very hardy and spreads quickly. It is not native to Canada. It overshadows the ability of other preferrable plants to survive. In some cases it will totally dominant an area of the forest killing everything else. A buckthorn bust is an event whereby we cut down a number of buckthorns and screw cans on the tree stumps thus preventing the tree from resprouting. This is a common technique and has been done in many municipalities across North America. To learn more about the Buckthorn click here.

Dogs on the Loose Not Allowed (Post Date : March 18, 2005)

It has come to our attention that some walkers in the forest with dogs are letting their dog(s) off their leashes and allowing the dogs to roam freely throughout the forest. While this is great for the dogs it is not allowed. This is a protected conservation area managed by the TRCA. You can be fined for doing this. Apparently some dead birds and grouses have been found. We have reason to believe this was caused by larger dogs who have been sighted a number of times roaming around freely in the forest. As some of us are dog owners we understand the desire to want to allow your dog(s) to run around but this quite frankly is NOT the place to do it. There are many other parks and places in the area where this is permitted. Since enforcement can be difficult we hope that you will all respect the rules.

Winter Walker in Local Paper (Post Date : March 6, 2005)

This photograph appeared recently in the local Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser.