Imagine a serene conservation park that engages
and fascinates your family for hours.
Now image that place -- a magical place that changes with the seasons
inviting you to escape from your everyday life -- nestled just outside of the busy
streets and noisy congestion of Toronto.
That place exists. It is Crawford Lake and it’s waiting to
welcome you.
Crawford Lake is that perfect natural
space that will become an anticipated high point of your family adventures. Enjoy all that Crawford Lake offers this
summer and then visit again in October, when Crawford Lake will introduce
nature to art with the installation of a series of chainsaw sculptures. These
artworks are very special to me as they are being created specifically to
honour members of my family – my aunt and her son.
Established in 1969, Crawford Lake is an
outdoor education facility that is the perfect destination for all ages. This alluring
232 hectare park is a “living-breathing classroom” that offers:
-
tours of long houses in a reconstructed 15th
century Iroquoian Village
-
sampling of cornbread and maple syrup made on site
-
exploration of a rare, beautiful and soothing lake that
has some very distinct qualities
-
natural, but easily accessible, paths for both education
and exploration that offer fun and new discoveries at every turn
-
and so much more
Every year the majestic beauty that is Crawford
Lake hosts over 39,000 students and 90,000 guests. Visitors are encouraged to
explore a full-sized reconstructed First Nations village. Stepping back in
history, children walk through a long house. The tour of the long house is the most
popular of Crawford Lake’s programs. The smoke from the fire lingers in the air
around you giving your surroundings a sense of mystery. Animal skins hang on
the walls in the sunlit house. Examples of everyday items sit on long tables on
display that you can touch. After exploring inside, you are invited to sit around the
fire learning about the ways of the First Nations People and how they created their
tools. Beyond the walls of the long houses children, young and old, are invited
to engage in high-energy games that have been played by the First Nations People for
generations.
Visitors can also create crafts that represent
the works of these fascinating people and can be taken home at the end of the
day. Once outside the village, exploring
thick forests and hiking around the magical Crawford Lake guarantees new and
treasured memories that teach history and ecology. Following specific Ontario
curriculum requirements, some programs at Crawford Lake involve archaeology
where students learn the basics of topographical analysis, setting girds,
methods of excavation and the importance of lab work. Other
programs will entail a meet and greet experience with the vegetation that
surrounds the lake. These students will learn how humans have used, and
continue to use plants, as a means of living, how plants and soils support our
planet, and how students can protect plants and soils.
During the winter months, visitors can embark on a guided snowshoe adventure to learn the history of snowshoeing and how to use the shoes that are necessary to navigate this winter landscape.
During the winter months, visitors can embark on a guided snowshoe adventure to learn the history of snowshoeing and how to use the shoes that are necessary to navigate this winter landscape.
The 6.5 hectare lake is approximately 24
meters deep. This rare meromictic lake is known for its “layers of water” that
don’t mix. It is one of only thirty others like it in Canada. This impressive
body of water receives its water from springs and the natural water table. Scientists still study the lake today to see
the possible vegetation that lined the lake years ago. They do this by
analyzing the pollen and algae that is trapped in the lower levels of the water
about 15 meters down. All of this
information is shared with visitors.
Combining all of these activities helps guests
to develop an understanding and appreciation of what it was like to live in the
area over 600 years ago while enjoying a fascinating experience. Education has never been this interactive or
fun!
In addition to the already exceptional programs
that are in place at Crawford Lake, fall 2013 will welcome a special new
educational program that is very personal to me. Two chainsaw sculptures will be introduced
to recognize the lives of important members of my family that have passed
away. My Aunt Karen, who was an inspiring and innovative educator. She enhanced
the learning of many students before she died in 2007. She will be represented by a Monarch
Butterfly with a 4 foot wing span perched on top of a 9 foot tree. Her son,
Robert, was an intelligent, thriving athlete with a future that was promising. However,
heartbroken after the death of his Mom and best friend, Robert took his life
last year. A second carving, one of a Lone Wolf, will be presented to honour his short life.
The Monarch butterfly and Lone Wolf will
be prominent carvings and will carry the most emotional
impact for my family. They will be remembrances that we can visit for months
and years to come. We hope they will bring joy
where there is still much sadness. They will be a place for us to visit and
remember Karen and Robert always in a way that we hope will bring happiness not
only to our family but to members of all the families that will enjoy the
beauty of these unique pieces.
Our family sculptures won’t be the only beautiful
works of art to educate everyone that walks the path of discovery. The program has grown beyond the two carvings
for my family. A series of 8 other
animals which are endangered have also been commissioned. With Crawford Lake
being located in the Niagara Escarpment, its unique atmosphere inhabits many
endangered species including Snapping Turtles, Eastern Milk Snake, West Virginia
White Butterfly, Jefferson Salamander, Hooded Warbler, Woodland Vole and the Red-Side Dace. To add additional excitement and
points of interest to all Crawford Lake already offers, five of these
sculptures will be crafted on site during Crawford Lake’s Fall Into Nature celebrations held Oct 12 - 14 and 18 - 20. Watching a
chainsaw sculpture come to life is magical.
It’s noisy and messy and incredibly beautiful to see a tree trunk
transformed into a work of art.
When you explore Crawford Lake, you are
embracing nature at its very best. Join us at Crawford Lake for your next
expedition. You won’t have to travel far and you’ll create memories that will
last a lifetime.
We’ll look forward to welcoming you and becoming
a part of your discovery adventure at Crawford Lake.