Conservation Groups Toronto

Hike Leaders’ Meeting at Marjan’s Trail ✅

Our hike leaders are getting together to share ideas, plan future hikes and adventures and help our community continue to grow. Thank you to all our volunteers and members for making every hike a great experience. 🥾🥾

Private Photography Session: Canadian Raptor Conservancy

Saturday Outing - Jim Tovey Conservation Trail

Pub Night

# Pub Night: Creation at the Margins – Catholic Social Teaching and Ecological Justice With Brex Arevalo **Ignite! Young Adult Ministry (age 18-39)** *What can Catholic Social Teaching teach us about our relationship with Creation and the struggle for ecological justice? Drawing on his work with communities experiencing environmental and social injustice, Brex explores how those at the margins are often already showing us pathways toward a more just and sustainable future. The talk invites young Catholics to consider what ecological justice looks like in practice, and how their faith can shape the way they respond.* Brex Arevalo is an environmental planner, climate justice advocate, and researcher who has dedicated his career to promoting environmental and social justice in the Asia-Pacificregion. Brex has more than nine years of experience working on climate change, pollution, air quality, and sustainable development. He collaborates with marginalized communities, civil society organizations, and policymakers to promote equitable and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Snacks provided. Drinks and other food available for purchase. Space is limited. Reserve your place now. **Click here to register and get your ticket:** [https://bit.ly/Ignite_Pub_Night_Oct_27](https://ignite-canada.ca/event/pub-night-oct-27/) *Join us for an evening At Sin & Redemption PUB* ***Location:*** *136 McCaul Street* **Date & Time:** Tuesday\, October 27\, 2026 \| 7 – 9 pm In partnership with Canadian Jesuits International. ***Registration is required to reserve your spot.*** Hosted by St. Patrick’s Ignite Young Adult Ministry

One Last Backcountry Weekend in Frontenac

**Please note the only way to register for this adventure is on [our website.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/weekend-in-frontenac)** **Fall (aka shoulder season) camping brings the serene beauty of the backcountry, without the crowds and bugs.** At this time of year, Frontenac will be less busy and the trail into Big Clear Lake belongs mostly to us. It's a 9km hike to reach the site, working through root tangled trails and stretches of open granite typical of this stretch of the Canadian Shield. Only the most stubborn leaves will remain on the trees and you’ll enjoy long sightlines through bare branches where the canopy used to be. The pace is steady and moderate the whole way in, never technical but never quite letting up either. We set up camp on the shore of Big Clear Lake as the light starts to drop, we get a fire going, and cook dinner together. Late October nights out here are serene, with a sky full of stars over the lake. In the morning, we’ll take our time over breakfast before packing up and heading out along the other side of Big Salmon Lake: a different stretch of trail from the one we hiked in on, with its own look at the park before we're back where we started. By the time we're back at the cars, you'll have had that sweet final night of the year in the backcountry. What's included * Professional & certified guides * ‍All camp meals, cooking equipment and mess kits * ‍Tents Sleeping bags and sleep pads can be rented from WU for a small fee. **Accessibility** Wilderness Union is committed to making our adventures as accessible as possible. If you wish to make an accommodation request relating to a disability or provide feedback, please do so by sending an email to info@wildernessunion.com **Highlights** **Last Trip of the Season:** The final overnight on the calendar before WU's backcountry program pauses for winter **Shoulder Season Solitude**: Long, quiet stretches of trail, with the lake mostly to yourselves. **A Clear Night Sky:** Bare branches and dry autumn air make for some of the best stargazing conditions of the year at the campsite. **Event cost: $265+HST. $70 optional transport also available. Please register [here.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/weekend-in-frontenac)** **About Wilderness Union** Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people. Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad. Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming! ***Learn more at our website [www.wildernessunion.com](https://www.wildernessunion.com/)***

Cliffs & Fall Colours: A Bruce Peninsula Hike

**Please note the only way to register for this adventure is on [our website.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/bruce-peninsula-26)** **The Bruce Peninsula does dramatic better than almost anywhere else in Ontario, and fall is when it really shows off.** We'll be out for most of the day, covering 8.5km of moderate hiking through some of the best autumn scenery in the province, with the changing leaves against the escarpment's limestone making for a proper contrast. We'll start in the forest before the trail opens onto the coastline, tracing the cliffs down to the Grotto. It's the most photographed spot on the peninsula for good reason: crystal clear water, a sea cave carved into the rock, and a natural window out to the bay. We'll take our time here, including a stop for lunch. From the Grotto we'll keep following the shoreline out to Stormhaven, crossing pebble beaches with open views across Georgian Bay the whole way. We'll turn around there and retrace the coastline back, catching all the same cliffs and colour from the other direction with the light shifted by then. **Two important things to note:** 1. **Self driving isn't possible for this trip. Parking passes at the trailhead sell out well in advance, so all members travel together on WU transport.** 2. **Bruce Peninsula National Park is stunning, but be aware that it is a long drive there and back. Full details are in the itinerary below.** **Accessibility** Wilderness Union is committed to making our adventures as accessible as possible. If you wish to make an accommodation request relating to a disability or provide feedback, please do so by sending an email to info@wildernessunion.com **Highlights** **The Grotto:** The peninsula's most famous natural feature: a limestone sea cave with turquoise water and a rock window looking out over Georgian Bay. **Stormhaven Coastline:** A stretch of cobble beach with wide open views across the bay, well past where most day hikers turn around. **Fall Colour on the Escarpment:** Peak autumn colour against the Niagara Escarpment's pale limestone cliffs, a contrast you don't get anywhere else on the Bruce Trail\*\*.\*\* **Event cost: $140+HST. Transportation is included in the cost of the adventure. Please register [here.](https://www.wildernessunion.com/adventures/bruce-peninsula-26)** **About Wilderness Union** Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people. Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad. Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming! ***Learn more at our website [www.wildernessunion.com](https://www.wildernessunion.com/)***

An SD walk in the park

**An autumn service safari through Toronto's Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine** We’ll meet at David A. Balfour Park and head through the Vale of Avoca and Moore Park Ravine. Along the way, we’ll introduce and try out a classic service design tool — the **[service safari](https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari)**[ ](https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari)— using the ravine as our real-world playground. We’ll walk, observe, and capture what we notice about how we find, navigate, and experience the place. Our timing is interesting too: The City of Toronto is [currently exploring improvements to the Vale of Avoca](https://haveyoursay.toronto.ca/vale-avoca-ravine-improvements). We’ll compare what we notice, spot patterns and see what questions and opportunities emerge. We’ll also borrow lightly from Design Council’s [Skills for Planet](https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-work/skills-for-planet/), widening our lens beyond our own experience to notice the environment around us. **No slides. No presentations. Just curious people, a beautiful fall walk, some service design in the wild and hopefully some good fall colours. 🍁** Bring: comfortable shoes, weather-appropriate layers + a charged phone. No service design experience required - curiosity is plenty. -- Bonus: After the walk, we’ll bring what we learn together into a short set of SDD field notes that we could share with the Vale of Avoca project team.

Green Drinks Toronto

Hosted by [Green Drinks Toronto](http://www.greendrinks.org/ON/Toronto): *We will have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, students, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. Just say, "are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always... a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organising network.* *These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity.* *GLOBAL: Now active in over 350 cities worldwide!*

Last Minute Epic Birding Adventure This Sunday

**Hello Fellow Nature Enthusiasts,** Are you ready for an unforgettable birding adventure? This is the perfect time of year to witness some of Ontario's most iconic birds, including the stunning **Common Loon**, majestic **Sandhill Cranes**, and soaring **Eagles**. As the migration season hits its peak, now is the chance to immerse yourself in this natural spectacle—because you never know what you’ll see until you're out there with us! Plus, the weather looks great! Join me for a guided birding excursion north of Barrie, where a diverse array of species awaits. Here’s a glimpse of what we expect to encounter: **Birds we’ll likely see:** * Common Loons * Sandhill Cranes * Bonaparte Gulls * Little Gulls (a rare treat!) * Great Blue Herons * American Kestrels * Red-tailed Hawks * ...and many more! **What's special this time of year?** It's the season when **Common Loons** gather in large numbers on **Kempenfelt Bay**, and **Sandhill Cranes** form spectacular flocks, sometimes numbering in the thousands before they begin their migration south. Along with these, we’ll be keeping an eye out for birds of prey and several species of gulls, including **Great Black-backed Gulls** and the elusive **Little Gull**. Can you imagine witnessing over 100 **Common Loons** or 1,000 **Sandhill Cranes**? It’s a sight that every bird lover and photographer dreams of! Speaking of photography, this is the perfect opportunity to capture **Sandhill Cranes** in flight as they soar overhead, a must-see for anyone with a camera. We’ll also stop in Barrie to witness **Common Loons**, which gather in huge numbers, and there’s a chance to see a variety of ducks and gulls on their way to wintering grounds. Who knows what surprises we might spot out on the water? If we're lucky, a **Red-throated Loon or Pacific Loon** might make an appearance, adding an extra thrill to the day. **What to Expect:** * A full day of birding from 9:00 AM to approximately 4:00 PM * Multiple stops at key birding hotspots * A flexible itinerary that allows for spontaneous detours if rare species are reported We will meet at **Finch Station passenger pick-up at 8:45 AM** and depart promptly at **9:00 AM**. I can accommodate three guests in my vehicle, so if you’d like to join me, make sure to reserve your spot early! If you prefer to drive yourself or carpool, you’re welcome to follow along, and carpooling participants can coordinate to share gas costs. **Cost:** $99 plus tax for $113 for the guided experience You can secure your spot by paying via PayPal or e-transfer to **torontonaturelovers@hotmail.com**. Please let me know once you’ve paid so I can confirm your spot on the trip. Don’t miss this chance to experience the magic of fall migration with us! **Spaces are limited, and it’s first-come, first-served** for a seat in my vehicle. I look forward to birding with you!

🍁 Chasing Fall Colours at Forks of the Credit

Let’s head out to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park for a beautiful fall hike through colourful forests, rolling trails, and the scenic Cataract Falls! We can then stop on our way back for dinner! We’ll take our time, enjoy the views, take plenty of photos, and have some good company along the way. Meetup fee - $2, please interac to - mech.mandeep@gmail.com or vibhuchaudhary@yahoo.com 🥾 The Plan Moderate hike — roughly 2–3 hours Forest trails + fall colours + Cataract Falls Start hiking at 12:15 PM Please arrive by 12:00 PM so we can get organized and start together IMPORTANT — PARK RESERVATION Everyone driving must book their own vehicle reservation in advance. Reservations open 5 days before the visit. Please book the 12:00 PM–4:00 PM time slot. Please don't wait until the day of the hike, as October weekends can fill up quickly. Bring water, snacks, and comfortable hiking shoes. Autumn trails can be muddy or slippery, so dress accordingly. Come for the fall colours, stay for the waterfall and good company! 🍁😊

Urban Salmon Run & Nature Walk 🐟🍂

The Wilderness Brothers (Sudbury)

Contact Alex for location and information.