Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill

Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill (KSR) is a roughly 900 acre research property owned and operated by the University of Toronto. KSR is located on protected Oak Ridges Moraine land roughly 30 minutes north of Toronto, Ontario and about a 5 minute drive from Newmarket, Ontario. Donated to the university by the Koffler family in the mid-1990s, the property includes a wide array of ecosystems such as old growth forest, new growth forest, grasslands, wetlands and aquatic environments. KSR regularly hosts researchers from disciplines such as ecology, evolutionary biology, forestry, geography, geology, aerospace sciences and engineering. Along with research, KSR engages with the local community through a year-round public-access trail system and occasional outreach activities.

Along with acres of pristine outdoor research space KSR facilities include researcher accommodations, greenhouse space, a multipurpose outdoor heating array, an outdoor artificial stream array, a renovated laboratory building with solar panels, research and teaching space, a communal gazebo and a state-of-the-art multipurpose building currently under construction which will feature meeting and accommodation space and geothermal heating.