Located on the Oak Ridges Moraine in King Township, north of Toronto, the Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill is an internationally recognized site for cutting-edge research and education in biodiversity, ecology and conservation biology.

The reserve includes the Biodiversity and Global Change Biology (BGCB) building, which houses classroom/meeting, lab and storage spaces; as well as several residential houses for researchers to stay overnight.

The Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill’s mandate is to:

• reserve the integrity and biodiversity of ecosystems within its boundaries;
• carry out research and education that advance the University’s academic mission and contribute to the conservation of the site and its environs;
• foster outreach activities in keeping preservation of, and academic vision for, the site

Our goal is to move toward a sustainable future through research and education on the environment, in the environment.

Most of Jokers Hill’s 350 hectares are blanketed by a mosaic of wetlands and forests, including Ontario’s largest remaining stand of old-growth hardwood. In this ecological observatory, scientists monitor, measure and analyze natural processes as they unfold. The hayfield and pastures – relics of the equestrian days – are an outdoor ecological laboratory where researchers perform intensively manipulative experiments that subject theories about the environment to scientifically rigorous testing.

Learning is life long and the reserve offers instructive and interactive learning experiences.

Courses from the University of Toronto bring students to Koffler Scientific Reserve for the type of hands on experience in natural environments that no campus can offer.

A system of public walking trails , on the eastern end of Jokers Hill, offers an opportunity to experience an important piece of Ontario’s natural heritage.