We are proud to say that we are an ecologically friendly campground and use only products that are healthy for humans, animals and the environment. We ask that you do not spray your campsites with toxic pesticides to kill the insects that live here naturally. (See Rules & Regulations) There are natural ways to discourage these ‘pesty’ rascals.
On site we have worked with Universities and their student in areas of research such as white nose in bats, wild bee populations, leopard frogs, monarch butterfly lifecycle and migration, and have an ongoing salamander monitoring plot.
Plastic Water Bottles: Please bring appropriate water bottles/ containers that can be filled on site. Our drinking water meets the requirements of the Ontario Public Health Board. It is very high in several minerals and has a PH of 7.2 on average. The list of minerals and metals is posted at the office and at the shower houses.
Showers are now metered for better use of water and we heat with on-demand boilers and use Kholer Katalyst showerheads to ensure a nice warm shower. Showers are started with a token that is purchased in the offices for $3.00 for a 4-6 minute shower. One shower house is for Men & Women, while the 2nd showerhouse is non Gender, with a Family size shower cubicle as well.
We continuously work at reducing our footprint when it comes to garbage. We are now a “PACK IN- PACK OUT” your trash. We will give you a clear plastic bag(s) for recycling products and there is a compost bucket for all your food wastes by the dishwashing stations. Please pack wisely when it comes to your stay. We ask that you eliminate styrofoam and plastic packaging as much as possible from your camping gear and supplies prior to your visit. Please do not burn your garbage in your firepit.(See Rules & Regulations)
Harmony Acres is 100 acres of land where the campground is developed on 25 acres. It is one of the last private stands of hardwoods, especially oaks (look around your campsites) at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Other trees included are beech, maple trees and ironwood Our forest connects to the National Park land system. Due to many foreign species of beetles and blights destroying Ontario forests, we ask that you please DO NOT bring any wood from areas outside of the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Firewood is available on site and locally for purchase. We too, have experience the devastation of our giant Ash trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer. In Michigan they have seen large populations of woodpeckers aid in the slowing of the process but that is all. We too have noticed that our woodpecker populations have increased dramatically and breeding on site.
We take the overall well being of our trees very seriously. Our site protection policy for the trees in the main forest and those surrounding your campsite is now regulated through large fines. The comprehension of the intrinsic network between plant life on forest floors and the trees is misunderstood by most people. Scavenging of dead branches and rotten logs, home to amphibians and insects, or the breaking of branches for starting fires is strictly forbidden. (See Rules & Regulations) Firewood and firestarter is available at Harmony Acres in various sizes limiting the need to bring various tools i.e. hatchets. We ask that you ‘hug a tree’ instead of stabbing it.
In 2015 with the assistance of Grey Sauble Conservation Authorities and Ministry of Natural Resources, we designated 75 acres into a forest management plan, referring to the heart of the hardwood forest the ADYTUM of HARMONY. We have many species of rare and endangered birds breeding here as well as plants. Within the remaining 25 acres which includes the campground we are setting up a ‘Wild Arboretum’ for your camping bedroom to include a cool educational experience – where technology aids in understanding Nature. Ongoing landscaping involves flowers and wildflowers specifically designed for bats, bees, birds and butterflies.
The upper Bruce Peninsula is home to many species of wildlife –such as bears, coyotes, foxes, weasels, fishers, skunks, raccoons, porcupines including several amphibians and reptiles. The large avian population flourishes on the upper peninsula during spring, summer and autumn as the peninsula is also a flyway for several species in migration. Some of the smaller birds that you will see in the trees and fields around Harmony are on the ‘Species at Risk’ List. This List indicates if they are either endangered, threatened, of special concern or extirpated – both for plant and animal. On the property you will see mud nests of barn swallows. Please do not disturb. Bird feeders are maintained year round. If you are quiet you will see a redheaded woodpecker visiting and in late August all the young are there. There is a large breeding population of hummingbirds on the property. On site we have breeding population of both species of Brown Bats.
The spring brings the choruses of frogs and toads, summer time there are the bull frogs and whippoorwills calling along with several morning birds. – especially the Phoebe whose call is non stop ‘phoebe’. Late summer there is the crazy call between the coyote adults teaching their young to hunt along with sounds of crickets.
In the area drive wisely especially at night due to wild life on the highways;
while on the side roads going to the different beaches please BRAKE for Snakes and Turtles.
When camping please recognize that you are sharing space with all these species and they are dependent on a symbiotic relationship.
You are but a guest and your acknowledgment of your place where ever you visit on the Bruce Peninsula is their survival.
We have a Bear policy in place.
Do not be the one responsible for this animal’s death sentence, respect our rules about food and trash on your site.
Massasauga Rattlesnake
This is the only poisonous reptile in Ontario and one of its last domains is the Bruce Peninsula. The last recorded death from a Massasauga bite in Ontario is more than 50 years, and only two deaths resulting from a Massasauga bite have ever been reported in the province. (www.Ontario.ca/page/massasauga-rattlesnake)
When hiking in the area and on trails wear proper footwear and loose fitting pants. Do not reach into regions that you cannot see. This snake is very shy and prefers to retreat and hide rather than bite. These snakes will warn you of their presence via a rattle at the end of their tail. It is a distinct buzzing sound.
Do not pick up any snakes, or kill any snakes. They are the indicator species of the health of our ecosystems.
At Harmony Acres you will see a variety of other snakes throughout the campground. They are your common Garter Snake and Milk Snake (which is sometimes mistaken for a rattlesnake due to markings but has a very long slim body) . The elusive Grass snake and the tiny trio of the DeKay snake, Red Neck snake and the Red Belly snake are here but seldom will they make their presence known.
Due to the many people in our campground over the summer season this snakes prefers the dense forest and marshlands not your campsite!
Little Brown Bat
Mosquito Control – Brown Bats swoop around at dusk feeding on mosquitos and moths. You will see many around the showerhouse. We ask that you do not spray pesticides around your campsites. This will jeopardize the bats immune systems for fighting off diseases such as white nose. They live behind the barn doors during the daytime hours, and in the hollows of trees on the edges of the paddocks.
Bees, Wasps & Hornets
Bumble Bees, native to North America are the fuzzy, flying black and yellow insects that are busy in plant pollination. You can hear them literally bumbling along in the gardens around Harmony Office. They seldom sting because if they do they will die. The Bumbles are a favourite of Harmony Acres, They are eusocial and sadly the worker bees, old queens and males live but one season. We have joined Bumble BeeWatch.org. Throughout the area you will find several other species of bee such as the Mason bees, and the Honey bees.
Wasps and Hornets, while similar in colour to bees, they are hairless and much larger than their bee counterparts. Wasps are black and yellow, while the larger Hornet is black and white. There are carnivores eating other insects and their stings are quite painful and dangerous to anyone with an allergy to their venom. They do not die after they sting. When food supplies dwindle in late summer, we notice here that the wasps and hornets become more active especially near your sugary drinks and food. Please keep your site clean and do not leave open pop/juice containers around. We constantly check the areas around buildings and trees for their papery nests. Hornets do nest on the ground so stick to the roads and do not go through the forest between sites or pick up rotten wood from the forest floors.