Friday, July 2nd, 2010 -- Grand Opening Celebration July 9 - 11!

The Grand Opening Weekend is rapidly approaching! There will be special activities running all weekend, with the official ceremonies on Friday afternoon from 1 - 3 PM. We've invited the Big Brothers and Sisters of Barrie and Orillia to join us over the weekend as special guests, and MPP Garfield Dunlop and Mayor Harry Hughes will also be joining us on Friday. The welcome ceremony and ribbon cutting will start at 1:30 PM, to be followed by official guided tours of the nature centre and nature trail.

There will be free hot dogs and drinks, a face painting tent, the dino dig, origami frogs, reptile match, and lots more fun activities!

107.5 KOOL FM will be broadcasting live from the park on Friday from 12 - 4 to help us kick off the weekend. We hope that you will join us!

Friday, June 25th, 2010 -- Now open daily, 10AM to 6PM!

Summer hours are here! And, we've decided to extend our summer hours to 7 days a week instead of 5! Now there's even more time to see the turtles, hold the snakes, walk the trails, and learn about nature.

The grand opening weekend is only two weeks away, July 9-11! There's so much to get ready, but things are coming together nicely. There will be opening ceremonies on July 9 at 1:30 with Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop and Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes, and we've invited the Big Brothers and Sisters of Barrie and Orillia to join us. 107.5 KOOL FM will be broadcasting live from the park for the Friday afternoon, but special activities will be happening all weekend. Stay tuned for more details!

Sunday June 6th, 2010 -- Announcing the Spring Volunteer Weekend, June 19-20!

Spring is rapidly turning into summer, and what great weather we've had so far! We've been very busy with some school visits, and lots of outreach programs happening. We're also gearing up for two events, our annual Spring Volunteer Weekend (June 19-20) and our Grand Opening Weekend (July 9-11). We have some big plans for the Grand Opening, but they're still being finalized so for now we'll just cover the Spring Volunteer Weekend.

Since starting to create Scales Nature Park in 2002, volunteers have played a tremendous role in getting this place operational. Sometimes organized groups such as the University of Guelph Wildlife Club and WEEP program have come for a weekend visit, and other times a person or two might just show up for a few days or more. However, we have maintained a tradition of organizing a more formal "volunteer weekend" for anyone who wanted to help out- usually one in the spring and one in the fall. In the past, we've built turtle ponds and bridges, worked on the driveway and trails, planted trees, and lots of other important things. We've also usually had food donated by various local restaurants and businesses.

This year, the weekend will be a little more scheduled as we expect to have a larger than normal crowd now that we're officially open to the public. There will be a 'morning shift' from 9:30 AM to 1 PM and an 'afternoon shift' from 2 PM to 5:30 PM for both Saturday and Sunday. Lunch will be provided between 1-2 for anyone volunteering for both shifts on the same day. From 5:30 to 6:30, there will be a special 'behind the scenes' tour for any volunteers who would like to learn more about Scales Nature Park. Thanks again to Ontario Waterway Cruises for the donation of food for our wonderful volunteers! Also, thanks to Rob Lyle from Culinary Motion for donating BBQ chicken!

Volunteers must register by June 17th so that we can plan accordingly for the number of people. Adult and student (14+) admission is free for registered volunteers. Sorry, we are not accepting any volunteers under 14 years of age, except by special arrangement.

The projects will vary with the weather, the number of people arriving, etc. On the list for sure will be completing a second snake hibernaculum- the hole is already started! The list will probably include some work on the nature trails, installing sign posts, tree transplanting, firewood sorting and stacking, invasive species removal, and lots more.

For those coming from farther away for the whole weekend, dinner on Saturday will be provided at 7PM, and there will be room for tents to be set up (outside of our 'open hours', 11-5) as well as possibly some floor camping space. If you want to come but need a ride, please let us know as we may be able to arrange car-pooling from various areas of the province.

It's a chance to get involved with conservation efforts, and have some fun! Please reply to info@scalesnaturepark.ca if you are interested in participating, and feel free to pass on the invitation to anyone you think might be interested in helping out.

Thursday May 20th, 2010 -- Nature trails open for Biodiversity Day, May 22!

A lot has happened since our last update! April was a very busy month with lots of outreach programs going on, and a few group visits to Scales as well. We began interviewing our summer staff, and some of them have already started. I hope to get some bios up for them soon! I could write pages about what has happened here over the last month, but it has been so busy that there really hasn't been time. I'll catch up with just some brief notes...

The Environmental Leadership Program from London's Catholic Central High School came back for their fifth straight year. These students accomplished a lot over four days, including some fencing, setting up fish exhibits, and working on the nature trails. Such an enthusiastic and dedicated group!

The nature trails will open for the Victoria Day weekend! Saturday, May 22nd is International Day for Biodiversity, so that seems like a fitting day to open up the outdoor areas and trail system. Patrick Fogarty Secondary School's High Skills Major Construction class has been on site for the last two weeks, and getting everything ready has been a major priority. They've built a small bridge, installed more fencing, some sign posts, and accomplished lots of other stuff! It has been very challenging for me to keep ahead of them!

We have some special events planned for Biodiversity Day, though I admit that our promotion of them has been lacking. We only found out about this special day two weeks ago, and there wasn't enough lead time to get our plans into the media. We'll be having a Kids Bioblitz- it's a bit like a scavenger hunt, and a visit from the birds of prey from the University of Guelph's Wildlife and Environmental Education Program.

We hope that you'll come out to join us for Biodiversity Day. Of course, every day is Biodiversity Day here at Scales Nature Park!!!

Saturday March 27rd, 2010 -- Announcing the first annual Easter Egg Hunt!!

Next weekend, we're featuring a special event- an Easter Egg Hunt! We will be open on Good Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday, from 11AM to 5PM. Here's the plan: Easter eggs will be hidden in some of the animal enclosures. There will be clue sheets for the kids to use to help find the eggs, and learn a bit about some of the creatures! When they see one of the eggs, they can record its location on the clue sheet, and then turn the completed sheet in for a prize! Fun, and educational! Our favorite combination!

Tuesday March 23rd, 2010 -- A successful March Break, and Spring Weekend hours: Sat/Sun 11-4

We are happy to report that our first March break week was a big success, with hundreds of new visitors to the park, and lots of great feedback about our facility! It was very encouraging to see the response, and we look forward to seeing people come back again! Maybe sometime this spring, as the park will now resume the off-season weekend hours of operation- Saturday and Sunday from 11AM to 4PM, as listed in the Visit Us page. I'll close this entry with a few comments from our anonymous exit surveys:

"Thank you for giving me the chance to concur my fear of snakes. This place is cool!"

"I thought the set up was good and the staff was very friendly. We will see you again."

"Thanks to your great staff!"

Saturday, March 13, 2010 -- It's March Break! We're open again!

From today until March 21st, we will be open daily from 11-5. We hope that our first March break will be a busy one. This morning we had a visit from A Channel's K.C. Colby, so watch for us (and the animals!) on the 6:00 and 11:00 news tonight! Don't forget, this weekend is also a fund-raiser for the Couchiching Conservancy. To raise money for their current campaign, we will be donating 10% of sales (admission and gift shop) during the March 13-14 weekend.

So come on out, and visit us!

 

Friday February 9th, 2010 -- Scales Teams Up With Couchiching Conservancy!!

We're doing another fund-raiser for one of our favorite environmental groups- the Couchiching Conservancy! It's a great local land trust that buys habitat for long term protection. To raise money for their current campaign, we will be donating 10% of sales (admission and gift shop) during the March 13-14 weekend when we re-open for the March break! So come on in the first weekend of March Break and support conservation in the Orillia area.

Thursday January 28th, 2010 -- March Break Hours, Elementary School Science Curriculum Materials Posted!

Hello all. A couple of news items today. First is to announce our March Break hours! The kids are out of school for the week, but that doesn't mean they have to stop learning. Stop by Scales Nature Park for an up close look at the reptiles and amphibians that make Ontario home. We will be open Saturday March 13th until Sunday March 21st, 11am to 5pm daily. If you are planning on coming with a large group (more than 8) you can always call ahead to see if any programs will be offered on the day of your visit.

We have also posted materials for students and teachers alike! Learn about reptiles and amphibians of Ontario...all while you're supposed to be learning other subjects like Algebra, Organ Systems, or Language. Our activities have been developed according to the 2009 Ontario Science Curriculum. These resources are FREE and can be downloaded from our "Resources" section. Also keep an eye out for our reference guides. The Snake Guide has been posted, and the Turtle Guide and Landowner Guide are following quickly behind.

 

 

Wednesday January 13th, 2010 -- Winter Hiatus, Looking Forward to Spring

Thanks again to everyone who made it out to our facility during our first ever open "off-season". We are excited to see what our first "peak season" will be like! Hopefully you will be there. We are now closed for the winter to allow some of our animals to hibernate. This is a natural process that may be influential in the health of many species, especially the more northern reptiles that are found in Ontario. Stayed tuned for possible hours during the March Break, and more importantly information about our GRAND OPENING PARTY slated to take place sometime in April or May. To those who have supported our efforts for so long - thanks a million! See you all in the spring!

 

Wednesday December 30th, 2009 -- Happy Holidays & New Hours

Happy holidays everyone! Hope you all had safe and pleasant visits with family and friends. As we head further into this winter season, snow removal in the parking lot and driveway becomes an issue. To make sure that all visitors can make it safely to Scales Nature Park, we will be reducing our hours to include 11am-4pm Saturday and Sunday only (no longer open on Fridays). Also, we will be closed after January 11th to accomodate the hibernation of the animals - so be sure to stop in before then for a last visit with our critters. We will be opening up again for March break, possibly with extended hours while the kids are out of school! Check back later for specifics!

 

Monday December 7th, 2009 -- A little media attention

We are slowly ramping up our publicity, and last week we were happy to entertain the Orillia Packet & Times. The story can be seen here. We have also created a page on Facebook, and anyone looking for another way to keep up with current activities at Scales Nature Park should become a fan! Know someone looking to highlight conservation activities for Ontario critters? Contact us!

Thursday November 26th, 2009 -- Open to the Public!!

Scales Nature Park will be officially opening its door to public visitors this weekend! We will be operating at a low capacity during the winter until our grand opening event planned for this spring! Would you like to get a sneak peak? Do reptiles and amphibians interest you? Be one of the first to check us out. We have also recently installed our VISA/Mastercard/Debit machine, for your convenience.

Thursday November 19th, 2009 -- Welcome to our new website!

Scales Nature Park will be opening its doors to the public very soon! Check back for more information. Please be patient as we develop this website. Things are constantly changing at Scales Nature Park, and we hope to use this area to update you about those changes as they happen.