Site applications for the 2024 season are now CLOSED.
Are you frustrated by seeing invasive plants overtake your local ravine or natural area? Are you a “Friends of” or community group that wants to take stewardship to the next level?
Toronto Nature Stewards is looking to propose up to 15 new stewardship sites for the 2024 season. New sites will need to be reviewed and accepted by City of Toronto, Urban Forestry. The approximate timeline for site applications is as follows:
August – September: You express interest to Toronto Nature Stewards in applying for a new stewardship site. This involves figuring out the boundaries of the potential site that will fulfill the criteria.
September 8th: Deadline to submit site applications to Toronto Nature Stewards. Applications will then be reviewed by Toronto Nature Stewards before submission to the City of Toronto.
Mid-November: Receive approval/feedback about site applications from the City of Toronto.
Mid-January: Lead Steward training begins.
New to Toronto Nature Stewards? Before starting with us, we recommend you join us as a Steward or Lead Steward at one of our existing 32 sites.
Have a Site in Mind?
If you are keen to apply for a new stewardship site, bear in mind the requirements for valid sites. See Instructions for more details.
- Sites must be in natural areas (not manicured gardens) and be on public land.
- Sites may be up to 5 hectares in total area. Established sites may expand beyond this size after the first year.
- Sites must exclude:
- Steep slopes
- Current or imminent construction work
- Areas that overlap with existing restoration efforts from the city
- Sensitive habitats (Environmentall Significant Areas (ESAs), Provincicially Significant Wetlands (PSWs), etc.)
- Archaeologically Sensitive Areas
- Overlap with ecological restoration work by city staff or their contractors.
- Sites require at least one Lead Steward to run events. Any proposed site should also suggest people with the time and commitment to take the training and act as Lead Stewards for the site. See Become a Lead Steward for more information.