Looking at Peterborough on a typical road map, you can see the Otonabee River from a great distance. What you won’t see – even if you zoom in pretty close – is that Peterborough has a complex network of creeks coursing through the city.
They’re hidden pieces of natural infrastructure and they shape a lot of life here. From flood mitigation and climate change adaptation, to preserving biodiversity, creeks have an important role to play in urban life.
So… why not get to know them better!
Take a journey into the urban wilderness with us by signing up for our Creek Week Walking Guide. Get emails over the course of a month that guide you through walks by three of the city’s creeks.
Not seeing a sign-up box? Click here.
Here’s what you get in Creek Week
You’ll get one email when you first sign-up to confirm your registration. Then, on Saturday, we’ll send you the first piece of the journey, which introduces you to the series and to our writer, Brazil Gaffney-Knox.
The first walking guide goes out on the next Saturday and takes you for a hike through Bears Creek Woods, a hidden gem of the north end that is not healthy and prone to flooding.
The second guide goes out a week later. This one brings you to Jackson Creek, the celebrity waterway of Peterborough’s downtown. This walk through downtown Peterborough shows you the spots where the creek comes above ground before dipping back below, and ending in the Otonabee.
And for the third guide, we’ll go to Harper Park and visit the cool glacier waters of Harper Creek, which is home to a rare species of brook trout!
The final installment of the series brings you practical advice for how you can protect creeks in your own life.
These are illustrated guides that introduce you to these often neglected pieces of our environment. Creeks play an important role in our urban ecosystem, and our hope is that by introducing you to them you’ll see the value of engaging with them, understanding the roles they play, and preserving them.
So, how well do you know Peterborough’s waterways? Sign-up and learn about the fine flora and fauna that make up our city’s beautiful creeks – and how you can help keep these ecosystems alive and thriving – in our free, five-part Creek Week email series.
Sign up now to be one of our first readers!
Please note that these are self-directed walks, sent on an automated schedule. So be sure to check the weather and assess the safety of your walk before proceeding. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for poison ivy, poison oak and other hazardous plants along the trails. And do a tick check when you’re done. Have fun!
Peterborough Currents gratefully acknowledges the support of GreenUP, Jackson Creek Press, Sadleir House, Watson & Lou and OPIRG Peterborough. Thank you for making this project happen!
