Monday, October 13, 2014

Ontario Trail News - Conservation Lands, Trucks and Bikes and more!


The top 5 conservation areas around Toronto

Posted by Derek Flack / OCTOBER 12, 2014
conservation areas torontoToronto is surrounded by conservation areas, provincially regulated green spaces designed to protect watersheds and the natural environment in general. There are 36 conservation authorities that manage more more than 290 of these parks in Ontario, which provide a convenient escape from urban living for day-trippers. The range of activities on offer at conservation areas is broad, from your basic picnicking to advanced mountain biking, maple syrup tours, and camping. They're generally cheap to access (under $10 per person), and even those close to Toronto boast serene landscapes and bucolic surroundings.
Here are my picks for the top 5 conservation areas around Toronto.
Rattlesnake Point
Located southwest of Milton on the Niagara Peninsula, Rattlesnake Point offers sweeping views of the bucolic landscape below the gorge heading down to Lake Ontario. Trails line the top of the escarpment, which regularly open to sweeping vistas of farmland and the azure lake. Cyclists will want to test their mettle of the climb up Appleby Road leading into the park. It's one of the toughest in Ontario.
Kelso
Kelso is a mountain bikers dream, with 22km of at times highly technical trails that meander along the Niagara Escarpment. But it's also so much more, with skiing and snowboarding in the winter (there are 15 slopes), a campground, a supervised beach in the summer, and a sprawling 396 hectares of total space.
Elora Gorge
The jewel in the crown of the Grand River Valley, Elora Gorge promises hiking trails with stunning views, decent fishing opportunities, and some of the best tubing in the province. The latter is a favourite past time in the area and easier than you might think: simply plop your tube in up river and float away your cares.
Kortright
This is maple syrup country in the winter, with guided tours and heaping pancake-heavy breakfasts. It's also a place that's devoted to renewable energy education, featuring two LEED Platinum certified buildings and what they call the Power Trip Trail, which highlights a variety of technologies related to sustainable energy production.
Belfountain
Located beside the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, Belfountain might be the prettiest conservation area near Toronto. The river and its many small waterfalls is much nicer than the streams we tend to find at the bottom of our ravines, and the woods are absolutely spectacular with saturated colour come mid-October. Hit the swing bridge over the river for a great view and a bit of adventure. There's also numerous trails and picnic facilities.

CBC.ca
What's On: Walking around Toronto haunts
There are walks in the city this weekend that highlight its spooky surroundings, and others that delve into a literary past. There's that and more to do ...
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Credit Valley Conservation Watersheds
Following the aftermath, the province of Ontario and conservation authorities, including CVC, took action to help communities prepare for and reduce ...
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windsoriteDOTca
ERCA To Award Conservation Champions
The Essex Region Conservation Authority is looking to recognize the good work towards continued growth and contribution in the area of ...
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Ontario Trucking Association 


Ontario Trucking Association 
October 10, 2014 06:00 ET

Trucks 'n Bikes: How to Share the Road

New OTA Internet video helps teach road users about truck/cycling safety & awareness
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 10, 2014) - Whether you're a driver, a pedestrian or a cyclist - and most of us in Ontario are a combination of all of these - safety and respect for one another on the road is something we should all be aware of.
To mark the approaching end of cycling season this long weekend (no doubt many of us will want to turn those bike peddles and work off that Thanksgiving turkey), the Ontario Trucking Association has produced a smart and fun new internet video to educate truckers and cyclists about looking out for each other and help them share the road more safely.
Check it out by clicking here.
The witty video - titled Trucks 'n Bikes: Sharing the Road - is a great visual resource for road users, students, teachers, governments, safety and public service groups, community centres - as well as car, bike and truck clubs and associations - and anyone else who wants to learn about truck/bike safety and raise awareness.
It features Thomson Terminals driver and charismatic OTA Road Knight Mike Paolozzi, paired with his avid-cyclist alter ego. Together, they provide visually animated pointers on traffic awareness, intersection positioning, blind spots and collision avoidance, such as: 'The Blind Date', 'The Right Cross', and of course, 'The Rear-End.'
"Undoubtedly, there are concerns about traffic and space voiced by each and every road user and pedestrian - especially in big cities like Toronto. The fact is that most of us drive as well as ride bikes and we should be looking out for each other," says OTA President David Bradley. "We think this video will help cyclists better understand trucks and how to behave around them while also reminding professional drivers to be vigilant around the most vulnerable road users."
Added Steven Del Duca, Ontario Minister of Transportation: "The Ontario Government remains committed to keeping our roads the safest in North America for all users of the road. It is a team effort and I commend the Ontario Trucking Association for their leadership on this safe driving and cycling video."
Check out the Trucks n' Bikes Sharing the Roads video and share it on social media with friends, family and colleagues.

CONTACT INFORMATION

  • Ontario Trucking Association
    Media Contact: Marco Beghetto
    VP Communications & New Media
    (416) 249-7401 x 238
    Marco.Beghetto@Ontruck.org

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Ontario Trails News - changes in land policy and recent land purchases

Moving Biodiversity Conservation to a Landscape Approach


The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry takes a landscape approach to strategic conservation of ecosystems and species. Moving Biodiversity Conservation to a Landscape Approach outlines how organizations applying to the Land Stewardship and Habitat Restoration Program should adopt this approach in their proposed projects and application for funds.

More
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Oct 09, 2014 | Vote0   0


CA purchases land near Old Baldy in Grey Highlands

Meaford Express
Private land at the base of the famous local landmark - Old Baldy - will be purchased by the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority to be preserved for future generations.
The CA made the announcement at a special meeting at Kimberley Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
The Old Baldy Conservation Area near Kimberley is a popular hiking, climbing and naturist area. It is named for a large rock formation at the top of the escarpment that is visible for miles around.
The Grey Sauble Conservation Authority joined up with the Mountain Equipment Coop, Alpine Club of Canada, Ontario Access Coalition, Ontario Climbing, Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Nature League to make the purchase of the property possible.
A deal is in place for the CA to purchase 45 acres at the bottom of Old Baldy and transfer that land into public ownership.
"Two years ago we found out this land was for sale," CA Lands Coordinator Chris Hachey said at the announcement. "It's an iconic view of this area. It's beautiful, features the Bruce Trail and it's popular with the climbing community. We knew we had to have some partnerships to be able to purchase the land."
Mountain Equipment Coop, the Alpine Club of Canada, Ontario Access Coalition and Ontario Climbing combined to raised $130,000 for the purchase. The Bruce Trail Conservancy raised $25,000. The Nature League added $2,000 to the total.
The land being purchased has immense natural heritage and recreation value. The Old Baldy Conservation Area features rugged tall cliffs and a sweeping landscape that is the signature of the Niagara Escarpment in Beaver Valley. The newly purchased land will be added to the 128 acres at Old Baldy that is already under public ownership.
Hachey said the CA plans create new trails on the property that will link Old Baldy directly to Kimberley.
"We're quite pleased the partners all came together to help the Conservation Authority secure this piece of property," said Grey Highlands councillor and CA vice chair Dave Clarke.
Randy Kielbasiewicz of the Ontario Access Coalition was thrilled with the partnership to raise the money to purchase the land.
"This is very meaningful to the Ontario climbing community. Old Baldy is a very special place for us - it has a long history of climbing," he said.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Ontario Trails Council - Canada's Largest Inclusive Trail Association

Trail Heros

Know somebody that works hard on trails? If so nominate them to be an Ontario Trails "Trail Hero!" We'd be happy to review your recommendations and acknowledge in a small way their contribution to trails in your community.

Trail Blog

Every day trails are news! Every day we blog about trails. In communities all over Ontario trails are big news, for cyclists, runners, canoe or horses, every day we capture in one spot all the trail news - local, provincial or national! Join today!
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Trail Leaders!

Join Ontario's first ever series of 13 online trail education courses in the development and management of trails. Designed for both volunteers and professionals. Next Course begins in September Topic - Trail Management. Register today - registration is open 24/7  
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Join OTC

The Ontario Trails Council is a nonprofit charitable organziation, established in 1988, that promotes the development, preservation, management and use of recreational trails. With over 130 organizational members and 25 individual supporters the OTC continues to grow! Support trails in Ontario - join the OTC

Learn an Activity

Our website contains information on over 2,600 trails, and a description for nearly 2,000. Learn about the places where you can bike, cross country ski, climb or any of another 15 activities. We are linked to over 130 organizations and a variety of provincial groups that can help you learn an activity or become better at one you already love!

ontario water trails
 

Add Your Event

We post trail or outdoor events on trail specific facebook pages, the main OTC facebook page, and the event section of the OTC website. You can send us your event and we'll post it to these extensive networks. Each week we reach over 20,000 people, so if you want your event known, a bit better, send us the information.


Add/Edit Trails

An important part of the Refreshed OTC Web site will be a dynamic page dedicated to each trail. It is important that you give us as much information as possible - this will be the only source for creating your dedicated page on the OTC Web site. If we don't get the information from you, it won't make it onto the site. If you have any questions about the form, please contact Patrick at 613-484-1140. Thank you for taking the time to add or edit your trail on the Ontario Trails Council Web site.


 

Be a Friend of Trails

We invite all trail users to support the work of the Ontario Trails Council. As a registered charity we do our community work based on the support of member organziations, individuals and some government grants. We do the work, in the end for the individual families and folks that use the trails every day. Please consider supporting us as your thanks for your trails. Thank you.


Member Requests

1) Algonquin College program on-line

algonquin college



 
2) OTC Mobile App - for iProducts and Windows

otc mobile app

3) Post Photos to Pinterest

ontario trails on pinterest


4) OTC on Foursquare

ontario trails on foursquare

5) Safe Trails Manual


6) OTC Youtube Channel
ontario trails youtube channel

7) Ontario Trails Maps
ontario trails maps

8) Enabling Change Program
ontario


9) OTC Board 2013-14
Jack De Wit - PRESIDENT
Ontario Equestrian Federation
905-655-4666
cndhrsman@bellnet.ca


Dan Andrews - Secretary/Treasurer     
TrailADE Consulting
705-927-8648
trailadecanada@gmail.com
Paul Ronan
Ontario Parks Association
647-991-9444
paulronan@rogers.com

Frieda Baldwin
Simcoe County Trails
705-245-1005
frieda.baldwin@rogers.com

Wayne Daub
Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicle Clubs
519-500-3715
w-daub@rogers.com

Igor Hoogendoorn
International Mountain Biking Association
855-255-4094 ext.108
igor.hoogendoorn@imba.com

Tim West
Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs
705-739-7669
twest@ofsc.on.ca

Graham Burke
Trails Advocate
519-941-8911
twest@ofsc.on.ca

K
irsten Spence
Northern Ontario Representative
807-889-0602
trailsgirl@gmail.com
Jeff Muzzi
Manager, Forestry Services, Renfrew County
613-633-9683
JMuzzi@countyofrenfrew.on.ca


Patrick Connor
Ex-officio - Executive Director
Deseronto
613-484-1140
execdir@ontariotrails.ca


We currently have 2 vacancies on the OTC Board. If you are interested please e-mail Jack De Wit to discuss. cndhrsman@bell.net

Disclaimer
The ideas, opinions, re-posting of news, editorials and content contained in this newsletter are not necessarily the ideas or opinions of the OTC Board or staff. This news is intended for informational purposes only.


OTC Event Planning Guide
Call 877-668-7245







OTC Trail Committee Manual
Call 877-668-7245

ontario regional trail committee planner



Ontario Trails Membership
On behalf of OTC we thank you for your support. If there is a group you know that is not a member contact us and we'll send them a note on membership benefits. This past week we received a renewal from Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Sault Ste. Marie Thank you very much for your support!

THANKS! MERCI!
 join otc
 

 





The Ontario Trails Council is a charitable organization, incorporated in 1991, that promotes the creation, development, preservation, management and use of recreational trails in Ontario.
Surveys and Networking!
Don’t forget to join anyone of the following information tools:
Be sure to get a copy of the latest OTC E-bulletin (circulation 880+) - here
Join one of our facebook pages (>6000 friends) - here
Add or Edit your trail - here
Complete a survey - here
Twitter to or at us (12840 followers) - here
Join the blog - here
Join Trail Counts - here
Take an On-Line Education Course - here


Photo Credit Header - Photo courtesy of
Ontario Conservation Areas

Friday, October 10, 2014

Ontario Trails Council News - Trailwise






Snowmobile Permits Early Bird Sale on now!



$180 Seasonal Permit Returns After Generating 21% Growth Last Winter 2015 Seasonal Snowmobile Trail Permit Offers 30% Savings if Purchased on or before November 1


(Barrie, ON – October 1, 2014) – Last year, the Old Farmer’s Almanac forecast a snowy, cold winter for Ontario and it was right. Now, with the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicting another good, old-fashioned Ontario winter for this season,
snowmobilers can catch a big savings break by purchasing 2015 Seasonal Snowmobile Trail Permits in October.

After a 21% permit sales spike last winter, the not-for-profit Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is selling Seasonal Permits again for a special pre-season fee of $180 when purchased online at www.ofsc.on.ca on or before November 1, 2014.

“The $180-Nov. 1 option we introduced last winter represents a 30% saving off the regular Seasonal Permit fee of $260 and Ontario snowmobilers responded by purchasing many more permits, ” said OFSC President Remi Sauve. “A year over year sales increase of 21% is phenomenal in any business, and that, plus a very snowy winter has generated a considerable momentum for snowmobiling heading into 2015.”



According to recent consumer surveys undertaken by the OFSC, 93% of respondents said they were planning to buy as many or more permits for the coming season as they did last year. Noting that the $180-Nov. 1 option also attracted over 18,000 new permit buyers last winter, the OFSC is confident that with this incentive in place again, even more new participants and former riders will discover the fun of today’s snowmobiling at a very affordable cost for the coming season.

Available on or before November 1, the $180 Seasonal Permit spearheads the success of a new business model for trail operations by the OFSC that debuted last winter. Known as “A Framework For Change”, the new plan is a comprehensive approach, including more permit types with varied fees, allocating more money where it snows each winter, and promoting more efficient trail operations across the province.

“We think it’s important to keep OFSC snowmobiling as accessible as possible for Ontario families as well as for visitors from outside the province. That’s why the OFSC is very pleased with the success of A Framework For Change and a survey response from this past spring showing that 95.8% of snowmobilers believe that Ontario snowmobiling is enjoyable, very enjoyable or extremely enjoyable,” said OFSC Executive Director Paul Shaughnessy.

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is a volunteer led not-for-profit association, which through strong leadership, provides a wide range of quality programs and services to, and on behalf of, its member organizations. Our provincial network of organized snowmobile trails connects Ontario communities providing responsible riding experiences that are safe, enjoyable and environmentally sustainable.
Projects Updates - National Trails Coalition (ON)

This program was announced at the end of June. In total the OTC had 93 enquiries for funding. Snowmobile had 89 projects come forward and ORV 19, for a total of 201 expressions of interest.

There have been several logistical issues to work out, namely find sharing on projects, file completions, and use of other funds. The NTC is working towards approvals at this time. NOTE: the NTC is waiting for all jurisdictions to report in before approving specific provinces or territories. We can therefore only go as fast as the slowest province. As they roll out you will be contacted.



The total value of work on these 59 projects (without single snowmobile, or single ORV) is over $21,000,000. The project costs alone are $17,600,000. The dollars raised by the communities applying is over $10,000,000 of this and the NTC contribution is of course maxed at $2.1 million.

The Ontario Review Committee has met on two occasions to reconcile receipt and acknowledgements. We are working towards September approvals and communications.

The NTC also hired a National Program Facilitator - his name is Roger Pelletier. He can be reached by email at: rogpel@videotron.ca
Membership Growth - Join Today.

Ontario Trails Council Membership is now over 220 member organizations and individuals. 
  • Customer (Trail User) Services - where's the trailhead?, can I use?, do I need a permit? are there trails in Milton?, everyday we get these questions and we answer them so folks can use Milton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Ottawa, Canada Parks, Ontario Parks, Georgian Township trails and other trail systems.

Where your membership dollar goes:
  • Office - supplies and telephone and internet to host website
  • Travel - to support trail development in King Township SW Ontario, Georgian Bay, North of Superior, Niagara, Norfolk, PEC, North Hastings and FABR.
  • Administration - writing of grants, legal compliance, charitable functions
  • International and National Connections - yes we are very well connected
  • Educational Program - completion of writing of curriculum for web based learning 
If you are a member in arrears (about 15) please renew - our budget needs your support. Your membership helps us make trails Please RENEW today.  Membership Pages

Trails Profiles

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