West Side Barrier Bar Park bar tenders group version 2.0 are organizing some events for the summer at our park. The first one is a general park clean up to be held on May 4. BYOB ( that is your own Bag!) Meet at 9:30 at main parking area by gate. That same morning before the pick up, at 9 am the author of the Edgewalker’s Guide to Lake Ontario Beach Combing will also lead a half hour nature walk around the park. Rain date same time Sunday May 5. If interest indicates a repeat, there will be more future family nature walks on Saturday or Sunday mornings at the park. The West Side was created by accretion of sediment moved along the lake’s shore by wave action. By the 1930s it was attracting waders, duck hunters, fishermen and local society to the Tri Aqua Park dance hall on its shore. Today spring midges dance over its trees and feed migrant song birds. Where gravel was once excavated in the 1920s, today frogs and shorebirds visit the small pond. Fox, turkey, deer, and other animals visit the park regularly. Various small creatures bask and rest on the bay shore. At least three species of turtles depend on the habitat here as do various shorebirds, herons, and other fish eaters. In winter the West Side is excellent for observing ‘sea ducks’ like the long tail, mergansers, scaup, and others that frequent the channel and bay. The park beach is a great place for pebble pickers and rock hounds. Lake Ontario lucky rocks are frequent “treasures” as are a good variety of fossils in both sandstone and limestone pebbles. For more on fossils from our beaches visit link below. Cut and paste into url bar or try click here.https://susanpetersongateley.substack.com/p/pseudofossils Another story about beach fossils is posted on the Lake Ontario Log on Sept 22 Google lake ontario log to get the list of articles. Hope to see you all on May 4