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Unfortunately, the Conservation Review Board decided they would not accept this letter as evidence, even though it clearly shows what thousands of citizens have been saying for months: the David Dunlap Observatory park has broad heritage value. It has local, provincial and national significance and should be preserved. As the letter states:

“No matter the outcome of the CRB ’s deliberations and its advice back to Council on this matter, we are of the opinion that in relation to this site the Province should demonstrate proactively its leadership in the conservation of Ontario’s heritage for the benefit of the people of Ontario. This is not simply a local issue.”

Alexander further advises that the Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll can establish the “immediate protection of the entire site through designation by you as Minister,under Section 34.5 ofthe Ontario Heritage Act”.

You can download the entire “Ministry of Culture 08-022-responsive-record”

The question is: why has the Ontario Government been sitting on this file for months, despite the direct pleas of thousands of residents and the advice of the Ontario Heritage Trust?  If you would like to help, please support the Richmond Hill Naturalists’ letter campaign.  Over the course of the Conservation Review Board Hearings hundreds of people have submitted personal letters calling for the complete preservation of the Dunlap property. In addition to the above letter campaign, you can also show support by adding to our original online petition and joining the Save Dunlap Observatory Facebook Group .

If you live in the Toronto area, Dunlap Observatory is a green space you will want to protect.

After attending one of the public lectures and seeing the 74-inch telescope for the first time on my 13th birthday, my friends and I made many trips to the DDO.  A few years later we moved to Weldrick Road and the observatory became a favorite place where I could walk, write and take photographs.

I realize my story is not unique.  It has been repeated by thousands of Richmond Hill residents for more than 70 years.  I suspect that all of these stories share at least this in common:  everyone who walks up Donalda Drive, between the towering pines and rounds the corner to see the Great Dome, the Administration Building and Elms Lea is struck by the majesty of these buildings and the solitude that surrounds them.

But there is more to Dunlap than buildings.

Twelve years ago, my wife and I moved into our own home about 2km from the DDO. Once again, the Observatory became a special destination – a place where we took our children and our dog to explore the forests and meadows.  Over the years, we became avid birdwatchers and — along with others — have made a special point of documenting bird sightings on the Dunlap lands. Since the fall of 2007, we have noted 72 species of birds on the property. These include many migratory species such as Eastern Towhee, Black-throated Green and Blue, Blackburnian Warblers (and many others).  Each year, these birds visit the DDO forests to rest and feed during spring and fall migrations.

The Dunlap habitat is also extensively used by northern birds that come south from the northern boreal forests. These include Pine Grosbeaks, Purple Finches and White-winged Crossbills, all of which have been seen on the Dunlap property. While the forests are important, the meadows and regenerating farm fields are crucial for the vole population that provides food for hawks and owls. The Dunlap fields also provide spring and summer habitat for grassland birds such as Field Sparrows, Kingbirds and Eastern Bluebirds.

At this very moment, Red-tails and Coopers hawks are soaring over the property, hunting mice and voles. Deer are browsing in the dense brush. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, juncos and chickadees are feeding in the woods. White-winged crossbills are soaring above the conifers and feeding on the cones.  This natural heritage is interwoven with the cultural heritage – and is enjoyed and confirmed through the daily activities of visitors who walk, cycle, cross-country ski, watch birds and wildlife and take photographs.  But where did these forests come from?

Trees and Nature

When we first moved to Richmond Hill, the signs posted around the Dunlap property read “David Dunlap Observatory and Arboretum”.  As you know, the Dunlap Arboretum was managed by the U of T Faculty of Forestry and the original gift of the property called for the creation of a park that could be used by the public.  Since local volunteers such as the Richmond Hill Naturalists began researching the scope and depth of heritage attributes of the site, I have seen a number of historical documents, including the plan for the DDO Arboretum and learned how many of the trees on the Dunlap Property were planted by astronomers and students.  The Dunlap trees include the “Mulock Oaks” which were planted in 1938 by Chant and Jessie Dunlap and other notable citizens such as Sir William Mulock, the Chancellor of the University of Toronto and Chief Justice of the Ontario Supreme Court.

What is perhaps less well-known is that for many years Mulock was also part of a world-wide movement that recognized the problems of deforestation and promoted the planting of trees. If you search the Toronto Star archives in the 1930’s, you will find other stories of ceremonial tree plantings and public calls for the creation of a local arboretum.  At one such planting in July 1939, Sir William urged Canadians to “bring pressure on their local members to convince all governing bodies it is in the highest interests of Canada to restore our destroyed forests”. And he urged individual action by planting trees wherever possible.

It seems to me that in addition to the astronomical benefits, the trees planted at Dunlap are the direct result of the noble and farsighted actions of these citizens.

From a heritage perspective, I do not know what the difference is between a plan that results in a building or a plan that results in a series of forests and meadows.  I do not know how to count the heritage attributes of the green spaces at Dunlap, though if we could understand them, I suspect the birds and animals that depend on them would have much to say on the matter.  Perhaps one way to view the eastern portion of the property is to consider it as “built habitat” – a series of forests, meadows and a wetland that grew out of the vision Jessie Dunlap, C.A. Chant and Sir William Mulock.

Heritage is Context

Over the course of these hearings, it has been said there are thousands of farmscapes in Ontario and not all of them warrant protection.  But part of the point about Dunlap, is that it sits here in the midst of 181,000 people.  The Dunlap Property is easily reached by thousands on foot. It could be accessible to thousands more by transit – perhaps even a GO Train stop.  The trails could provide a safe and sustainable way to link residents with other sections of the Town.

On the other hand, if you drive west along Major Mackenzie Drive, you’ll see that almost every farm field from here to Kleinberg has been scraped and prepped for development. You will see the same thing if you travel east towards Markham.  As you have heard, the scientific and cultural history of the Dunlap site is rich and unique. But, given the rate of development in the northern GTA, the land itself has become a rarity.

The fact is, the Dunlap property is larger in area than U of T’s St. George Campus. It is about the same size as Montreal’s Mount Royal. And, as you can see from the aerial photograph, it is the last remaining significant greenspace in the heart of Richmond Hill.

Dunlap’s Heritage is more than a sum of attributes.  In addition to the forests, meadows and buildings, Dunlap’s heritage can be found in thousands of newspaper articles, scholarly papers, photographs, stories and memories. The entire Dunlap Property, including the Great Telescope, the Administration Building, Elms Lea and all of the forests and meadows is a noble reminder – a much-needed reminder – that we are better than we think we are.

It deserves protection.

Thank you for bringing attention to the plight of the David Dunlap Observatory and the accomplishments of Dr. Tom Bolton.   The imminent sale of the Observatory and surrounding property has unlocked a complex set of issues that deserve to be fully examined by the people of Ontario.   As the Honourable Lincoln Alexander, Chair of Ontario Heritage Trust wrote in a February 8 letter to Richmond Hill Town Council , "the property possesses an exceptional range of heritage values and heritage significance including architectural, historical, scientific, landscape, natural and recreational."

Alexander adds: "The [Ontario Heritage] Trust supports the preservation and protection of the David Dunlap Observatory and Park for the benefit of present and future generations of the people of Ontario."

The David Dunlap Observatory was always intended to be used for three purposes:  public education, research and as public park. As the longest-running astronomy education facility in Ontario (if not Canada), the DDO has hosted thousands of school groups and adults at public lectures and tours of the telescope.  During the recent Earth Hour celebrations, some 500 guests visited the grounds. They were awed by the 74-inch telescope and inspired by the passion and knowledge of DDO astronomers and technicians.

When it comes to research, the DDO's international reputation is still well known and well-deserved.  It is true that the 74-inch telescope can not be used for cutting edge observation of extra-galactic objects, but the facility has worked well for resident astronomers, such as Dr. Slavek Rucinski's studies of close binary systems and continues to attract international observers for stellar spectroscopy projects.

So why is the University of Toronto so eager to close David Dunlap Observatory when American and European astronomers recognize the need to maintain small and medium aperture telescopes?  For instance, the NOAO ReSTAR Committee (Renewing Small Telescopes for Astronomical Research) states in their 2007 final report:  "The science to be done with small and mid-size telescopes remains compelling and competitive in the era of big telescopes. Small and mid-size telescopes continue to produce innovative science in themselves, and to provide precursor and follow-up observations that enhance the scientific productivity of larger telescopes. Small and mid-size telescopes also enable scientific investigations that are not possible on larger telescopes."

Despite the evidence that the DDO and other facilities in its class continue to produce quality science, we are told the University of Toronto is more interested in "big science" projects such as the Thirty Meter Telescope. This is understandable, even commendable.  However, the closure and sale of the Dunlap property will fetch only a pittance compared to the vast sums needed for the TMT.  Its sale will not solve U of T's funding issues – and it shouldn't.  Selling the land beneath our feet to fund public institutions is unsustainable and socially reprehensible.

As a "park", the Dunlap property has long been a hidden jewel in the middle of Richmond Hill.  Despite Jessie Dunlap's original intent, the DDO has never been actively presented as a public space, but it has been regularly used by DDO staff and by the wider Richmond Hill community since it first opened. For many years part of the property was also operated as research arboretum by the U of T faculty of forestry.  Over 75 years, the DDO has morphed from clear-cut farmland to a diverse mixture of forest and meadowlands that provide habitat for dozens of bird species and many large and small mammals. The result is a unique urban wilderness that Phil Goodwin, Chair of the Don Watershed Council, calls "a rarity within the urban landscape that should be respected and nurtured" [link ]

It is disheartening to think one of Canada's most respected universities is willing to sell off a 75-year-old legacy with no public debate and very little planning (only scant details of the new "Dunlap Institute" have been publicly announced).  

It is to be hoped that after reconsidering the value of small telescopes in general and the "sustainable science" the DDO produces just a few kilometers from U of T's main campus, along with its value for public education and as a green urban oasis, the University will decide to hold onto the DDO for many more years.

However, if the University is determined to dispense with 75 years of its own history, then it should work with the DDO astronomers, the people of Richmond Hill and the Canadian amateur astronomy community to transition the facility into a self-sustaining institution.  Such a process could take several years, but it would be worth it.  As we begin to understand the full range of consequences of climate change and other growth-related environmental problems, the rapacious era of "greenfield" development must come to an end.  Ironically, the University of Toronto is home to hundreds of academics that specialize in climate change, biodiversity, forest ecology, conservation biology and sustainability.  Let us hope the University listens to these experts and turns irony into action by refusing to sell the Dunlap property to developers.

That's why on March 29th, I'll be at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  For the past 72 years, the Dunlap Observatory has been a place of discovery and wonder for hundreds of astronomers and many thousands of visitors.

When the lights go out in Toronto, we hope to see the same sky that Dunlap's first astronomers saw in 1935.   Unfortunately, this could be the year the David Dunlap Observatory goes dark, forever.  The current owner, the University of Toronto is trying to quickly sell this property to developers. The world is about to lose a historic eye, a powerful eye that has been looking out into space for decades, the same eye that was used by Dr. Tom Bolton in 1972, when he proved the existence of a Black Hole in Cygnus X-1.

If Dunlap closes, my town will also lose a large green space — a much needed urban wilderness — that is home to dozens of bird species, deer, fox, coyote.  Instead we'll have more concrete, more pavement, more noise, more traffic –  and more light pollution. Hundreds of us have been holding rallies, writing letters and attending town meetings to try to convince the University of Toronto to postpone the sale and other levels of government to protect the property.

In the meantime, local residents and groups such as the Richmond Hill Naturalists will continue to fight to save David Dunlap Observatory and the surrounding green space by appearing before the Ontario Conservation Review Board to seek a 100% heritage designation for the property. These same groups are also lobbying York Region to stop plans to widen existing arterial roads such as 16th Avenue to 6 or 7 lanes. 

We need to ask ourselves, our businesses, our governments — and our universities: what is the point? What is the POINT of looking up at the stars if we continue to destroy the Earth beneath our feet?

When hundreds gather at David Dunlap Observatory for this Earth Hour, that question will be blazing in the sky, burning in every star that shines down upon us.

Happy Earth Hour, everyone.

At the same time, Richmond Hill has adapted the growth of the town around the 190 acre park.  It is now the largest and last remaining green space in the middle of town and is much needed by people and animals alike.

U of T should listen to the more than 2000 people who signed this Online Petition and 2000 others who joined the Save David Dunlap Observatory Facebook group. And the 5000 signatures we delivered to the Ontario Legislature and the University of Toronto. The University should also look at the number of newspaper articles, letters, editorials and blogs which have called the sale a "cash grab" or worse.

People do not want to fund the University of Toronto by selling the land beneath our feet.