User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The area that I have selected to observe is a portion of a community park in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, called Milliken District Park. The total area of this park is approximately 32 hectares. It is located northeast of Scarborough at coordinates 43.8292° N, 79.2708° W. The park has many paved trails, a large pond, and numerous trees. There is a forest found near the pond. Most of the trees found in this park are mature.
Majority of the area is flat, but there are some hills. There is a rather large pond that which houses many birds, swans and fishes. Looking into the pond I could see an accumulation of litter, and the water quality seems poor.
The park contains landscaped gardens, gazeboes and different water features. There are also three playgrounds, a splash pad, and a large field where people usually play sports. I often visit this area weekly on walks, as there is a nice paved path around and inside the park, providing individuals with an area to bike, rollerblade, and walk. My initial observations and data collection of the park was made on 26 April 2017 from 6:07pm to 8:34pm. It was a sunny but windy day, with the temperature being around 12oC. During the collection period, there were many children playing in the playground. There were some birds and black squirrels that I saw in the forest, and throughout the park.
The area is mostly covered in green grass and trees. There are mixtures of deciduous and coniferous trees present throughout the park. Around the pond and the forest I noticed more wild type vegetation growth (sedges, weeds, etc). As this is a community park, roads and houses surround the park, but there is a clear distinction through the use of fences and gates.
Based on my observations, three questions that are interesting and could form the subject of my research project are:
- How does the pond have an impact on the vegetation and plant distribution surrounding it?
- How do humans impact the land, especially with regards to plant distribution?
- Not everything present in this park is natural, much of it is manmade, and thus, how does this impact plant distribution and the adaptation of the animal species that reside in the area?
