off grid and use solar power. In 1985, the TRCA announced that the northern portion of the Spit was designated as an environmentally sensitive area and that future plans would accommodate both recreational and naturalist groups. Land title Because it was newly created land, it was owned by the Crown and held by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The land set aside for the park was transferred to the TRCA in 1984. However, the MNR retains ownership of the active landfill portion of the spit. Friends of the Spit The Leslie Street Spit's evolution into an urban wilderness was never in the city's plans. The spit's status as such was secured by a number of organizations, with the citizens' advocacy group known as Friends of the Spit at the forefront of advocacy to naturalize the site. Structure The inner part of the Spit consists of three embayments. These were designed to hold dredged material from the Inner Harbour and the Keating Channel. The first embayment has now been filled. It has been capped with clean fill and is being restored by the TRCA as a marsh. The remaining two embayments have about 50 years' capacity remaining. Between the Port Lands and the Spit lies the Outer Harbour. Part of this body of water was once the edge of a marsh that was part of Ashbridge's Bay. In the early 1980s, construction of an endikement on the eastern side of the embayments began. The endikement is designed as a rigid breakwater that protects the embayments and also deflects substantial sediment from the Inner Harbour. Access As late as 1973, there was no formal access to the Spit, although visits could be arranged with the Toronto Harbour Commission. However, by the summer of 1974, the Toronto Harbour Commission was providing bus service to the Spit on Sunday afternoons. The Spit is open to the public from 5:30 am. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends and statutory holidays (with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day), and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. It is closed during the day on weekdays owing to the ongoing construction of the spit, conducted by PortsToronto. The Leslie Street Spit is a car-free area when the park is open, with strictly controlled vehicle access to the mooring area when the park is closed. The Spit is also pet-free to enforce