Ojibway Park is the hub of activity at the Ojibway Prairie Complex. Most visitors initially visit here before exploring other regions of the Complex. Ojibway Park features an excellent Nature Centre and several well kept, self-guiding nature trails on which visitors can discover and learn about the ecology of the pin oak forest, savannah, and tall grass prairie habitats. Ojibway Park is connected to the Windsor Trail.
In 1957, a deal was struck to give a 37-acre lot south of Mic Mac Park and the mineral rights beneath a 180-acre landfill site in the west end in exchange for Ojibway Park. The ecological importance of this land was not widely recognized until the early 1970s when two University of Toronto professors, Dr. Maycock and Dr. Hill published studies on the Ojibway prairie. By 1976, the park's importance was well known and the City officially opened the Ojibway Nature Centre. In 1991, a land purchase from the Windsor Raceway, added another 50 acres to Ojibway Park.
The Ojibway Park Nature Centre features exhibits designed to provide information about wildlife and local ecology. Programs for schools and other organized groups can be arranged through Nature Centre staff. Naturalists are available to help organize lessons and provide informative tours. A wide variety of seasonal programs are offered, including birding, wildlife, wildflower and photography courses. The Nature Centre building was originally a classroom at St. Clair College and was purchased by the City for one dollar. The building was then moved to Ojibway Park and refurbished.
The term Ojibway Prairie Complex was coined to refer to the related group of municipal and provincial parkland that serves to protect remnants of the original tallgrass prairie and oak savannah communities once occupied the southwestern corner of present-day Windsor. The complex includes Ojibway Park, Black Oak Heritage Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Spring Garden Natural Area and the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve. All of the City properties comprise the Ojibway Prairie Remnants ANSI (Area of Natural and Scientific Interest), a provincial designation indicating that these sites support the best example of a particular type of flora and fauna in Ontario.
History
Industry first threatened this sensitive area in 1913, when the United States Steel Corporation purchased 1,400 acres from the newly incorporated Town of Ojibway. Although a giant steel plant was planned for the property, it was never used for that purpose, even in 1937, when the Dominion Steel and Coal Company acquired the site. In 1957, the Canadian Salt Company bought the land and began mining salt. However, as no sprawling industries were established on the property, large areas of forest and prairie survived until recent times.
The Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve was regulated under the Provincial Parks Act in 1979 to protect one of the largest remnants of tallgrass prairie and oak savannah in Canada. An additional 100 acres of adjacent property is being acquired for future expansion of the reserve. The Morton Salt Company owned this parcel of land prior to 1973.