Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
VOLUNTEERING FOR A CAUSE
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 (Napanee Beaver)
Friday, June 29, 2007 (Picton Gazette)
Conservation areas are special places. And in the 6,200 square kilometre Quinte Conservation watershed, there are more than 35 of them, ranging in size from small scenic lookouts to enormous conservation areas like the 3,000 acre Depot Lakes, northwest of Verona. Most of these see dozens, if not hundreds, of visitors a day, enjoying the trail system and the wonderful attributes which make these conservation areas so special.
It is important, therefore, that we do what we can to maintain these areas, to ensure that the trails are always safe and enjoyable to walk. For the last three years, it has been my pleasure to organize groups of volunteers who take on a couple of conservation areas each year, spending two or three days at each one, trimming the trails, erecting directional signs and removing any accumulated litter. For those volunteers who spend their days improving the trails, it is a tremendous sense of accomplishment and pride.
The idea of adopting one or two conservation areas a year was actually spawned by a hike one year at Sheffield Conservation Area, south of Kaladar. Two Napanee residents admitted they had been working away quietly for several years, doing light trimming in their efforts to keep the difficult four kilometre trail open enough to prevent those unfamiliar with the route from becoming lost. It was then we decided to give these senior volunteers a helping hand. In less than two days, a team of about 10 volunteers pruned their way along the entire four kilometre route and installed a number of signs, painted arrows on open granite rocks, and even erected the odd Inukshuk to assist hikers in their explorations along this rugged trail.
Last summer, when word got that we were interested in re-opening the trail at Harry Smith Conservation Area, at Ameiasburgh, the Hastings and Prince Edward Land Stewardship were quick to respond, and offered the assistance of their Stewardship Ranger program. The 17-year-olds had the trail finished in a day !
This year, the Ranger Program has responded once again to our invitation to help in trail rehabilitation, this time, at the Sidney Conservation Area, south of Stirling. This 52 acre site looks much different today than it did in its hey day some 60 years ago. The established hiking trail weaves through reforestation plots of native hardwoods and evergreens. But wander off the trails, and buried deep within thick growths of invading trees and shrubs, signs of another era are apparent, and here and there, remnants of clearings. It was these former clearings, approximately three acres, that once had been brought under experimental cultivation for the study of field and garden insects
Previous to 1972, the Sidney Conservation Area was a field station for the former Entomological Research Institute in Belleville. The Institute acquired the property in 1948, for the purpose of biological and ecological studies of insects in correlation with the research being conducted at the former Belleville Laboratory, located at the corner of Bleecker and Dundas Street in Belleville. Currently, the existing trail meanders through the forest to the far end, where it takes a small loop over Chrysal Creek, and returns via the same route. Our project this year will be to create a full loop to this trail and route it through a section of the property where there are still some interesting remnants and foundations of the past.
Although we have four Rangers who have accepted the challenge, a few more volunteers to undertake some additional remedial action in the conservation area, such as some light trimming on the existing main trail, and erecting some directional arrows would be helpful. The project takes place July 10th and 11th and any volunteers interested in assisting with this project can contact me.
Another area we need volunteers for later in the summer is Little Bluff Conservation Area where trails there will receive a light trimming, and we will attempt to clear invading shrubs and saplings away from the old grain storage building below the escarpment, a remnant from the days when this was an important shipping area for grain during the famous “Barley Days” in Prince Edward County.
In addition to opening the trail at Harry Smith Conservation Area last summer, volunteers also worked for two days at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area, south of Picton. One of our volunteers, Brian Tobin, who helped with that project, tragically lost his life in a cycling accident near his home in Colborne on June 10th. Brian and his wife Joan have a woodlot property on Black River and were always very involved in environmental initiatives, especially those connected with land stewardship and forest management. Quinte Conservation has lost a true friend, and our thoughts will be with his family as we embark on this year’s volunteer projects.
This week’s column was prepared on behalf of Quinte Conservation