Twenty-four people gathered on a cold and unseasonably muddy Saturday in February for an interpretive hike in Toronto’s Crothers’ Woods. Lead by Paul Abell, Stewardship Coordinator with A Rocha in the Greater Toronto Area, with help from the Creation Care Working Group at his church community, participants were introduced—most for the first time—to the trees in one of Toronto’s oldest remaining forests. With species such as Sugar Maple, Ironwood, Eastern Hemlock, and the endangered Butternut Tree, Crothers’ Woods is a remnant of the forests that once blanketed a great part of the region. The presence of Butternut, two endangered sunflower species, and a rare sedge, has earned Crothers’ Woods the designation of an ‘Environmentally Significant Area’ by the local Conservation Authority, Toronto and Region Conservation. Participants were also introduced to a unique public-private partnership over the last few years between the City, the Conservation Authority, the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and others in the community. This partnership has helped guarantee that this unique forest will be protected—and regenerate—for generations to come.

As an interpretive hike, this outing was educational and introduced people to both the need for responsible stewardship of natural spaces, as well as to the significant role that community volunteers and environmental NGOs, such as A Rocha, can contribute. A Rocha has supported similar stewardship efforts in the GTA and is currently planning a stewardship project for another natural space that is deemed to be a priority for remediation (stewardship) by Toronto and Region Conservation. If you are interested in knowing about this plan and/or other A Rocha activities in the GTA, please email ontario@arocha.ca.