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H***NEW*** HTG Job Posting
HTG Grant News release
Tree Chipping Party
Thornton Trail Upgrades
Steps to Health – Wasaga
Cookstown Trail Upgrades
American Trails Conference Report
Huronia Trails and Greenways
Position
Project Coordinator
Term
January 2005 – March 31, 2006
FTE
1.0 Temporary
Location
Negotiable
Salary
$3000 per month commensurate on qualifications and experience
POSITION SUMMARY
To coordinate the implementation of the Steps to Health – Simcoe County On The Move project. The focus of this project is to encourage active living by increasing the number of physical activity opportunities / events on trails so that trails become recognized as “active living” facilities.
Responsibilities:
The successful applicant will:
bullet Work collaboratively with a steering committee and community partners to implement the Steps to Health – Simcoe County On The Move project
bullet Develop effective tools and resources to implement the project including a marketing campaign, presentation materials, an event planning guide, interactive website
bullet Identify organizations who have existing programs or events who may be interested in partnering to host a Simcoe County On The Move event and assist with coordinating these events
bullet Develop and implement an evaluation plan for the project
bullet Prepare project reports
Qualifications:
bullet Knowledge and experience in project management or equivalent
bullet Well developed facilitation and presentation skills
bullet Well developed communication skills
bullet Well developed organizational and leadership skills
bullet Self starter who can work independently as well as with others
bullet Basic computer skills
bullet Knowledge of trail benefits/usage/design
Please apply in writing to the underwriter with a complete resume by January 16, 2005 midnight. Inquiries and applications by email accepted
Huronia Trails and Greenways, C/O 14 Cheltenham Road, Barrie ON., L4M 6T2
mkaren@sympatico.ca
Click on the links below to download this document
Grant for Huronia Trails and Greenways
The Honourable Jim Bradley, Minister of Tourism and Recreation, announced recently that his Ministry approved a Communities in Action Fund grant application submitted by Huronia Trails and Greenways in the amount of $76,776. The Ministry of Tourism & Recreation’s new Communities In Action Fund is a key initiative of ACTIVE2010, the Province’s first-ever sports and recreation strategy to increase physical activity and support sport development in Ontario.
The above grant is awarded to Huronia Trails and Greenways (HTG) to position trails and greenways as “active living” facilities. Under this grant, Huronia Trails and Greenways will work with various community partners to implement the “Steps to Health – Simcoe County On The Move” initiative, through which we will see a series of physical activities on trails, as well as a common vehicle for the promotion and access to physical activity information. Tools and resources will be provided to local groups to assist with the planning of trail related physical activity events.
Huronia Trails and Greenways thanks the Ministry for its support for this initiative, and also wishes to thank those organizations who supported the grant application:
Children, Youth and Family Services Coalition
Simcoe County District Health Unit
Simcoe County Recreationist Association (SCRA)
Springwater Township
City of Orillia
Borden Blazers Volksmarch Club
Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association and the Wasaga Beach Club
The Environment Network
Good For Life
North Simcoe RailTrail Inc
Thornton Cookstown Trans Canada Trail Committee
Simcoe County District School Board
Ontario Trails Council
Shanty Bay Public School
Tree Chipping Party June 26 04
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK ON THE COOKSTOWN TRANS CANADA TRAIL
No, not exactly light work. It was very hard work, but with 28 volunteers the job got finished much earlier than expected.
From early morning to mid afternoon, six volunteer chainsaw operators cut shrubs and small clumps of trees to open up a 20 ft by 400 ft. right of way, owned by the Town of Innisfil on the old railway line north of Wellington Street in Cookstown. This is to make room for the relocation of the Trans Canada Trail from the trail’s current location on private property to the lands owned by the municipality.
The chainsaw operators were assisted by volunteer trail enthousiasts who dragged the branches and tree stumps to a commercial woodchipper, where 2 operators would process the wood into small woodchips, which will later be used for a short pedestrian side trail north of Cookstown.
The work was intense, but other than some scrapes from the hawthorne bushes, the work party went very smoothly. As an additional bonus, we were all delighted with the new landscape that became visible from the trail, to the northwest. Brown cows grazing on the green pasture land adjacent to the trail made for a very picturesque landscape.
The Thornton-Cookstown Trans Canada Trail committee would like to thank the many volunteers who came out to help, as well as the community service students, who needed to clock in some volunteer hours as part of their highschool graduation requirements. Thanks also go to Tim Horton’s of Cookstown for sponsoring a coffee break, to CRS Contractors Rental Supply of Barrie for donating the use of the chipper and 2 chainsaws, as well as to PCL Constructors Canada Inc. of Orillia for the hardhats, safety glasses and earplugs.
For more information, contact 705-458-4037 or tctrail@simcoecountytrails.net
Spring 2004
Thornton-Cookstown Trail – Thornton upgrade report
We are looking forward to the completion of the Thornton-Cookstown Trail upgrades in Thornton. There has been much preparation work done over the last two years. We are now ready for the heavy grading equipment to move in and complete the most visible part of the project. We are anticipating this to happen in May 2004 when the ground is thawed and the “half loading” status is removed from the roads.
Since the beginning of this project, there have been many individuals and businesses who have made contributions and pledges towards the project. Please note the following list:
Lafarge (Creemore) – committed to delivering the stone screenings for the trail surface at a greatly reduced price.
Clarkson Trees (Innisfil) – donated the use of backhoe for a day to be used for clean up. They have also pledged the service of his tree moving truck and driver for a day to move trees.
Gerry Robinson (Cookstown) – donated many hours of service as a backhoe operator
Colin Partridge (Thornton) – donated his tree carving services to carve a “Tree Spirit” on the trail in Thornton. It can be seen from County Road 21 at the trail access point.
Phil Clark (Thornton) – donated his time and chainsaw to procure the large cedar trunk used for the Tree Spirit.
Don Smith (Egbert) – donated the cedar tree for the Tree Spirit
H.F.Smith Lumber (Cookstown) – donated two 4L cans of high quality finish to preserve the wooden Tree Spirit carving.
John Dolinar (Thornton) – provided a tractor and wagon and driver to transport the large cedar trunk.
Kevin Roberts of Kallen Homes (Thornton) – donated the printing and the postage of the announcement for a community meeting.
Mike Clairmont of Fairmeasure Products (Thornton) – donated his services as a surveyor and provided us with a survey of the Thornton trail for drainage purposes.
Giselher Weber (Thornton) – donated his time to do some additional surveying.
Wendy Loevenmark – donated her services as a Landscape Engineering Technician to complete the Grading Plan and consulting on trail designing ideas
Kyle Yakimovich provided many hours of assistance and consultation on the Grading Plan and with general construction ideas
Munro Concrete Products (Barrie) – donated two catch basins to be used for onsite drainage.
Anonymous (Toronto) – donated hundreds of flower bulbs for the trail.
John Goodfellow – pledged the use of his gravel truck and driver for a day.
Thornton Hydro Committee – has donated $9000.00 towards this project.
Many other people have offered their services to do many different tasks to contribute to this project.
It is very exciting to see so many people working together to make Thornton a better place. They are providing a quiet, safe place for people to walk, run, cycle, and cross country ski.
We are still looking for someone to work on fundraising and signage, and we always welcome new people to get involved with the project. There are numerous opportunities for people to contribute.
If you are interested in getting involved or if you would like more information, contact Alan Hewson 705-428-9922 alan@countryworkshop.ca
Submitted by Alan Hewson – Project Manager
RAIN DID NOT STOP STEPS TO HEALTH WALKERS
After two full weeks of glorious fall weather, with plenty of bright sunshine and blue skies, the morning of October 2, 2004, was less then encouraging for the organizers of the Steps to Health in Wasaga Beach event. Bad weather had been predicted, and no sooner did they set up the first registration tents, when it began to pour, first slowly, but then the rain started to come more persistently, the temperature dipped, and the winds along the waterfront bike route picked up a few notches. Enough to have potential cyclists decide to stay home! The bike event unfortunately got called off.
But no weather will stop the walkers! Rain or shine, they showed up…. From the Nordic Centre at Blueberry Trails, over 70 participated in either a 10.3 km walk, a 5 km walk, or a 2.5 km interpretive walk, especially geared to families with young children and strollers. Everyone walked at their own pace, and followed the colour-coded trail ribbons which identified the various trail loops through the beautiful Blueberry Plains. Town Crier Roy Wilson did an excellent job informing participants about the event schedule, where to register, etc. At registration, all participants were provided with free water and a healthy snack, courtesy of Crystal Springs in Wasaga Beach, the Hepcoe Credit Union and the Harvest Glen Farm Market in Glen Huron. Personal trainer Barb Newell from Innisfil got the walkers warmed up before they set off on their walk.
Upon their return, participants were asked to fill in an evaluation sheet. Other than the rain, all indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed the walk, welcomed the opportunity to get to know the trails in the area, and vowed to come back! For those who were hungry, Friends of Nancy Island offered a delicious BBQ lunch, and given the weather conditions, much sought-after hot apple cider!
This Steps to Health event in Wasaga Beach was a pilot for the Simcoe County On The Move initiative launched by Huronia Trails and Greenways in partnership with the Simcoe County District Health Unit, the Wasaga Beach
Ganaraska Hiking Club and the Borden Blazers Volksmarch Club to encourage residents of Simcoe County to become more physically active.
Recent health surveys are showing that Simcoe County residents, young and old, like the rest of Ontarians, are not active enough for optimal growth and development. Physical activity is essential to improving and maintaining
health as well as preventing a variety of chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in both adults and children is
of particular concern as these disease are now beginning to occur in younger adults and children. Physical activity habits established early in life can play an important role in ensuring a lifetime of good health.
Look out for more Simcoe County on The Move events in 2005 to familiarize yourself with the beautiful trails we have right on our doorstep. We can walk, bike, snowshoe, ski or ride the trails, while enjoying the natural beauty of the surrounding areas, the social interaction with family and friends, and the satisfaction from doing something positive towards a lifetime of good health.
Huronia Trails and Greenways is a registered not-for-profit charitable corporation (charitable number 869134759RR0001) and is the regional co-coordinating body for shared use trail development in Simcoe County. The organization is specifically focused on the completion of the Trans Canada Trail route through Simcoe County, and the promotion of trails for their health, social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. For further information check www.simcoecountytrails.net or contact Frieda Baldwin at info@simcoecountytrails.net or 705-458-4037.
Trans Canada Trail Upgrades in Cookstown and Thornton
Press Release: (Click here for PDF version)
We were promised the trail upgrades in Cookstown would be done before the snow fell, and they were, but now – with snow on the ground – we’ll have to wait till next spring to see what was done. Nevertheless, the Thornton-Cookstown Trans Canada Trail committee is very pleased with the upgrades that were carried out in the past few weeks on sections of the Trans Canada Trail in Cookstown, and earlier this year in Thornton.
In Cookstown, some $20,000 was spent on surface improvements with limestone screenings on the trail between Victoria Street and hwy 89, and from Wellington Street to the north end of the school. A parking lot was built at the trail entrance on Victoria Street, and a proper access from Garibaldi Street to the trail. In Thornton, the trail surface was upgraded from Robert Street to the south end of the village thanks to a $9,000 donation from the previous Thornton Hydro funds. A pedestrian side trail was also created north of Cookstown, just south of the first bridge.
As additional funds are raised, other projects will be undertaken on the more rural parts of the Trans Canada Trail through Essa and Innisfil. Donations of materials (woodchips for instance), volunteer time or cash are always welcome!
The committee would like to express its appreciation to the volunteer project coordinators Alan Hewson of Essa, Bruce Norman of Bond Head and Paul Brown from Georgetown. The committee also wishes to thank the many volunteers who came out to help at various work parties.
ATVers, dirt bike riders and other motorized vehicle users should be reminded that motorized vehicles are not allowed on any section of the Thornton-Cookstown Trans Canada Trail, except snowmobiles in winter. The OPP are enforcing the by-law and have already charged several motorized users.
Snowmobilers should know that the trail is only open for snowmobile use from Victoria Street in Cookstown northward. South of Victoria Street, the trail is not an official OFSC groomed trail, as the trail dead-ends at the municipal boundary between New Tecumseth and Innisfil, or about 500 meters north of the 14th line of New Tecumseth. Users are trespassing if they continue on this abandoned railline corridor through New Tecumseth and should be aware that this corridor is not maintained or developed as a trail. There are no safety signs, such as stop signs, bridges ahead, etc. The Town of New Tecumseth has posted No Tresspassing signs at all intersections.
For more information on the Thornton-Cookstown Trans Canada Trail, check our website at www.simcoecountytrails.net/tctrail.htm, contact 458-4037 or tctrail@simcoecountytrails.net.
Scenic winter landscape on the Trans Canada Trail north of Cookstown. Earlier this year, volunteers cleared this short side trail and spread out two truck loads of woodchips, which are now all covered by a beautiful blanket of snow.
American Trails Conference Oct 20-24, 2004 in Austin, Texas
Note from Frieda Baldwin:
Attending a conference like the bi-annual American Trails conference is a tremendous opportunity to gain trail related knowledge. At this year’s conference, many of the conference sessions and guest speakers discussed the current trend to approach the growing problem of obesity by encouraging physical activity on trails and greenways. The sessions which dealt with trail funding also attracted many delegates. Mind you, many of these funding sources are only applicable for US trail projects, but perhaps we can lobby our governments and agencies in Canada to implement similar funding schemes. Other concurrent sessions dealt with trail construction, trail related training, commuter and bluewater trails, off-highway vehicles on trails, trails and the environment, and even art-on-the-trail.
Thanks to a grant from the Town of Innisfil, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the above conference, and have upon my return compiled a conference report. The report is a summary of my notes taken during the concurrent sessions or summarized from handouts, from information gathered at field trips and from exhibitors, as well as from networking with other trail enthusiasts.
To download full report, click on the button below:
All material in this report is free to use with no restrictions
For more information, contact Frieda Baldwin at info@simcoecountytrails.net.