All members of the public are invited to a Public Design Charette on Saturday, November 7th, being held as part of the David Dunlap Observatory Lands Planning and Conservation Management Study:
It is important for everyone who cares about the fate of the David Dunlap Observatory and its lands, who wishes to protect its heritage and the greenspace to come this Saturday to the design charette with a vision that sends a clear message:
NO RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE DDO LANDS – on any part.
Whether you are a resident of Richmond Hill or York Region or not, show elected officials that this is an important issue for you. Make your voice heard at meetings and by written word. Attend Saturday’s design charette visionning the future use and protection of the DDO lands. Let Richmond Hill Council know that the zoning must remain institutional and that the site be used for research, educational, cultural, and re-creational, not for residential and commercial development– and that the Official Plan must reflect these uses.
The City of Toronto would not allow the sale of High Park or Edwards Gardens. It is developing the Toronto Brickworks. Why has Richmond Hill and York Region not made strides for the acquisition of the David Dunlap Observatory and lands? This could be Richmond Hill’s Central Park or Mont Royal, a tranquil oasis in an a busy urban setting. A sanctuary for wildlife. Continued use as a way station for migrating birds.
Currently, it appears that the only piece of property that the Town will protect is the swath of land that is the continuation of the lands north of the panhandle. This area contains the Observatory, Admin building, and the Marshes’ homestead, Elms Lea.
We want the Town to be responsive to the Community,the expressed wishes of its residents, and all those who value the David Dunlap Observatory and its lands. Only then will it have credibility when approaching other levels of government. The further along the process of planning and official plan amendments is, the higher the cost to bring back the lands into the public domain. Only continued pressure from the public can reverse the process.
This comment from the online petition gives us in a nutshell why it is so important to save this special place.
http://www.rhnaturalists.ca/save-the-observatory/petition.php :
I worked at the DDO as an undergraduate researcher from 1999 to 2003, and I have a lot of great memories there. My decision to make Astronomy my career was crystalized during my time at the DDO, and I would be deeply saddened if we lost a source of inspiration for young, inquiring minds.
Furthermore, the DDO land is extremely beautiful and wonderfully tranquil, providing a haven for those seeking a brief respite from their hectic lives. More importantly, it provides a space to make Astronomy accessible to the public. I think we would be losing an important part of our history, and we should work hard to preserve and cherish the DDO.
- This is the second of 3 mandated public meetings regarding the Town’s “Planning and Conservation Management Study” for the DDO Lands.
[Planning and Conservation Management Study it's] more to do with “planning” than it is with “heritage”. The landowner and developer is working on their own “concept plan” which is called a “Master Environmental Servicing Plan” (MESP), which will lay out their “vision” for development on the Dunlap Lands, a sub-division which they are calling “Observatory Hill”. This also has to be publicly vetted, and will be “peer-reviewed” by the Town.
- “No development on the Dunlap Lands, not now, not ever”.
We speak for the Dunlap Site as an integral whole. That is the position we adopted right from the get-go beginning, nothing has changed. The Dunlap Site houses Canada ’s largest optical telescope, where many important and groundbreaking astrophysical discoveries and confirmations took place over its 73 year storied history. The Dunlap Telescope is still a viable and valuable astrophysical research instrument which should be in the hands of astrophysicists so they may manage and direct the research and public outreach programs this facility should be, and could be, undertaking.
The Dunlap site encompasses 189 acres of pristine open greenspace – arboretums, forests, meadows, wetlands, marshes, springs, heritage woodlots, heritage hedgerows – which is home to a multitude of flora and fauna which must be protected – a resident deer herd, coyote, foxes, many species of forest wildlife, insects, butterflies, pollinators, owls, hawks, birds of differing species and an invaluable safe harbour for migratory birds.
The Dunlap lands straddle the southernmost edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine, The massive below ground Oak Ridges Moraine Aquifer Complex runs beneath it, feeding the headwaters of German Mills Creek. The ecological necessity of these undisturbed lands cannot be overly stated in the role they play in the health of all who/which inhabit its space, the surrounding areas, and, very importantly, in controlling the flood plain and storm water runoff.
This remarkable oasis in the middle of urban sprawl must be protected against the ravages of development of any kind.
We have consistently stated and maintained for 2 years now that the Dunlap Observatory and Park should remain as is and as it was intended – a professional research Observatory and public education outreach facility, a Park and Arboretum, home to the Marsh heritage farmstead and surrounded by protecting acres of green space and mature trees, enabling the Observatory’s scientific function.
That is our message, plain and simple, we, the public, want and insist the Dunlap site is saved an protected for all for posterity. We do NOT support ANY vision for development of any kind. We ask and insist that OUR voice is heard, respected and listened to.
We hope to see you all at the meeting on [Saturday morning], and that many of you will step forward and let the Town and Planning Alliance, and developer, know just how much we intend to ensure the Dunlap Lands are not disturbed.
We have been given information that some RH residents have received flyers telling them not to attend the meeting tomorrow as the Dunlap is a “done deal”. We are investigating this claim thoroughly and attempting to receive confirmation. If anyone on this list has received such notification or you know of anyone who has, please contact me ASAP – 416-990-6694. Please inform anyone who may contact you about this, that it is unequivocally erroneous disinformation and their attendance is, now more than ever, required at tomorrow’s meeting.
Thank you all again for your continued support…
Karen Cilivitz,
Chair, DDO Defenders
Join us on Thursday March 18th at 7:30 pm for speaker John Urquhart of Ontario Nature. He began his love of the environment like many young boys: mucking around in wetlands and streams looking for “creepy crawly” reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. John will share with us the work being done across Ontario to gather data on Amphibians, Snakes and Turtles. Researchers, citizen scientists and local naturalists organizations can help with the Ontario Herpetofaunal Atlas Program.
He will help us identify species that we can find locally, endangered species and how to report any finding of frogs, salamanders, turtles and snakes as we travel around Ontario this year.
Free admission & parking, all are welcome, donations accepted, and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Marianne Yake, 905-883-3047 or president@rhnaturalists.ca.
Everyone is invited to join the Richmond Hill Naturalists for an evening of great nature tales by renowned story teller Allan Foster. Allan was a frequent guest on CBC’s Fresh Air program and has appeared many times on Roger’s Daytime. A long-time manager of the Kortright Centre, Allan recently retired to travel and make time to write a book of the nature stories that he’s been telling for years! Please visit this web site to 
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
TORONTO – The Save Ontario Species coalition (S.O.S.) is happy for the Jefferson salamander and the wood turtle, not so much for the American badger. The three are among nine endangered species that have just received habitat protection under the Ontario government’s Endangered Species Act (ESA).