A Flood on the Don
John Wilson, Task Force Member

In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 12, the Don flooded. Fed by a succession of torrential thunderstorms, the river rose ten feet above its normal level, and stretched out from valley wall to valley wall. For a few hours it obliterated the Don Valley Parkway, the train tracks and Bayview Avenue.

Pedestrian bridge on the Lower Don Trail littered with debris after the flood on May 12.	The garbage-strewn state of the Lower Don Trail after the flood on May 12.

In those few hours, the Don displayed the awesome power that once carved the majestic ramparts at Crother's Woods and the area around the Bloor Street viaduct. It tore full sized tree snags from its banks, depositing one of them among the abandoned cars in the middle of Bayview. The wetlands at the Brickworks, Chester Springs Marsh and Helliwell's Hill were briefly inundated by the raging surge.

Notwithstanding the terrible beauty of the flood, it didn't have to happen. A more natural river system would store much of the rainwater in scores of ephemeral wetlands within its watershed. More water would be absorbed into the ground, released gradually over the next days, weeks, months and years. Instead, the hard surfaces of buildings, roads, downspouts and storm sewers sluiced most of that night's downpour through the course of the Don in just a few hours. Several buildings in the floodplain were damaged - one severely. Those who anticipate new urban sprawl along the headwaters in the Oak Ridges Moraine should consider what an unruly, capricious beast an urban river can be.

Still, for those of us who enjoy the natural wonders of the Don, this rainy spring has been glorious. Carefully planted saplings and shrubs that looked like dead sticks last year have sprouted new leaves and returned to life. Old friends like the black-crowned night heron patrol the valley in unprecedented numbers, while long-absent travelers like the beaver and the wood duck are seen more often than anyone can remember. One takes comfort in the fact that, when the river rises, it chooses to reward the efforts of all of us who work to bring back the Don.

Riverdale Park West flooded by Don waters after the flood on May 12

Walking Tour Series

A Visit to the Don Valley Brick Works
Wednesday, July 12, 6:30 p.m.
Walk through this beautifully restored industrial site and learn about its historical, ecological, and geological significance. Meet outside of the Castle Frank Subway Station.

Castle Frank Creek and other Little Rivers
Sunday, August 6, 2 p.m.
A neighbourhood natural history hike sponsored by North Toronto Green Community, Toronto Field Naturalists, and Evergreen. Meet outside of the Sherbourne Street entrance to Sherbourne Subway Station. For more information call Anne Marie Lewis at 596-1495 ext.27.

Take a Hike along the Lower Don Trail
Wednesday, August 9, 7 p.m.
Walk south along the Lower Don Trail to the Keating Channel to discuss greening initiatives. Meet at the stairs on the Riverdale Footbridge in Riverdale Park.

An Evening Stroll to Chester Springs Marsh
Tuesday, August 22, 7 p.m.
Walk north along the Lower Don Trail to Chester Springs Marsh and beyond and find out how this stretch of the Don is faring after 10 years of rehabilitation work. Meet outside of the Broadview Subway Station.

Come Volunteer in the Don this summer

Community Stewardship Program
'Adopt' a restoration site in the Don
Participants in this program work in teams to care for a restoration site in the Don River Watershed. Each team will visit their site on a regular basis to weed, mulch, water, put-up, maintain birdhouses, pick-up litter, and record interesting wildlife and plant sightings. The need for the Stewardship Program has become increasingly necessary over the years as the number of Bring Back the Don projects have expanded. Established projects need more attention. Competition with exotics, pollution in the soils and river, soil compaction and dry conditions make it difficult for native plants to establish themselves without assistance.

Community Monitoring Program
Get down to the 'nitty-gritty' of the Don
Participants in this program work in teams to monitor vegetation or benthic invertebrates at a restoration site in the Don River Watershed. Vegetation is monitored to quantify spatial dominance of main native and non-native plant species. Benthic invertebrates, bottom dwelling organisms that live in the muck of wetlands, rivers, and lakes, are monitored because they provide important information on water quality.

Find out how you can get involved...CALL 416-392-0401

Thanks to our 2000 funding partners!

So far, in 2000, funding for the Task Force's projects has come from the City of Toronto, Environment Canada (the Great Lakes 2000 Cleanup Fund), the Toronto Remedial Action Plan, the Toronto Community Foundation, Canada Trust Friends of the Environment, the Lever Pond's Foundation, Shell Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation.

Bring Back the Don

The Task Force to Bring Back the Don is a citizens' group sponsored by the City of Toronto, that works to "bring back" a clean, green and accessible Don River watershed.

The Task Force to Bring Back the Don office is located at:
55 John Street
Metro Hall, 23rd floor
Toronto, ON  M5V 3C6

For information about events or activities, please call 416-392-0401, or e-mail us at driver@toronto.ca.

Doing research on the Don?

A collection of Don River materials is available at the Toronto Reference Library.

Information about the restoration of the Don can be found on the website of Task Force member Mark Wilson: http://www.mwilson.on.ca/don.html.