the safety of this habitat under rejuvenation. The Spit's outermost end is known as Vicki Keith Point, after a famous Canadian swimmer. There has been an automated lighthouse there since 1974. Tommy Thompson Park The northern half of the Spit has been designated as Tommy Thompson Park, named after a former Toronto Parks Commissioner, and managed by the TRCA. The southern half is still an active dumping zone, managed by PortsToronto. Eventually the entire Spit will become parkland. The Tommy Tompson Park Pedestrian Bridge has been reopened for public use following a complete rebuild by PortsToronto. Important bird area Quite a number of bird species are found on the Leslie Street Spit. More than 300 species of birds have been identified, 45 of which breed on the headland. Among the birds that may be observed on the headland are the ring-billed gull, the black-crowned night-heron, the double-crested cormorant, the common tern, the Caspian tern, and the herring gull. Owing to the Leslie Street Spit's importance to so many bird species, it has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada which are the Canadian partners of BirdLife International. Peninsula D has also become the site of a comprehensive bird research station, run by the TRCA. The Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station operates seven days a week during spring and fall migration, and runs other projects within the Greater Toronto Area throughout the rest of the year. Visitors to the station are welcome on weekends when the park is open. Gallery See also Toronto waterfront PortsToronto Toronto Islands Toronto Harbour Light References External links Tommy Thompson Park (Official homepage) Friends of the Spit site Master's thesis on the Spit Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station Toronto Star article about the Leslie Street Spit Important Bird Areas of Canada site Landforms of Toronto Important Bird Areas of Ontario Tourist attractions in Toronto Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Toronto Headlands of Canada Parks in Toronto Landfills in Canada Land reclamation Breakwaters