Boyd Conservation Area is a suburban land preserve owned and operated by the

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a conservation authority in southern Ontario, Canada. It owns about of land in the Toronto region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employees and coordinates more than 3,000 volunt ...

in the city of

Vaughan Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

Regional Municipality of York The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regiona ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It also overlaps a life science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest of the same name. It is a moderate-size park that offers facilities for numerous outdoor activities. The park is situated in the Humber River valley. Public operations run between late April and early October, and are funded in part by nominal fees to access the park. Optionally, individuals or families may acquire a membership, which provides access to a number of parks operated by the Conservation Authority. A little known fact concerning the park is that, upon its creation, it was given the unofficial motto "Natura exorno omnis nos postulo". In September and October, the park is used as the venue for

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

events, the most prominent being the OFSAA (

Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school at ...

) meet which brings together the best runners in the province, a yearly event it hosted from 1960 to 1965, 1968 to 1972, 1981, 1989, and 2009. In the summer, it is a popular destination for local residents to enjoy a picnic; businesses may also reserve one of 19 well-groomed sites in the park for corporate

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s, including a few which have sheltered areas. Bocce courts, volleyball and basketball courts, soccer fields, and children's playgrounds are found within the park for the benefit of families and youth groups. Bird watching and nature hiking are very popular. Outdoor musical concerts are also frequent in Boyd Conservation Area throughout the summer, partly due to the sheltered outdoor sites. The Boyd staff uniform consists of powder blue shirts bearing the TRCA crest, dark blue work pants, steel-toed boots and TRCA caps or cowboy hats. The Boyd Staff have consistently received very positive reviews on their service from patrons to the park. Boyd Park is affiliated with the Kortright Centre and all full-time Boyd staff take up work at Kortright over the winter season. Due to limited funding, Boyd only retains a few full-time staff. The rest of their staff is made up of summer students and those who wish to complete community service outdoors, aiding in keeping the grounds clean.

References

External links

* {{Vaughan Vaughan Conservation areas in Ontario Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of York Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest