Boyd Conservation Area (sometimes referred to as Boyd Conservation Park) 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 (Ontario, Canada), conservation authority in southern Ontario, Canada. It owns about of land in the Toronto region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employee ...

in the city of

Vaughan Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) 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 increa ...

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 Regional ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, 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. Boyd Conservation Area was originally established in the late 1950's when the Humber Valley Conservation Authority purchased a large parcel of land along the Humber north of Woodbridge by the hamlet of Pine Grove in 1956, with the intent to provide both open public recreational space, and the preserve natural valley lands around bodies of water for flood mitigation purposes after

Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck the United States near the border between North and Sou ...

. It opened for the public in 1957 with forested areas, trails, picnic grounds, and a beach area along the Humber River for swimming. 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 soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

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 ath ...

) 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 dining, ''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 su ...

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. A system of trails follow the Humber River north out of the park, travelling through the Boyd North area and ending at Bindertwine Park in Kleinburg.

References

External links

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