MAY 11 - 13, 2018 | LYNDE CREEK WATERSHED BIOBLITZ
Heber Down Conservation Area - 5000 Cochrane St, Whitby, ON
Photo by Riza Mir
May 11 | School Day 9am - 2:30pm |
Heber Down Conservation Area is located in the Lynde Creek Watershed, in Whitby Ontario, and is the Base Camp for the first of our 2018 Durham Region BioBlitzes. The conservation area is home to a variety of different habitats, including valley lands, dry uplands and wet woodlands, which makes it an ideal location for a bioblitz.
There are three main trails spanning more than 5km within the conservation area, and features the Devil's Den fishing pond and a picnic area that sits on the banks of the Lynde Creek. This picnic shelter is the home of the 2018 Lynde Creek Watershed BioBlitz Species Depot! Click here to learn more about Heber Down Conservation Area |
Open to elementary and high school classes, the Ontario BioBlitz School day will feature a specially-tailored version of our Guided Blitz program's walks and workshops, just for students! We still have a few spots open - email our Education Coordinator, Chris Ketola, for more details: chrisketola@hotmail.com
May 12 - 13 | Flagship BioBlitz event
Below you will find the schedule of events at Base Camp for our Public Nature Festival, the Guided Blitz Walk and Workshop Schedule, Base Camp Map, and more! More details for registered participants about event protocols and what to bring are included in the Info Packages. These were sent to registered participants Tuesday, May 8 just before 2pm - if you did not receive yours, please check your junk mail, and then if you still can't find it, email info@ontariobioblitz.ca.
SCHEDULE OF BASE CAMP EVENTS
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Saturday May 12
9:00 am - Registration OPENS 11:00 am - OPENING CEREMONIES 11:00 am - Base Camp Nature Festival BEGINS 11:00 am - 6:30 pm - Food Trucks - Stuttering John's, Street Bistro, and GTA Softee Ice Cream. 12:00 pm - OFFICIAL START of the Lynde Creek Watershed BioBlitz 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Face Painting 1:30 pm - LIVE ANIMAL MEET & GREET with REPTILIA 2:30 - LIVE ANIMAL MEET & GREET with SOPER CREEK WILDLIFE RESCUE 5:00 pm - Base Camp Nature Festival ENDS 6:30 pm - Evening Guided Blitz programming BEGINS 10:00 pm - Evening Guided Blitz programming ENDS - Gates CLOSED for the night Sunday May 13 6:00 am - Early Morning Bird Walk 8:00 am - Morning Guided Blitz Walks 12:00 pm - OFFICIAL END of the Lynde Creek Watershed BioBlitz* 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm - BBQ for Registered Participants and volunteers, supported by the Whitby Lion's Club *The organized portion of the event ends - but the data collection continues! Keep making observations on iNaturalist all summer! |
Trumpeter Swan. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr
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PARKING DETAILS
Parking is very limited for the Lynde Creek blitz. We ask that all Intensive participants please park at the 407/412 Commuter Lot (see parking map below) and carpool with one another to get to Heber Down. Parking at the conservation area will be FREE during the event, and all attendees are asked to go to the NORTH Heber Down lot at 5000 Cochrane St. This is a 20-minute walk to base camp via Heber Down trails (see Heber Down Trail Map here). Please carpool whenever possible. CLICK HERE FOR MAP OF PARKING LOCATIONS
The gate to the seasonal South entrance of Heber Down at 500 Lyndebrook will be CLOSED to car traffic between 11am and 5pm for pedestrian safety (except for emergencies and the shuttle service). Participants who need to drop off gear at the species depot should do so before 11am, as cars parked in this lot will be stuck after the gate is closed. The gate will open again at 5pm, and all participants who are camping, staying for evening programming, or evening surveys are invited to park in the SOUTH lot (Base Camp). The gate will close for the night again after 11pm. Please talk to a BioBlitz volunteer if you need to arrive back to Base Camp later than this time from surveying.
SHUTTLE
In order to make Base Camp accessible to everyone with the parking situation, we have hired an 18-person wheelchair-accessible shuttle that will be doing trips back and forth from the Cochrane St Parking Lot to Base Camp. The shuttle will run every 30 minutes between 10am and 6pm. This shuttle is free for riders, but was not free to hire – please help us cover costs with our suggested donation request of $2 per ride. Please give shuttle priority to those who need it most!
Overflow parking
In the event that the North Lot off Cochrane fills up, the 4017/412 Commuter Lot will be used as overflow parking. The shuttle route will be expanded to include this lot, so please be patient with increased wait times, and if you are able to make the 20-minute walk to base camp, please do so.
At Field Localities (for Intensive BioBlitzers): parking arrangements vary; specifics for these various locations will be forwarded to taxon leads for dissemination to their teams.
Parking is very limited for the Lynde Creek blitz. We ask that all Intensive participants please park at the 407/412 Commuter Lot (see parking map below) and carpool with one another to get to Heber Down. Parking at the conservation area will be FREE during the event, and all attendees are asked to go to the NORTH Heber Down lot at 5000 Cochrane St. This is a 20-minute walk to base camp via Heber Down trails (see Heber Down Trail Map here). Please carpool whenever possible. CLICK HERE FOR MAP OF PARKING LOCATIONS
The gate to the seasonal South entrance of Heber Down at 500 Lyndebrook will be CLOSED to car traffic between 11am and 5pm for pedestrian safety (except for emergencies and the shuttle service). Participants who need to drop off gear at the species depot should do so before 11am, as cars parked in this lot will be stuck after the gate is closed. The gate will open again at 5pm, and all participants who are camping, staying for evening programming, or evening surveys are invited to park in the SOUTH lot (Base Camp). The gate will close for the night again after 11pm. Please talk to a BioBlitz volunteer if you need to arrive back to Base Camp later than this time from surveying.
SHUTTLE
In order to make Base Camp accessible to everyone with the parking situation, we have hired an 18-person wheelchair-accessible shuttle that will be doing trips back and forth from the Cochrane St Parking Lot to Base Camp. The shuttle will run every 30 minutes between 10am and 6pm. This shuttle is free for riders, but was not free to hire – please help us cover costs with our suggested donation request of $2 per ride. Please give shuttle priority to those who need it most!
Overflow parking
In the event that the North Lot off Cochrane fills up, the 4017/412 Commuter Lot will be used as overflow parking. The shuttle route will be expanded to include this lot, so please be patient with increased wait times, and if you are able to make the 20-minute walk to base camp, please do so.
At Field Localities (for Intensive BioBlitzers): parking arrangements vary; specifics for these various locations will be forwarded to taxon leads for dissemination to their teams.
Guided Blitz Session Schedules - Walks and Workshops
Please note that we are trying a new method for our participants to sign up for guided blitz sessions this year. Many people who register in advance do not show up to the event. In order to ensure those who come to the event are able to join the sessions that appeal to them most, participants will join the walks or workshops that appeal to them based on the schedules below.
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