The magnificent 150-acre woodland along the east bank of the Credit River north of Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. that's come to be known as the Mississauga Garden Park at Riverwood is going to be owned by the public if Dave Taylor gets his way.
Of course, the property which was once home to the Bird, MacEwan, Zaichuk and Chappell families is already owned by the public in the sense that it was purchased by the Credit Valley Conservation and the City many years ago.
But Taylor, director of the education program at the site, wants to make sure that the real public out there embraces the splendid asset in its midst.
"Our main problem is that nobody knows we're here," said Taylor, who taught 31 years with the Peel Board of Education, including two years in the outdoor education program that was available only too briefly at the Britannia Farm.
"We really want to reach out to involve the public in the science and the natural history of this property," Taylor said this morning in the converted MacEwan house, which will act as the park's field studies centre.
To that end, there will be a series of trails through the park, about two-thirds of which is to be retained in its natural state. The City is turning the other third into a series of themed gardens.
Taylor and teacher Rita Schulze, who work for the Mississauga Garden Council which delivers the education program, will be taking students along the wild bird trail where sharp-eyed juvenile orthnithologists might see Great Horned and Great Grey Owls, sharp-shinned hawks and pileated woodpeckers if the numerous white-tailed deer don't block the view.
Riverwood is definitely a breeding site for the colourful magnolia warbler, which I've seen myself at the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM). The warblers nest in a grove of spruce trees that's right along one of the trails already cut through the bush.
Students and the public may also be helping out UTM Professor Monika Havelka in her research on the white-footed mouse. Students visiting the site earlier this week on the first day of class tours saw one mouse scuttle out of a nesting box.
Taylor wants students and the public to do more than just visit, though. The data they collect on water samples from the Credit or on the movements of the mice can be used for research and monitoring.
There's a large salamander population on the property and Taylor hopes to find the endangered Jefferson salamander there. It was first discovered in Mississauga by citizen Don Barber at the Cawthra Bush a few years ago. That could be especially helpful in attracting funding for critical habitat protection.
As Taylor talks about the potential for stewardship partnerships with universities, local schools boards, community groups, Scouts, Guides etc. he foresees the day when the public will be as excited as he is about enhancing the woodland habit, reintroducing Atlantic Salmon to the Credit and perhaps creating conditions that could lead to re-introduction of long-lost species to the site.
Even a miserable drizzly, dank November morning can't put a damper on Taylor's passion to draw the public into one of the hidden gems we don't seem to know we own.