Conservation Areas Workshop
October 27 - 29, 2025
Monday, October 27, 2025
8:30 am – 11:00 am
Eramosa Karst Conservation Area
86 Upper Mount Albion Road, Stoney Creek, ON L8J 0B1
OR
Ken Reid Conservation Area
277 Kenrei Road, Lindsay, ON K9V 4R1
Hosted by : Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) and Kawartha Conservation
Join us for a guided experience at the Eramosa Karst, one of the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) watershed’s most fascinating natural treasures. At the heart of Kawartha Conservation’s watershed, Ken Reid Conservation Area is a beloved community destination, offering trails that wind through forests, wetlands, and meadows, and providing opportunities for wildlife viewing, outdoor recreation, and environmental education. This unique adventure is your chance to try out the brand-new Talking Forest App, created through a partnership between HCA and Kawartha Conservation (KC).
From early wireframes to the final design, both conservation authorities worked hand in hand to bring this project to life. HCA and KC shaped the app’s goals, interface, and logo, and even conducted on-the-ground testing together. The result is an innovative tool that transforms a simple hike into an interactive learning journey. Using GPS, the app shares audio stories, images, and captions that highlight the area’s natural and cultural heritage.
Come see how collaboration, technology, and storytelling have come together to create an engaging adventure you will not want to miss at both Eramosa Karst Conservation Area in Hamilton, and Ken Reid Conservation Area in the Kawarthas.
Included with your Full CA Workshop Registration
Site-Visit Only Fee: $30 +HST
Day 1 Site Visit
2025 Keynote
Scott Kress
How to Achieve the Outrageous
The last time we saw Scott at the CA Workshop was back in 2018 when he shared his experience summitting Mt. Everest – this year we are thrilled to welcome him back and take a trip down to the South Pole as we relieve Scott’s adventures.
Scott Kress is one of the few people in history to ski unsupported to the South Pole. He has also skied to the North Pole and climbed the 7 Summits including Mount Everest. In his inspiring address, Scott with share the tools, tactics, and techniques to Achieve the Outrageous – something that we can relate to often enough in our own conservation areas and programs.
Scott will be joining us for the morning on Tuesday, October 28 – and you don’t want to miss this session!
Thursday, September 25, 2025
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Bruce’s Mill Conservation Park
3291 Stouffville Road, Stouffville, ON L4A 7X5
Hosted by : Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Join TRCA in exploring a place where conservation meets recreation - at Bruce’s Mill. Featuring day use opportunities, numerous recreational activities including a driving range, disc golf course, BMX track, a historical maple syrup festival and home to Treetop Trekking’s zipline and aerial course – Bruce’s Mill has something for everyone. The Site Visit will take participants on a tour of the area and draw attention to several significant enhancements made to park infrastructure over the past several years. Topics will include capital projects and funding, the development of shared community spaces in nature and how to establish partnerships with both public and private organizations to create and care for this space.
Included with your Full CA Workshop Registration
Site-Visit Only Fee: $40 +HST
September Site Visit
About the Conservation Areas Workshop
The Conservation Areas Workshop (est. 2007) is a training and development conference attended by more than 100 industry leaders in Conservation Land Management and Park Operations.
Supported by Conservation Ontario, attendees of the Conservation Areas Workshop (CAW) come together annually for networking, sharing best practices, training and building capacity for future conservation experiences.
Learning and training opportunities at the CAW adhere to our three foundational pillars:
People
Planning
Places
Session topics include but are not limited to:
Staff and visitor health and safety
Recreational opportunities and products
Innovative development and technology in outdoor recreation
Design elements of park infrastructure (signs, kiosks, pavilions etc.)
Ecosystem management including Species at Risk and Invasive Species
Visitor management and reservation system technology
Managing liability and insurance needs
Indigenous engagement
Enforcement and compliance
Forestry, arboriculture, and hazard tree management
Trail, bridge, and boardwalk building and facility infrastructure management
Property maintenance and operational plans
Additionally, the CAW provides annual site visits to Conservation Areas in Ontario, keynote speakers, an Exhibitor Marketplace, a Newcomers Welcome and more.
Host Authority
Each year, the Conservation Areas Workshop is planned by a volunteer committee of representatives from various Conservation Authorities. A host Authority takes on the responsibility of chairing (or co-chairing) the committee, overseeing the Workshop’s finances and coordinating the annual workshop. In 2024 & 2025 the host Authority is the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
