Boundaries: the ravine area of Massey creek from St Clair west of Warden to Pharmacy north of the Subway tracks.
Massey Creek starts out at Terraview Park and Willowfield Garden Parks just south of the 401 and east of Pharmacy. It eventually makes its way past Eglinton east of Birchmount through the Eglinton Ravine, Farlinger Ravine, Pine Hills Cemetary, St Clair Ravine, and then into Warden Woods.
Thanks to ownership by the Catholic religious order the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose humanitarian efforts in the area included the establishment of the Providence Healthcare facility [see Clairlea Neighbourhood] this ravine has been largely protected from damaging construction and development in the surrounding area. It was acquired from the Sisters by the township of Scarborough in January 1959.
Amid the natural beauty of this ravine lies a darker reality. Numerous storm-water sewers feed into Massey creek. Along with Combined Sewer Overflows and illegal residential sewage hookups, this resulted in E.coli levels 2000 times higher than provincial water quality objectives as per a 2002-2003 study by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. The situation is gradually improving however thanks in large measure to the efforts of The Taylor Massey Project, an organization focused on restoring Taylor Massey Creek, its water quality and natural surroundings.
From Warden Woods, Massey Creek continues to flow through the Dentonia Park Golf course and further west until it joins with Taylor Creek and eventually the Don River to Lake Ontario. Before it reaches Dawes Road, the creek passes by the Massey Goulding Estate a heritage home which was part of an experimental dairy farm started in 1897 by Walter and Susan Denton Massey. In recent times the home has become the venue for the Children’s Peace Theatre camp.
References
Taylor Massey Project Protecting Warden Woods
Jason Ramsay-Brown Toronto Trails and Ravines with Abbey
http://abbey-trails.blogspot.ca/2011/07/july-31-2011-gus-harris-trail-through.html
http://abbey-trails.blogspot.ca/2011/08/august-1-2011-real-warden-woods.html
