Trent Valley Archives Offering New Walking Tour Through Jackson Park

Trent Valley Archives (TVA) is offering a new hour and a half walking tour through Peterborough’s Jackson Park on Thursday, June 15.

photo courtesy of trent valley archives.

Jackson Park began as an industrial site before it became a public park in the 1890’s. Later the site of an amusement park and a spot to show outdoor films, the park then became a camp for children with alternative needs in the 1960’s when the City took over the park.

Led by noted historian Karen Carter-Edwards, the tour will explore the fascinating history of this wonderful Peterborough landmark. Participants can discover where the gamblers den, Devil’s gap and famous beach were located.

The tour meets in the upper parking lot through the main gates off Monaghan Road and will commence at 2 p.m.. It will run rain or shine, so TVA asks that participants dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.

The cost is $20 per person and registration/payment in advance is required. Tickets are available on the website by reserving with Heather at 705-745-4404, or by email.

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City of Peterborough to Operate a Community Bio-Blitz Starting Friday

Peterborough is taking part in a community bio-blitz from Friday to Monday as part of the City Nature Challenge competition, announced by The City of Peterborough on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The City describes a bio-blitz as a ‘survey that identifies wildlife with the goal to understand the biodiversity of a location,’ according to a press release. Nature observations made are uploaded using the iNaturalist app and posted to the Peterborough event page. All natural areas in the city are eligible for nature sightings.

At the end of the bio-blitz, wildlife observations will be tallied to determine the winning communities in Canada.

On Saturday, the City of Peterborough and Peterborough Field Naturalists will host a bio-blitz at Jackson Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It features family-friendly nature walks for residents to learn how to make nature observations while exploring the park. Walks will be approximately one hour, with the first tour at 9 a.m. and the last at 2 p.m., with a break at noon. Guided tours start at the event base camp booth located near the Jackson Park pond and Pagoda Bridge. Residents can also participate in wildlife surveys throughout the park.   

A tree will be planted in Jackson Park to celebrate the event as part of the City of Peterborough’s Urban Forestry program.

More information is at peterborough.ca/bioblitz.

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Photos: Volunteers Make Jackson Park A Little Greener With Earth Day Cleanup

Several local community volunteers picked up litter along Jackson Park and Jackson Creek Trail during Earth Day on Saturday morning into the afternoon.

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New Public Art Installation To Be Viewed and Celebrated at Jackson Park

The public art installation Handwritten Moon will be displayed at Jackson Park on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of The County of Peterborough.

Handwritten Moon is a collaboration between the sculptor Garrett “Owen” Gilbart who fabricated the artwork, and poet Justin Million who wrote the text.

The piece was commissioned as an artist-initiated project through the City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program.

In daylight the reflective text piece takes on hues found in the nearby landscape. On a clear night it reflects the moon. Handwritten Moon also responds to flash photography or a flashlight, and the public is encouraged to bring flashlights or headlamps to experience the piece.

The event will be held rain or shine at Jackson Pond near the Pagoda bridge in Jackson Park.

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New Public Artwork Installed At Jackson Park Sits Just Below The Surface Of Jackson Pond

A new public artwork, Handwritten Moon, created by two local artists was installed in Jackson Park on Monday.

File Photo.

The metalwork text piece, entitled Handwritten Moon, is the result of a collaboration between the sculptor, Garrett “Owen” Gilbart, who fabricated the artwork, and the poet, Justin Million, who wrote the text.

Considering land, water and sky and the ways in which water shapes and cleanses us, Gilbart conceived the artwork as text set over a distorted Victorian bookplate hovering just below the surface of Jackson Pond and he commissioned Million to compose the text.

“After talking with Garrett about possible themes and inspirations for this project, I started asking myself a couple of questions: What kind of phrase would be aesthetically striking to read as laid over landscape? What kind of phrase can be both evocative and provocative, while also being respectful to any conceivable onlooker? I wanted anyone who may read it to feel something whether it is something about themselves or about the land,” Million said in the project proposal.

Handwritten Moon will be submerged in Jackson Pond near the Pagoda bridge until just before it freezes in late autumn and will be reinstalled next spring.

Handwritten Moon was commissioned as an artist-initiated project through the City’s Public Art Program. Special projects, such as artist-initiated projects, are a key area of focus of the Public Art Program that enable the program to keep up with emergent practices and provide opportunities for artists to experiment.

The call for proposals was issued this spring and was open to both established and emerging artists, artist teams and collectives, including those interested in expanding their practices into the public realm for the first time. Artists could propose artworks in any scale, scope and medium in any part of the city. The competition received eleven submissions.

City public art projects are reviewed by selection committees composed of five members of the community with interests or expertise in contemporary art, architecture, design, engineering, history, or cultural tourism. The members of the Artist-initiated Projects selection committee were Su Ditta from the City’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee, and Jon Lockyer, Shenoa Poirier, Frank Flynn, and Cydney Langill from the community at large. 

“This public art commission responds creatively and ingeniously to the site selected by the artists - grounded in the land and changing our perception of place in a way that transforms public spaces to bring new meaning to both Peterborough’s built and natural heritage.”  said Su Ditta from the City’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee.

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Enjoy Beautiful Jackson Park This Thanksgiving Weekend

The leaves are changing just in time for Thanksgiving Weekend here in Peterborough and there is no better place to go and see them than Jackson Park!

Whether for family photos or just a chance to take in the Autumn air, be sure to go for a stroll on the many trails.

Parking is usually pretty cramped in the entrance off Fairbairn Street, so don't forget the huge parking and entrance just off Bonaccord Street.

—post & photos by Evan Holt

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250 Year Old Trees Discovered In Beautiful Jackson Creek Old-Growth Forest

A new study from Ancient Forest Exploration & Research describes an old-growth forest in Jackson Park along the shores of Jackson Creek that includes 250-year-old trees.

New research has revealed that the trees here are commonly 150 to 200 years old. The oldest trees are estimated to be about 250 years old, though some may be older. The largest trees are nearly a meter in diameter and 35 meters (over 10 stories) tall.

Photo by Michael Henry

Photo by Michael Henry

“By any definition used in Ontario, this is an old-growth forest,” says Michael Henry, an ecologist with Ancient Forest Exploration & Research who led the study. “Urban old-growth forests like this are rare, and have a lot of value for biodiversity conservation, education, and nature appreciation.”

Photo by Michael Henry

Photo by Michael Henry

Peterborough is one of only eight urban areas in Ontario with an identified old-growth forest, according to Henry, although others may be found in future.

Photo by Michael Henry

Photo by Michael Henry

The 4.5 hectare (11 acre) forest has been named the Jackson Creek Old-Growth Forest.

A summary of the report by Henry can be read here

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Pagoda Bridge In Jackson Park To Undergo Restoration

The City of Peterborough has hired Wilson Carpentry from Peterborough to undertake an extensive restoration of the Pagoda Bridge located in Jackson Park. The project will address structural and roof components required due to significant deterioration.

File Photo By Evan Holt

File Photo By Evan Holt

Work is scheduled to start this week and will continue for eight to 10 weeks. This preservation project is important, as the bridge is a significant piece of Peterborough's architectural heritage.

In order to ensure public and worker safety, the bridge—which made our list of top romantic spots in Peterborough—will be closed to pedestrian travel beginning August 27th for about six weeks. Pedestrians should plan alternate routes during this period.

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Top 10 Reasons Not To Build A Road On The Parkway Greenspace

ParkwayMapPIC3.jpg

The Friends of Jackson Park and the Friends of Peterborough Trails have compiled a list of the Top 10 Reasons Not to Build a Road on the Parkway Greenspace. Here they are...

1. The Parkway is not a solution to our traffic problems

The proposed Parkway fixes perhaps one-tenth of our traffic problems in the north end of the City. It links one fifth of the City’s planned north end residential areas to only one of the two main employment areas in the City. The City proposed the original "Parkway" route to bypass the city limits as they were in 1947. Other options better connect the places where we live to the places we work.

2. The Parkway Greenspace is one of Peterborough’s most precious assets

The Parkway Greenspace corridor is the largest and most significant natural habitat and open space in the north end of Peterborough, and one of the largest areas of green space in the City. It is a key part of the City trails network. The Parkway route also serves as an important wildlife corridor, along which wildlife can traverse a large swath of the city. It allows citizens, and most importantly our children, to observe wildlife and connect with nature.

3. The Parkway is not the best investment of our hard earned tax dollars

The projected cost of the Parkway is around 40 million dollars. This does not include costs to deal with noise, flooding and other infrastructure. Realistically, the price could be easily around $50-­‐60 million. Do you want your taxes increased to pay for a road that doesn’t meet Peterborough’s needs; a road a majority of us don’t want, all for a time saving of one to three minutes? We have other critical spending priorities, including fixing the many poorly maintained roads we already have.

4. When given the opportunity to actually choose, the people of Peterborough said “No Parkway”

The Parkway has been a contentious issue in Peterborough for many decades. It was turned down by 55% of voters in a referendum in November 2003. Following that vote, City Council ordered the Chief Administrative Officer to have the Parkway removed from the Official Plan. This did not occur. Why was the voice of the people not respected and the why was the direction of Council not acted upon?

5. The Parkway Greenspace promotes a healthier population

Greenspace encourages people to get outside, to walk instead of drive, to interact with each other and connect with the natural world around them. Greenspaces are proven to support a better sense of community and improved mental health. The greenspace provides a place for city children to explore and play, for free, no matter what their financial means. We have an obesity epidemic costing us billions of dollars and untold health problems. Do we need to make the situation worse?

6. The Parkway Greenspace supports our children and our schools

There are five schools along the Parkway corridor. The Parkway will run directly alongside two primary schools. Putting a major arterial road directly next to or near these schools increases risks to students. Also, a main arterial road will eliminate safe opportunities for students to learn about science and nature, conduct their own research and experience outdoor education in a natural setting.

7. Previous consultants said we don’t have a problem, now or in the future

In their report to City Council on April 18th, 2011, consultants Morrison-­‐Hershfield reported that even with no road improvements beyond those presently committed, the best performance models for 2031 show no significant congestion except around river crossings. This congestion is not addressed in any of the proposals related to the Parkway.

8. We are not growing as fast as projected so do we really need a new road?

Growth projections prior to the 2012 Comprehensive Transportation Plan turned out to be optimistic, and current slow economic progress and an ageing demographic may impact the projections used in the 2012 Plan.

9. The Parkway Greenspace supports Provincial planning directives

A 2012 Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Provincial Policy Statement on Land Use Planning requires all municipalities to have and protect natural heritage systems that include natural corridors and linkages such as Jackson Park and the Parkway Greenspace corridor. A decision to build a road through these natural corridors would be contrary to such provincial directions

10. Paving the Parkway Greenspace will certainly lead to a bridge through Jackson Park

You only have to look at the incremental history of the “Parkway by Stealth” campaign to see that this will happen (despite the promises it won’t). When the southern and northern parts of the Parkway are finished, do you think they will leave a big bend around Jackson Park between the two?

If you believe in permanently protecting the Parkway Greenspace and Jackson Park, please let your councillor know. Alternative 2 (Fairbairn/3rd Line) is a far more effective route than the Parkway for connecting the places people live and where they work and shop, now and in the future. The Fairbairn/3rd Line route will not see the destruction of our precious greenspaces and makes even more sense given the many fewer residences affected and the proposed Lily Lake housing development.

Join us at the next Parkway EA meeting Thursday, June 27th from 4:00 pm -­‐ 9:00 pm at the Peterborough Wellness Centre. This is the last time you will be able to ask questions about the route before the final proposal is presented to City Council in September!

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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Take A Bike Ride Through Jackson Park (And See A Turtle)

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