Students Visit U of T's Esteemed Research Lab in King
The Grade 11 Environmental Science students were in for a treat on Tuesday when they took a field trip to visit the University of Toronto’s Koffler Scientific Reserve (KSR) for an overview of their extensive research centre and an opportunity to gather data firsthand.
This 880-acre property, often referred to as Jokers Hill, is situated between Bathurst and Keele Streets north of the 19th Sideroad. According to Dr. Art Weis, an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor at U of T and former Director of KSR, this property contains patches of just about every habitat type in Southern Ontario and “is a biologically diverse area, including everything from recently cultivated fields going back to nature, to old growth forest that has never been cut since the last glacier.”
Ms. Wellnhofer and her students were met by Station Manager, Kate and her co-op student Rachel, who took them on a tour of some of the facilities. The students also had a chance to speak with a PhD student researching the natural selection in plants who shed light on how field research doesn’t always go according to plan.
They then observed the experimental design of a project that allows scientists to understand how temperature differences impact plant growth. This research is part of mimicking a warming world and allows us to understand how plants might respond to climate change.
Lastly, they took part in sampling the diversity of invertebrates from a pond that doesn’t have fish. According to Ms. Wellnhofer, this serves as a great intro to the research the Grade 11s will do next week on the health of our own stream that runs through the back of our campus.
Jokers Hill has a rich history stretching back nearly 150 years. Named after a former owner’s hunter horse, Joker, Jokers Hill used to regularly host the Toronto and North York Hunt Club, as well as aspiring members of the Canadian Equestrian team, for hunts, training and steeplechases.
In 1995, owners Murray and Marvelle Koffler decided to gift Jokers Hill to the University of Toronto. It was the largest-ever land gift to a Canadian university and made U of T one of the largest landowners on the Oak Ridges Moraine – and steward of a site of regional, provincial and national significance.
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Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
