Anyone who’s biked in Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit knows that it’s a bit of an unusual urban space.
Wetlands and wildlife habitats share a waterline with an active dumping zone, where beaches made of bricks are watched over by double-crested cormorants in nearby trees.
“The park has been undergoing work for years and years,” says Raja Raudsepp, the Environmental Educator at Tommy Thompson Park. “It’s part of my mandate to get the word out about what we do in the park.” On August 16, cyclists will have an opportunity to take a
guided tour of the park, led by Raudsepp, and get some insight into all that work.
The tour, which will kick off at 1 PM, will have four or five stops, each focusing on a different element of the parkland. “I’ll share a bit of the history of the park, and the main history of the wetland embayment or cells, and wet habitat creation,” says Raudsepp. On her last tour earlier this summer, some of the stops prompted spirited discussion among the group.
The tour is an attempt to engage with Torontonians about the park, and as Raudsepp explains, to emphasize the park’s positive history and place in the city. “We hear all the time about how humans have a negative impact, but this is positive, it’s urban. When you’re in a park, it’s really easy to recognize that you’re in an urban wilderness and in a success story. The journey to get there is fascinating.” Raudsepp also sees the cycling tour as an opportunity to expand beyond her usual school groups and into the general population. “I’ve heard from people that they’ve wanted to learn more about it.”
Beyond gaining a new perspective on the park, Raudsepp hopes this weekend’s tour will help Torontonians understand the importance of the park on a grander scale. “I hope that people gain a connection to nature, and a sense of stewardship. That they can play a positive role in the world around them.”