Article Category: Research in Toronto's High Park
Research in Toronto’s High Park – High Park Nature
Discover the natural wonders of Toronto's High Park
Research in Toronto's High Park
Every year, numerous research studies and educational programs are conducted in High Park, ranging from elementary and high schools to post-secondary studies and post-graduate theses.
Research Available Online
Google Scholar has many articles available for viewing. Here are the results for searching habitat restoration "High Park" Toronto.
Citizen Science in High Park
Volunteers can make a meaningful contribution to scientific knowledge about High Park by participating in citizen science projects, either on their own or through an organized project.
Here are some examples of ongoing studies taking place in High Park.
- High Park Nature Centre's iNaturalist Project
- Annual Christmas Bird Count
- Bird sightings are maintained through eBird
- Annual High Park Moth Night
- High Park Moth Study on iNaturalist.ca
- High Park Hawk Watch
- High Park Nighthawk Watch
- Toronto Centre Butterfly Count - High Park Results
- Bat Research
- Wild Bee Club. Join host Susan Frye, a PhD candidate from the University of Toronto, to monitor native bees.
- Herp sightings are reported to the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas
To find out how you can contribute, follow the links above or contact High Park Nature.
Eastern Screech-Owl. Photo: Ali Pashang
Featured Research
High Park Nature Centre Project
Our goal is to collect and organize observations within High Park in Toronto, Ontario. This includes all plants, mammals, insects, fungi and any other wild living things you can find.
Help us form an updated inventory of sightings that will aid in future education and research, and help to give us all a better understanding of the diversity and abundance of life within these 399 acres.
TORONTO RAVINES STUDY: 1977 – 2017
The Toronto Ravine Revitalization Study team is based in University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry. From 2015 to 2018, they completed a three-year project resurveying four ravines along the Don Valley previously inventoried in the 1970s. See the final report Toronto Ravine Study: 1977 – 2017 on the project website.
Benthic Invertebrate Sampling, West Nile Virus Monitoring
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority samples water bodies to test for West Nile virus. Here are the results of a sample taken at Grenadier Pond in June 2012. It was collected with a D-frame net along the bank of the pond. The collection site is near the south-west corner of the pond. There are different ways to collect quantitative samples. This one was a presence/absence type of sample. (It does not comment on the presence/absence of West Nile virus.)
More about TRCA's monitoring programs.
More about West Nile virus status and control measures in Toronto.
Restoring Ecological Function of Littoral Macrophytes in Grenadier Pond
Thesis by Christine Tu. Evaluating the Lake Management Approach, Applied Biomanipulation Techniques and Progress in Restoring Ecological Function of Littoral Macrophytes in Grenadier Pond, Canada, 2000
Links provided by Dr. Dawn Bazely, Faculty in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, York University
- How to Tell if Your Restoration Project is successful, A presentation by Dr. Dawn Bazely to the High Park Stewards, Jan 24, 2015.
- Why don’t ecologists get more respect? Dawn R. Bazely Biology Department, York University, Toronto Wed 29 Oct 2014, Carolinian Canada Ecoystem Recovery Forum, Royal Botanic Gardens, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
- Invasive Plants of Canadian Woodlands – Scientific Challenges. Bazely, D. R., Firanski, J. C. and Koh, S. 2004.
- A study of prescribed burns, tree and shrub layer in oak savanna plant communities in Southern Ontario: Pinery Provincial Park, Rondeau Provincial Park and Point Pelee National Park. Tagliavia, C., Bazely, D.R., and Koh, S. 2002.
- The Distribution and Abundance of Fire-scarred Trees in Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Bazely, D. R., Bravo, D., Aryaie, M., Caportoto, A., Chan, C., Kharouba, H., Nogal, R., Purdy, T. and Etwell, T. 2006.
Wild Bee Research
- Red Bud Pollination by Solitary Bees. Multi-year study led by University of Toronto PhD Candidate, Charlotte de Keyzer. See study website.
- Bee research by Scott MacIvor - Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology, UTSC. See publications.
Rare Beetle found in High Park
In 2005, a British scientist, Paul F. Whitehead, found a tiny rare tenebrionid beetle, Pentaphyllus testaceus in a dead stump of Black Oak in High Park - the first North American record of a species that is on the Red List in Europe. He reported his findings in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 27th July, 2007 Vol. 143, a British scientific journal.
Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery
- Assessing Wild Lupine Habitat in Ontario, Canada, for the Feasibility of Reintroduction of the Karner Blue Butterfly. Masters Thesis by Jesse Jarvis, Dec. 2014
- Recovery Strategy for the Karner Blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), and Eastern Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius persius) in Canada [Proposed] - 2017.
Articles, Galleries and Guides
What's New?
Welcome to Our New Website!
Since the High Park Nature website was first launched in 2010, it has provided a wealth of information about the natural features of High Park. Now we are pleased to…
New Treatment for Buckthorn
This summer Urban Forestry is partnering in a demonstration trial with BioForest, a forest pest management company, to manage invasive buckthorn shrubs using the bioherbicide Chontrol Peat Paste. The active…
Toronto Star article, January 13, 2020
“We love High Park for its natural beauty. Will that love be the death of it?” Read the article or The Star Pressreader version
High Park Christmas Bird Count Results
The most recent High Park Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 (a very windy day). The High Park route ended up with 43 species, our lowest since…
High Park Stewards Summary 2019
There were over 280 participants (between 110 individuals coming at least once) who came out to High Park Stewards field restoration events. The average number of Stewards that attended each…
