Most noteworthy successes of the early years:

• Renaturalizing the channel at the Black Creek Pioneer Village,
• Successful negotiations with the Town Of Vaughan to modify their industrial development plans for the Vaughan-Hwy 400 estates to address potential downstream stormwater and water pollution problems,
• Preservation of Edgeley woodlot, a small stand of Carolinian trees,
• Convincing the City of York not to use Lavender Creek, a tributary of the Black Creek, as a snow dumping site,
• 1985 Summer - Black Creek Improvement Study
  Funded by Canada Works Grant.
  Completed by the publication of "A Proposal for Erosion Control and Trails on the Black Creek" © ,
• 1988 - A Natural Heritage Inventory Study of the Black Creek Watershed
  Funded by the City of York, The Ontario Heritage Foundation (Ministry of Citizenship and Culture)
  Plants inventory of 4 natural sites in the watershed: Edgeley and Hedges woodlots,York University Campus - Black Creek Ravine, and the Black Creek Drive Corridor,
• 1992Smythe park channel repair at Jane street, after lobbying TRCA compromised for armor stone instead of concrete replacement,
• 1993 Lavender Creek planting and path construction- a joint project with the Lavender Association of local residents.
  Funded by Consumer Gas &City Of York. Lavender Creek Path opened on Oct 14, 1993.

Our major projects included the following initiatives:

• 1990-91 The Black Creek Rehabilitation Project.
• 1992-94 Black Creek Improvement Project
• 1995-99 Adopt a Stream / Caring for Your Watershed
• 1996-97 Black Creek Channel Renaturalization Study
• 2000-01 Clean the Creek Program
• 2002-04 Partnerships in Restoration Program
• 2006-07 Black Creek Restoration Coalition Project
• 2008-10 Education through Action on the Black Creek
• 2008 Chalkfarm Park - Native Wildflower Garden #1
• 2008-09 Riparian & Steep Slope Planting Program
• 2009 Chalkfarm Park - Native Wildflower Garden #2
• 2009 Mt. Dennis Community Project
• 2010-11 Downsview Dells Community Environmental Programs
• 2010-12 Downsview Dells Community: An Action Program for Stormwater Control
• 2011 Stormwater Reduction Program
• 2012 Wildlife Habitat Structures for an Urban Watershed

Under this program participants in BCCP events and programs were able to construct and install 396 wildlife habitat structures. These included 270 toad abodes, 50 song bird nesting boxes, 45 tern nesting shelters, 6 bat boxes and 25 bee condos. In order to build these structures the BCCP held one large community event and 5 partner based biulding programs. Over 400 people attended these events. In addition, volunteers planted over 1,000 native wildflowers at 2 locations along the Black Creek watershed in order to improve local habitat and plant diversity. During the year BCCP held three nature walks, taking almost 200 youth out into their local parks to look for signs of wildlife in our city and to assist with installing some of the habitat structures. During the project the BCCP developed several new partnerships; BCCP volunteers assisted in building 45 new tern nesting shelters. The materials for these shelters was donated by Toronto Waterfront Parks and the completed shelters were returned to Waterfront Parks staff so that they could be installed on a new tern nesting raft along the Toronto Harbourfront! The BCCP also partnered with the TRCA to assist in the Richmond Hill Mill Pond Splash event for 2012. At this event, local Richmond Hill residents participated in building 90 new toad abodes which were later installed in green spaces along the Black creek.

Bee Hotel

Building toad abodes

Installing toad abodes

1990 - 1991 "Black Creek Rehabilitation Project"- a joint project with Conservation Council of Ontario (CCO).
Supported by Environmental Partners Fund (Environment Canada) - BCCP Project No: Ont-0038 and CCO Project No: Ont-0040,
summer work programs supported by Environmental Youth Corps (Human Resources Development, Canada).
Project Summary:
Work focused on erosion control (25 sites), reforestation (3000 trees and shrubs), and habitat enhancement at 4 sites : Edgeley, North of Lawrence at Queens Drive, Trethewey, and Lavender Creek. In May of 92 consultants delivered the "Ontario Hydro Right-of-Way Site Design" © (engineering study for planned wetland at the site).

1992 April to end of 1994: "Black Creek Improvement Project"
Supported by Environmental Partners Fund (Environment Canada) - Project No: Ont-0243, Environmental Youth Corps Program (Ministry of Natural Resources, Canada),
Global ReLeaf, Laidlaw Foundation, Kodak Canada, City of York, Community Wildlife Improvement Program (MNR)
Project Summary:
Work focused on renaturalizing the channelized portion of the creek, erosion control, and wetland creation to provide wildlife habitat and enhance biodiversity.
During the course of the project 11,300 trees, shrubs, and aquatic plants were planted by over 1,300 volunteers.
In 93 September the Trethewy (North of Eglinton East of Black Creek Drive) Wetland opened.
In 94 the "Wildlife Enhancement" subproject created the Hydro Right-of-Way Wetlands (0.5 km N of Steels, West of Jane).

• The planting of almost 7000 trees and shrubs and 1555 aquatics plants,
• The completion of 21 individual restoration and management projects within the watershed,
• The adoption of 12 sites by community groups,
• A large variety of community out-reach and education activities,
• In 1997 published "Caring for your Watershed, A Guide to Adopting and Rehabilitating Black Creek" ©,
• In the summer of 98 initiated a water quality monitoring program, involving students and community members in water quality education, testing and analysis. The results were published in September: "Study and Analysis of Benthic Invertebrates, Thermal Stability, and Channel Morphology for the Black Creek" ©.

1996-97 Black Creek Channel Renaturalization Study
Funded by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Laidlaw Foundation.
Project Summary:
In 1999 February consulting engineers delivered the document: "Black Creek Channel Naturalization Feasibility Study (Rockcliffe Boulevard to Jane Street)" ©

2000 to 2001: "Clean the Creek" Program
Supported by EcoAction (Environment Canada, Project # ON-12017), The Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation.
Project Summary:
Over the two years, the Black Creek Conservation Project has carried out a total of 122 community outreach events and activities under this program.
Accomplishments included:

• the planting of 2,746 native trees and shrubs and 1,700 aquatic and wet meadow plants within the watershed,
• 25 clean-up events which filled over a dozen dumpsters with garbage and litter pulled from the creek and parklands,
• completion of a comprehensive water quality assessment of the creek (temperature, invertebrate communities, fish, amphibians, bio-monitoring, water chemistry),
• business and community outreach to address the issue of stolen shopping carts being dumped into the creek,
• conducting numerous watershed tours, educational tours and events,
• working to address issues pertinent to the watershed such as; stormwater contamination, road salt impacts, snow dump impacts,
• the development of a Regeneration Strategy for the Black Creek Conservation Project to prioritize our restoration activities,
  in 2001published "A Strategy for the Regeneration of Black Creek" © .

• 175 restoration and educational events,
• 4315 native trees planted during the project,
• 4475 native wildflower and aquatic plants planted,
• 10 restoration action sites,
• constructing a total of 7 native wildflower gardens through the Black Creek watershed,
• construction of a trail through Black Creek Channel Park.

2006 to 2007 "Black Creek Restoration Coalition Project"
Supported by EcoAction (Environment Canada, Project # ON-24032).
Project Summary:
From extensive experience in delivering outdoor education programs to schools we have expanded the repertoire of our environmental subjects:

• Our tree planting has grown to include tree maintenance programs,
• Our bird house building has grown to include bird population monitoring programs,
• Our outdoor education programs have grown to include new topics on native plant propagation, tree care & pruning,
• Our native plant gardens are now managed and propagated by the adopting schools.

• 120 events held,
• 8 new organizations engaged,
• 11 restoration action sites,
• 5520 native trees planted,
• 45 bird houses installed, 100 built
• 1 snake hibernacula constructed,
• 4 wildflower gardens established,
• 26,750 kg of garbage removed.

2008 Spring: Chalkfarm Park - Native Wildflower Garden #1
Supported by: Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation - Community Grants Program
Project Summary:
A 40 square meter native wildflower garden, containing 1000 plants, was established at the north end of Chalkfarm Park (West side of Jane Street, North of Wilson Ave.).

• Our tree planting has grown to include tree maintenance programs,
• Our bird house building has grown to include bird population monitoring programs,
• Our outdoor education programs have grown to include new topics on native plant propagation, tree care & pruning.

The project will be operating solely within the Mt. Dennis Community area of the Black Creek watershed. The area is bounded by:

• 401 Highway (North),
• Keele St. (East),
• Alliance Ave. (South),
• Jane St. - Weston Rd. (West).

We will work with both school and community groups to undertake a range of environmentally based activities and education programs which include:

• Tree planting,
• Planting native wildflower gardens,
• Garbage clean-ups (with re-cycling of metals and plastics),
• Construction & installation of bird boxes and bat houses,
• Community environment walks,
• Outdoor environmental educational programs.

The Black Creek Conservation Project will partner with the Mt. Dennis Community Association and will also form partnerships with at least 3 public schools in the area.

Objectives of the project:

• 900 school students and 400 community members will be engaged with outdoor classrooms and environmental activities including tree and native garden planting, nature walks and garbage clean-up programs,
• Volunteers will establish 2 native gardens containing over 2,000 native plants,
• Volunteers will plant 1,000 to 1,500 native tree in local parks, green spaces, and school yards and install protection (wood chips & tree guards) around these trees,
• Volunteers will build and install 100 birdhouse and/or bat-box nesting structures,
• During Clean-up events, volunteers will collect, remove and recycle an estimated 5,000 kg of trash from community green spaces and parks,
• The BCCP will install informative signage on project sites identifying project purposes and cooperating and supporting agencies (Specifically LIVE GREEN, TORONTO),
• Approximately 40 school and 20 community events will be held in the Mt. Dennis area in order to accomplish these goals.

(Note: these are targets specific to Live Green Funding and are NOT counted in other on-going BCCP programs.)

The Black Creek Conservation Project (BCCP) used CPSWM funds to meet objectives of the Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan in regards to tree planting in riparian zones of the Black Creek for the purposes of intercepting rainfall and/or surface water-flow on steep slopes leading directly to the Black Creek itself. The project will enhance the local hydrologic cycle and reduce soil erosion potential on four (4) sites in the Black Creek watershed. The work will also enhance natural ecosystems by planting native woody plants.

The sites selected to be part of this project have been identified as priority sites in the BCCP's, "A Strategy for the Regeneration of Black Creek". Some sites have been identified as priority areas under TRCA's "Humber River Watershed Plan"(DRAFT 2008).

• York University, Stong Pond - Hoover Creek.
  A 2 acre site with grassy slopes leading into Stong Pond
• Black Creek Parklands (Humber Blvd. east to Jane St. & south of Alliance Ave.),
  A 500 meter long riparian site being naturalized over the past 10 years.
• Chalkfarm Park (Jane St. & Wilson Rd.),
  A steep grassy slope leading to the edge of Black Creek now supports a 150 meter riparian corridor.
• Edgeley Park - Driftwood Park. (Driftwwod Rd. & Jane St.).
  Driftwood Creek (a Black Creek tributary) had no riparian cover and now supports a 200 meter riparian corridor.

• providing an additional area of wildlife habitat along the creek,
• its water retention capabilities will reduce stormwater flowing into the Black Creek,
• helping to re-establish a plant community that was historically common to the watershed,
• providing seed-sources that will help establish larger plant communities in nearby 'naturalized' areas within Chalkfarm Park and along the Black Creek,
• serving as an interpretive and educational point of interest.