Latest news with #RoyalBotanicalGardens
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The ‘Waterfall Capital of the World' is in Ontario where you can explore 100 plus stunning waterfalls
It's been called the Steel City, but outdoor enthusiasts know Hamilton has far more to offer than its blue-collar, working-class identity might suggest. As the Civic Holiday long weekend approaches, Ontario residents can discover Hamilton's natural wonders by visiting the many waterfalls that cut through the city. Travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler once called Hamilton the Waterfall Capital of the World. Smithsonian Magazine notes Hamilton's waterfall wealth comes from its location along the Niagara Escarpment, an arc-shaped ridge that spans the Great Lakes region. The natural feature comes from years of erosion along a fault line. Hamilton has more than 100 waterfalls within its city limits. Many are accessible from maintained trails, including the Bruce Trail, and public viewing areas. Spectators should watch for steep drop offs and unstable ground near waterfalls. Be sure to obey fenced off areas and avoid the urge to risk your safety for that perfect selfie. Tourism Hamilton has compiled a list of the top waterfalls in Hamilton, with 10 water features the public should see. Felker's Falls , nestled in the Felker's Falls Conservation Area of Stoney Creek is a hidden gem, with a ribbon-like waterfall and significant geological rock formations in the bedrock gorge. Tiffany Falls is off Wilson Street East in Ancaster. Tiffany Falls in the community of Ancaster is accessible via a short walk from Wilson Street. The expansive cascade waterfall is part of a conservation area that includes a forested trail, bridges and a stream. Devil's Punchbowl off Ridge Road in Stoney Creek. The Devil's Punchbowl , located in a conservation area in Stoney Creek, is among the most stunning natural formations along the Niagara Escarpment, according to Tourism Hamilton. The deep multicoloured gorge is a history lesson in geology. Albion Falls, surrounded by lush summer foliage, is pictured in this July 2023 photo. Albion Falls is one of Hamilton's most popular waterfalls. The Red Hill Creek in the city's east end slows over rock steps and shelves, creating a cascade of rushing water. Smokey Hollow Falls is off Mill Street in Waterdown. Smokey Hollow Falls is a ribbon waterfall in the community of Waterdown in a leafy forest setting. The water feature is created by flows from Grindstone Creek. Sherman Falls is pictured in this file photo. Sherman Falls happens to lie on private property, but the owners are happy to let others enjoy the beauty, according to Tourism Hamilton. The falls are also known as Fairy or Angel Falls and are located along a popular hike route on the Bruce Trail. Borer's Falls can be viewed from escarpment land managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens. The 15-metre Borer's Falls once powered a local sawmill. The seasonal waterfall is visible through the trees at the top of the escarpment on land managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens. Located within the Dundas Valley Conservation Area, the Hermitage Cascade flows from Sulphur Creek at a modest four metres tall. The water feature is easy to find beside the Hermitage gatehouse and serves as an ideal starting point for a nature hike. A hiker reaches out to get some spray off the base of Webster Falls in this October 2020 file photo. Webster Falls is the largest waterfall in the regions and the most popular, according to Tourism Hamiton. The 22-metre classical curtain waterfall draws guests from all over Ontario, especially in the fall, when the changing leaves offer a breathtaking backdrop. The falls are a key feature of the Spencer Gorge/Webster Falls Conservation Area, one of Upper Canada's earliest industrial communities. Due to the popularity of Webster Falls to view the autumn leaves, the site requires online reservations to visit, starting in September. Tew Falls is pictured in this September 2020 file photo. Tew Falls are often considered a package deal with nearby Webster Falls, but the site is worth a visit on its own. The ribbon waterfall is the tallest in Hamilton and marks the beginning of an uphill forested hike. Nature enthusiasts can visit the famous Dundas Peak and enjoy stunning views of Dundas, known as the Valley Town, according to Tourism Hamilton .
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Melbourne lights up with huge Winter event
Melbourne in Winter means warm coats, good coffee and staying indoors. But there are some exceptions worth braving the city's famous cold for. One of them is happening now at the Royal Botanical Gardens where after dark it lights up to create mesmerising scenes. The annual Lightscape festival has been something I've wanted to check out for years, after it sold out in 2022 and 2023. This year, walking through the sea of installations and illuminated sculptures, I got to see for myself why it has been so popular. When you first walk in, the word WOMINJEKA lights up beneath tall trees coloured purple and blue and pink. The Woiwurrung word spoken by the Wurundjeri people translates to 'welcome' and it's a fitting entry. For those who have visited in the past, this year's event promised 'new sights, new sounds, a whole new journey'. 'Wander through glowing floral canopies, marvel at the sparkling 'Effervescence', and lose yourself in a landscape reimagined with artistic lighting and immersive soundscapes,' event organisers wrote. Highlights include Trapezoid by ArtAV, Lasers by Culture Creative, Dandelions by Fantasy Wire and Greenhouses by Dan Adams — an exhibit that will have young hearts breaking as they're told 'no, you cannot go inside there'. Crowne Plaza Melbourne has this year formed a partnership with Lightscape to offer guests discounted tickets and a hotel stay (breakfast buffet included). The hotel, part of the IHG group, bills itself as the only absolute riverfront hotel in Melbourne and offers 432 gues suites and incredible views over the Yarra River. The partnership offers overnight accommodation for two including two tickets to Lightscape as well as beanies and blankets to help stay warm. Crowne Plaza Melbourne General Manager, Erkin Aytekin, said the partnership is designed to capture families looking for short city visits and staycations. 'Lightscape is the original immersive light experience, and it beautifully captures the magic of winter, encouraging families to explore the gardens as they have never seen before. We're very proud to be aligning with this internationally renowned activation to showcase winter in Melbourne,' he said. 'We have some very special offers available at the hotel; the idea is providing guests with all the creature comforts they need when they get back from their Lightscape visit.' The event runs until August 10.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Ontario's Halton Region shutting down heritage division, getting rid of 30,000-item historical collection
Social Sharing Ontario's Halton Region is shuttering its heritage services department and will soon start trying to get rid of around 30,000 historical items, including photographs, tools, natural history specimens, archeological finds, art and the Halton County archives. The region is hoping local lower-tier municipalities and organizations such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, Conservation Halton and the Halton Regional Police Service will take the items in order to keep them in public hands, but says anything it can't rehouse will be up for public auction – a move heritage advocates, including a consulting firm hired by the region, say can be unethical and degrade public trust. Halton Regional Council voted July 9 to "cease delivering heritage services" by the end of this year and to "deaccession" its collection. The vote was held in a closed session, following staff and consultant reports from the past year that indicate region staff have supported this idea for some time. The move is a sharp turn from the vision in the region's five-year operational plan endorsed in 2021, which included $8 million for a new "heritage centre" for the department that was never built. "Regional staff will implement a process for dispersing the collection – that is, removing these items from the region's ownership and responsibility," stated a confidential staff memo that came before council that day, which was later made public by the region. "Regional staff will make every effort to continue public ownership of the items and to keep the items located within Halton." Collection includes 20 'potential Indigenous belongings' The memo says the collection includes "tools and equipment, uniforms and clothing, furniture, personal items, medical tools and equipment, communication tools and equipment, natural history specimens, archeological materials, works of art, and other miscellaneous items." It also contains about 20 "potential Indigenous belongings," such as "beaded objects, bark and quill boxes, footwear, and gloves." The region will attempt to return those items to the communities they came from, the memo states. It lists potential partners to receive items from the rest of the collection as Conservation Halton, the Halton Regional Police Service, Royal Botanical Gardens, Country Heritage Park, the Milton Historical Society, local municipalities and local libraries. "Transfers to these organizations would be strictly voluntary and will differ based on the level of interest and how items from the collection align with their individual mandate and capacity," it states. But, it adds that some items may go to auction. "There are objects in the collection that do not have a clear value or direct relationship to Halton or its heritage. In these cases, public auction may be a valid method for dispersal. Where this approach is taken, advance public notice will be provided. "Given the size of the collection and the complexity of deaccessioning and dispersal processes, it is anticipated that this will be a significant undertaking with an extended timeline." 'I am hoping that Halton valued these objects' Halton Region communications specialist Isabel Contin shared more details with CBC Hamilton about what the collection includes. She said there are: About 18,400 "objects": Tools, uniforms and clothing, furnishings, personal and medical items, communication devices, natural history specimens, archeological finds, and artworks. About 3,100 photographs. About 13,000 archival materials: Maps, documents and other materials. "The items span from the 19th century (e.g., court artifacts and family farm tools), through the 21st century (e.g., medical equipment, police service items, and items related to the COVID-19 pandemic)," she wrote in an email on Thursday. "While some items in the collection have a clear link to Halton's local heritage, many do not." As for the Indigenous items, she said Halton Region's Indigenous Relations team will be involved in their transfer "to ensure they are properly identified, respected, and ultimately returned to the appropriate communities or custodians." Halton Region sits on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), and is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat and Anishinabek, according to the region's land acknowledgement. Darin Wybenga, traditional knowledge and land use coordinator for MCFN, told CBC Hamilton he was unaware of the objects held by the region, and is keen to see what they are. "I am hoping that Halton valued these objects enough to keep a good record of where they obtained these things," he said on Thursday, noting there was strong likelihood some of them could belong to MCFN. He was thankful the region will reach out to first nations before auctioning the items — something he said shows progress in the relationships between Canadian institutions and Indigenous communities. "There is some consideration given to the people who might have something at stake with these objects, so that's a positive step." In the same call, MCFN councillor Erma Farrell said she hopes to arrange a meeting to see the items soon. She also noted her disappointment with the closure of the department, noting it seems several area municipalities are cutting back on support for heritage services. Heritage advocate concerned items will be 'dispersed everywhere' A consultant's report about potential options for the collection issued in April included numerous potential scenarios for the collection, with shutting down the division entirely the only one for which it found more "cons" than "pros." The Museum Collection Administration Study, written by Canadian cultural planning firm Lord Cultural Resources, notes "the Region made a commitment when accessioning an object to care for it in the public trust. "The public's reaction may be particularly negative if the matter is not communicated properly, or if a large portion of objects are not transferred to other institutions and thus are removed from the public realm," it states. It gives an example of objects from the collection that have already been transferred to the Royal Botanical Gardens, but instead of being accessioned by the RBG – which means they'd have to steward them in perpetuity – they were used as display props. That means they can be accessible to the public in way they weren't before — but the change in status removes the "requirement for permanent preservation and conservation. "As props they may be discarded when deterioration becomes an issue," the study states. It also notes that many of the agencies that the region hopes to send items to already have their own staffing, space and funding challenges, as well as narrow collections mandates that will limit what they can accept. London, Ont., heritage advocate and public history professor Michelle Hamilton has been watching the Halton process unfold, and says many in her field are shocked by how many items stand to go from the public trust to private hands through this process. "The idea that this will not lead to loss of artifacts is naive," Hamilton told CBC on Tuesday. "They would be dispersed everywhere, they'd go into private collections, and never be seen or heard from again. You're taking something that belongs to the public, you're selling it off without permission and it goes into private hands. It's just ethically wrong." Hamilton, who teaches at Western University, says it is also unethical to deaccession the collection prior to consulting the public, noting she's worried this move could start a trend. "If it happens in Halton, it's going to be a ball rolling down a hill and others will follow," she says.
Hamilton Spectator
23-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Wild rice grows again in Cootes Paradise — with a little help
Wild rice is making a comeback in Cootes Paradise. In a remarkable rebound, native aquatic plants have returned in abundance this summer , including the important wetland species. Aquatic ecologist Jennifer Bowman is part of the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) team helping the marshland restoration, boosting the wild rice with greenhouse-grown plants. Jennifer Bowman, aquatic conservation programs senior ecologist at the Royal Botanical Gardens, plants southern wild rice in Cootes Paradise. Southern wild rice (Zizania aquatica) was once a dominant wetland plant, important culturally and economically for Indigenous people in the marshlands of what is now southern Ontario, says the RBG aquatic conservation programs ecologist. But the species was lost in Cootes in the 1970s or 80s, Bowman adds, while the marsh was in a 'degraded' state. Southern wild rice plants among the lily pads in the west Hamilton marsh. During the restoration period, Bowman said, the marsh was full of invasive carp and wide open (producing 'lots of waves') — conditions 'not helpful for the rice getting established.' With a swell of growth, wetland conservationists are working to help the sensitive plant — as well as other native species — reach sustainable populations. Wild rice is planted among lilies and other aquatic vegetation flourishing in Cootes Paradise. 'Some areas (of Cootes) are producing seed,' Bowman says. Planting seedlings from the RBG nursery helps supplement the population, she adds, 'so we can have a population that will seed itself.'
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Sudden Branch Drop Syndrome warnings issued in north-west London
People have been warned not to sit underneath or near trees after a number of large branches fell suddenly in some north-west London notices were issued by Harrow Council after branches fell in Stanmore, Hatch End and Pinner. No one was reported to have been injured. The council said it was due to Sudden Branch Drop Syndrome, which has no known cause, but heatwaves and changes in tree moisture levels could be a inspections have been made of trees in parks, near play areas and outdoor gyms, the council said, and none so far have been found to be hazardous. The council asked the public to be aware of the issue, and to report any concerns with local trees via their website. It added: "Trees are vital to our environment and wildlife, and we remain committed to maintaining and growing our tree stock."They provide better air quality, reduce flooding, and is good for mental health and wellbeing." SUDDEN BRANCH DROPAffects large trees such as oak, beech and horse chestnutCan occur after a long dry spell, especially if followed by a sudden downpourBranches often fall in calm conditions In 2012, a woman was killed at Kew Gardens after a branch fell unexpectedly from a tree in the the Royal Botanical Gardens referred to the incident at the time as a "terrible freak accident".
