Duffins Restoration Planting

On Saturday November 7 volunteers helped us restore a portion of Duffins Creek in Ajax.  The team planted 185 trees and shrubs which were a mixture of eastern white cedar, red osier dogwood, chokeberry, common elderberry, nannyberry, and silver maple.  These species are all native to the area and as they grow will help to further stabilize the restored bank and the trees in future will provide shade to Duffins Creek as well.  This planting was part of a larger bank restoration project completed in partnership with the Town of Ajax, Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and also received contributing funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Department of Fisheries and Ocean's Recreational Fisheries Community Partnership Program and Enbridge Gas Distribution.

Thank you to our volunteers with out you non of this would have been possible!

Duffins Creek Volunteers Opportunity: Saturday November 7

Trout Unlimited Canada is hosting a volunteer tree planting workday at Annie Crescent along the Trans-Canada Trail in Ajax on Saturday November 7 beginning at 10:00am.  These plantings will help further stabilize the eroding bank TUC, TRCA, OFAH, and the Town of Ajax fixed this fall.

Please RSVP to coaks@tucanada.org by Noon on Thursday, November 5th if you are planning to attend.  We are looking for about 10 people for this events so please register early to reserve yourself a spot. Further details will be sent to you closer to the day of the event.

Duffins Creek Restoration 2015

This August with the help of the Durham East Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada and the land owner herself, TUC's Duffins Creek Renewal Program restored 300m of Duffins Creek in its headwaters.  The work took 3.5 days to complete and involved removing/ redistributing woody debris and trees that were blocking the channel and causing bank erosion.  The team also created a number of  defectors to help speed up the channels return to its natural form and function.  Funding to help support this restoration came from both the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program.  Starting in early September the Duffins Creek Renewal Program will in partnership with TRCA, OFAH, and the Town of Ajax will restore a Large section of eroding bank adjacent to a park along Annie Crescent in Ajax.

Duffins Creek Crayfish Craze #2

Come out and join Trout Unlimited Canada Biologists in an interactive activity to learn about the crayfish and other bugs of  Duffins Creek. Fun hands-on learning for kids and adults alike.

Join us in Ajax on:

Thursday Aug 20 at 7pm in Paulynn Park

Duffins Creek Crayfish Craze in Pickering

On July 16, 2015 the first of two Crayfish Crazes this summer for Duffins Creek was held.  The first was in Pickering, within Brock Ridge Community Park on West Duffins Creek.  It was an awesome learning experience for those in attendance as two different species of crayfish were captured and identified! Everyone also enjoyed learning about the different aquatic bugs that call Duffins Creek their home. Children and adults alike were fascinated at how you can tell how healthy a creek is just by the different types of aquatic bugs that live there! We can't wait to see what creatures we find at the next Crayfish Craze in Ajax's Paulynn Park Aug 20, 2015 at 7pm!  Hope to see you there!

Contact Colin Oaks at COaks@tucanada.org for more information

  

Duffins Creek Crayfish Craze 2015 #1

Duffins Creek Crayfish Craze #1

Come out and join Trout Unlimited Canada Biologists in an interactive activity to learn about the crayfish and other bugs of  Duffins Creek. Fun hands-on learning for kids and adults alike.

Join us in Pickering on:

Thursday July 16 at 7pm in Brock Ridge Community Park

Duffins Creek Family Fun Day was a Huge Success!

On Saturday June 6, 2015 Trout Unlimited Canada Hosted our Annual Duffins Creek Family Fun Day at Paulynn Park in the Town of Ajax Ontario.  The event was a huge success with over 100 people attending the event!

Boomer the Bass was again a huge hit with the children and adults a like!

Duffins Creek Family Fun Day is a free family event that provides a day of learning, fun and interaction with Duffins Creek. It is made up of interactive activity stations including: an aquatic bug touch tank, an obstacle course based on migrating salmon, a fish prints painting station, and more. Kids are given an event passport. Once they have visited all activity stations they played a game of Plinko for one of 4 prizes.

Thank you to the Staff  from the Town of Ajax and the Staff from TRCA who came out to support the event as well as the Members of the Durham East Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada who came to help!

Finally Thank you to the volunteers as none of this would have been possible without their help!

Duffins Creek Family Fun Day is this coming Saturday!!

Duffins Creek Family Fun Day is less than 2 weeks away!

Duffins Creek Family Fun Day 2015!

Volunteers Needed!

Where: Paulynn Park, 1575 Ravenscroft Road, Ajax, ON

When: Saturday June 6, 2015

Volunteer Hours: 10:30am - 3:30pm (Event runs from 11am – 3pm)

What: A Trout Unlimited Canada event that showcases the biology and aquatic residents of Duffins Creek as well as the Duffins Creek Renewal Program. This free event sees families circulate through stations such as: Fabulous Fish; Amazing Aquatic Bugs; Fishy Escapades; and Beautiful Duffins Creek.  .

We are looking for approximately 15 enthusiastic volunteers to help run the stations on the event day. Volunteers will be provided with all the necessary materials and information and will be responsible for explaining the stations to participants and helping with station activities.

The day is a fun outdoor event and will provide opportunities to learn more about Duffins Creek while teaching others about this amazing watershed.  Volunteers will receive a free lunch in appreciation of their time commitment. 

If you are interested in contributing your time, please contact Colin Oaks at coaks@tucanada.org or by phone 519-763-0888. 

Trout Unlimited Canada’s Duffins Creek Renewal Program aims to protect the many beautiful portions of Duffins Creek while engaging local residents in restoring the aquatic ecosystem of this environmentally significant watershed. This program is a partnership of Toronto Region Conservation Authority and the 

First Event of the Year

The Duffins Creek Renewal Program has partnered with the Town of Ajax and will be the opening event for their Green Living Days starting on Earth Day April 22, 2015

Register online and come out and Celebrate Earth Day by learning about the 

Ecology of Running Waters 

Register At 

http://www.ajax.ca/en/livinginajax/greenlivingdays.asp#Ecology-of-Running-Water

Winter has Taken Hold in Duffins Creek

Winter has taken hold on the landscape and Duffins Creek is mostly hidden under a blanket of ice and snow.   Planning for this year's upcoming events is well under way and we are excited for what is to come!  Here are a couple of shots of Duffins Creek in Paulynn Park taken during a site visit last week.