Ganaraska Forest Centre
10585 Cold Springs Camp Road L0A 1B0 Port Hope, ON, Canada

Nature Nuts Summer Camp is filling up! Register today to give your child the gift of nature this summer.

Attention Teachers! We're coming to you! The Ganaraska Forest Centre is pleased to offer Outdoor Education On a Roll, providing several choices of outdoor and environmental programs that are taught right in your own classroom and schoolyard. GFC Teachers are also offering virtual Specialist High Skills Major certifications. Each of these certifications has been retooled to provide an engaging training experience that extends beyond the screen.... See information on our website: http://bit.ly/2WNVjuw, and email [email protected] or call the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority at 905.885.8173 to take advantage of these opportunities for your students! (photo taken pre-pandemic)

Reminder: The Ganaraska Forest does not open to motorized-use until May 1st! The forest is currently open to only hiking. It will open to hunting on April 25th (wild turkey); followed by horseback riding, mountain biking, and off-road vehicle use on May 1st.

Have you registered your children for Nature Nuts Summer Camp yet?!

Spring is in the air and engagements are popping up everywhere. Check out Ganaraska Forest Centre weddings for your special day! Email [email protected] to learn about pop-up style nuptials and full weekend, full facility wedding packages. https://www.ganaraskaforestcentre.ca/functions-and-events/

Share your memories with the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority!

Treetop Trekking Ganaraska will open Friday, April 2nd. Who is excited to zip through the trees in the Ganaraska Forest this summer?! https://treetoptrekking.com/park/ganaraska/

GFC staff have heard off-road vehicles zipping along the trails. Please respect the forest closures. The damage that these vehicles are causing is potentially irreversible, and costs the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority a lot of time and dollars to restore the multi-use trails.

If you forgot to purchase and print your Ganaraska Forest pass online (https://shop.ganaraskaconservation.ca/) before visiting, don't worry! This step-by-step day pass kiosk can be found in front of the GFC Gatehouse. It will print a pass to carry with you on the trails, as well as a parking pass to leave in the dash of your vehicle.

Reminder: The Ganaraska Forest is closed to all motorized-use, with the exception of snowmobiling on The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs - OFSC trails, until May 1 2021.

Ganaraska Forest ski trail update: conditions are fair.

Stay active, stay safe, stay healthy.

January 11th Ganaraska Forest Cross-Country Ski Update: The Orange Trail and A, B, C Loops were groomed on January 10th. Please be mindful of icy patches where snow depths are limited. When conditions change, updates will be posted here and the GFC and Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority website. Note that rentals will not be available for the 20/21 season. When the ski trails are open, hikers, dog walkers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and snowshoers are not permitted on the ski trail system.

Tracks in the snow remind us that we share the land with other animals, many of which navigate it in winter so much better than we do.

Ontario's Conservation Authorities Need Your Help

Consider signing up for the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority's e-news to keep informed on what's happening in the Ganaraska Forest and across the Ganaraska watershed.

Please note temporary closure of the south end of Cold Springs Camp Road.

The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, Conservation Ontario and all Conservation Authorities across Ontario encourage you to reach out to your local MPP, requesting them to repeal Schedule 6 of the Bill 229: Protect, Support and Recover from COVID 19 Act (Budget Measures Act).

Reminder: The Ganaraska Forest Centre remains closed to the public. To purchase Ganaraska Forest trail passes, visit https://shop.ganaraskaconservation.ca/, use the self-serve GFC gatehouse, or visit Noone's Petro Canada on Hwy 115. To contact a Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority staff member, please call 905.885.8173.

If you're in the area, slow down and be aware.

#StepIntoNature at school with our friends at TRCA. For information, visit: https://trca.ca//nature-in-your-classroom-seasonal-chang/

DYK? * European Buckthorn can alter nitrogen levels in the soil, creating better conditions for its own growth & discouraging the growth of native species. It can host oat rust, a fungus that causes leaf and crown rust and affects the yield and quality of oats; as well as soybean aphids in the winter, which damage soybean crops. * Autumn olive outcompetes native plants for light, space and nutrients; displacing them and forming dense, monoculture thickets, reducing species ri...chness & diversity. It may also pose a particular threat to prairies, savannas and open woods, altering ecosystem fire regimes, as fuels do not accumulate beneath it. Contact Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority's Forester Gus Saurer, or Watershed Biologist Lindsay Champagne for more information on #invasivespecies and best management practices.

The Ganaraska Forest Centre has offered high quality outdoor education programs to schools and youth groups since 1978. Though things may look a little different this year, we are ready to welcome you back! Visit 'For Teachers' at ganaraskaforestcentre.ca or email [email protected] to book your visit today!

This incredible hands-on program is one that your student's will always remember! Contact the LOASRP to get involved.

A stunning view of the Ganaraska Forest!

What a beautiful couple! DYK that when you book your wedding at the Ganaraska Forest Centre, your booking includes a permit for engagement photos to be taken anywhere in the magnificent Ganaraska Forest? All other photography sessions must apply for a special event permit through the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. Contact us for more information about GFC weddings!... https://www.ganaraskaforestcentre.ca/functions-and-events/ See more

A reminder when visiting the Ganaraska Forest Centre: We are located within the non-motorized central section of the Ganaraska Forest. Unloading/operating off-road vehicles at the GFC and in the Central Forest is a violation of posted rules and is a chargeable offence under the Conservation Authorities Act and the Trespass to Property Act. The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority has signage posted at the main entrance to the GFC, indicating that operating and unloading ORVs is not permitted in this area. You can find a complete list of all Ganaraska Forest rules and regulation of use on forest maps, in all forest parking areas, and on the GFC website: http://bit.ly/2HmUxQC. It is the responsibility of the Ganaraska Forest user to read and follow all property rules and regulations.

Tomorrow is looking like the perfect Fall day for our client's outdoor pop-up wedding at the GFC! Were your wedding plans flipped upside down because of the pandemic? Do you still want your wedding year to be 2020? Consider a Ganaraska Forest Centre wedding! Email [email protected] for information and available dates.

Heads-up if you're planning a visit to the Ganaraska Forest.

You too can help fight climate change by consciously reducing, reusing and recycling; driving an electric vehicle; talking about climate change; incorporating a sustainable diet in your household; and by joining our friends at Ontario Power Generation in planting shrubs on your property.

There is still time to register for the second 4-week block of Nature Nuts School!

The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority is pleased to offer SHSM on a Roll! Ganaraska Forest Centre Teachers will come to your school for a full or half day of certifications. Email [email protected] for program availability and other information. https://www.ganaraskaforestcentre.ca/specialist-high-skill/ PVNCCDSB Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Durham District School Board Durham Catholic District School Board

October 5, 2020 Update: The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority is continuing to monitor the latest COVID-19 developments and is taking precautions to keep our workplace safe for staff, visitors and partners across the watershed. In an effort to reduce crowding during the salmon migration, Sylvan Glen and Port Hope Conservation Areas remain closed until October 16th. Ganaraska Millennium Conservation Area is now a one-way trail: head right upon entry to the trailhead. Re...member to practice social-distancing on the trails and in CA parking lots. A reminder that camping is not permitted in any GRCA conservation areas, and dogs must be kept on-leash. https://www.grca.on.ca/conservation-areas/ The Ganaraska Forest is open to all recreational activities. Please see https://bit.ly/3gkiuq0 which includes important information for all users. Reminders: Maintain physical distancing on the trails and in parking lots. Fires and camping are prohibited in the forest. Dogs must be kept on-leash in ALL sections of the Ganaraska Forest. All GRCA buildings remain closed to the public, including the Ganaraska Forest Centre and all public washrooms. Staff continue to operate through phone and email communications. https://www.grca.on.ca/contact-staff/ Your patience, cooperation and support is appreciated during this time. Please continue to visit our website for updates. Stay safe. https://www.grca.on.ca/

GRCA's Fall E-News

Phyllis' Story: the original orange shirt https://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html

Ganaraska Forest Centre weddings are beautiful during any time of the year, but Fall weddings seem to be that much more magical! Are you looking for your perfect outdoor ceremony location? Email [email protected] to learn more about 2021 weekend wedding packages for you and your guests or smaller single day pop-up style events. https://www.ganaraskaforestcentre.ca/functions-and-events/... Photo Credit: Heather Prosser Photography

Is your child having troubles coping in a large class setting under the new government guidelines? The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority is pleased to offer a program which supports the Board of Education online learning requirements. Contact the GRCA to learn more about Nature Nuts School! 905.885.8173 https://bit.ly/30lhPQe

Did you get outside to enjoy the beautiful Fall weekend? Let's all cross our fingers for more weather like this!