Embro CA
- Open to Public: Yes
- Size: 12 ha (29 acres)
- Entry Fee: None
- Permitted Activities: Hiking, dogs-on-leash, fishing, canoeing, picnicking. All other activities prohibited.
- Facilities: Picnic shelter and picnic tables, benches, small parking lot
- Address: 843972 Rd 84, Embro. The CA is west of County Road 6 (37th Line).
- Managers: Embro Pond Association
- Trails: 1.5 km loop foot trail, plus 1.2 km on the adjacent Embro Tract County Forest
- Links: Tourism Oxford
- Map of Embro CA
This 29 acre (11 ha) property north of the Village of Embro is a great place for a picnic and hike. The site features a day-use area with mowed lawn and shade trees, picnic tables and a picnic pavilion. There is a small dam and shallow pond on the Youngsville Drain (a tributary of Embro Creek and Mud Creek). The dam is earthen with a drop inlet structure that releases water downstream of the dam.
The 2.7 km trail network that winds through the Conservation Area and into the County Forest is very popular. Cross country skiing is allowed. There is a sign/kiosk with information about the site and a trail map. The Embro Pond Association maintains the area and trail system. Wood chips are added to wet areas on the trail. There are several loops, so hikers can go as short or long as they desire. Be prepared for insects in summer. The site is popular with birders and some 107 species have been submitted to the eBird website as of January 2022.
The UTRCA and Embro Pond Association have undertaken several environmental projects on the property over the years. Every fourth row of pine trees was thinned in the late 1990s and native hardwood trees were planted between the rows to replace the dying Red Pines. A tallgrass prairie pollinator garden was planted near the pond in 2001.
A few trees are planted each year in the day use area through the Thamesford/Zorra Township Memorial Tree Program. This is a partnership project of the UTRCA and the Township of Zorra that began in 2015.
History
In 1958, the UTRCA purchased a 3 hectare property northeast of the Village of Embro, to develop into a small, day use recreation area. The small dam on the property was in disrepair and was replaced with a 91 metre wide structure that created a small pond on the Youngsville Drain.
The UTRCA expanded the park to approximately 12 ha (29 acres) by purchasing 5.7 ha of the adjoining Oxford County Forest and 2.8 ha of the Charles Harris property. Embro CA officially opened on October 26, 1959. The park has been a popular local destination for picnics, swimming, fishing, and other passive activities. A large area was planted with Red Pine trees, while shade trees were planted around the pond.
