Ontario Trails - Headwaters Institute and local partners leading 2 hikes in City of Kawartha Lakes to encourage locals to get active

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Headwater hikes take place on the Oak Ridges Moraine this weekend

The Ontario Headwaters Institute and local partners are leading two headwater hikes in The City of Kawartha Lakes this weekend to encourage local residents to get active

Kawartha Lakes This Week

KAWARTHA LAKES - The Ontario Headwaters Institute and local partners are leading two headwater hikes in The City of Kawartha Lakes this weekend to encourage local residents to get active, visit a headwater area, and engage in the co-ordinated review of the province’s Greenbelt Plan and three other land use plans.

The hikes will take place at the Pigeon River Conservation Area on Saturday, May 23 and Fleetwood Creek Natural Area on Sunday, May 24. Participants should arrive by 9:45 a.m. Each hike will highlight a variety of environmental features and is designed to familiarize participants with the importance of the region’s headwaters, including local wetlands, small streams, and their catchment areas.

According to the Institute’s, Andrew McCammon, “Headwaters are the foundation of our watersheds and nurture more biodiversity than any other type of habitat in Ontario”.

Headwaters play a crucial role in protecting the region’s drinking water, reduce flooding and erosion, and contain key habitats for fish, insects and other wildlife.

The hike at Pigeon River Conservation Area is roughly three km over easy ground and will take about 90 minutes.

The second hike at Fleetwood Creek Natural Area is about four km over rough and rolling trails and will take an hour and 45 minutes. Those taking part should wear supportive footwear with a good tread and bring water. Participants can hope to see trilliums, trout lilies, and other plants that find their niches in small forests, wetlands, and along stream banks.

Hike partners include the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Kawartha Conservation, The City of Kawartha Lakes, Save the Oak Ridges Moraine Coalition, and the Ontario Heritage Trust.

Heather Stauble, local councillor and the chair of Kawartha Conservation, will be one of several co-hosts at each hike, where a group of leaders will point out ecological points of interest.

Participants will also be encouraged to provide feedback on the Ontario government’s review of four land use plans by submitting comments on the Province’s Environmental Bill of Rights website or by emailing their comments to landuseplanningreview@ontario.ca. The government is coordinating the review so that each Ontarian can share her or his voice on the Greenbelt—so it remains the solution for clean water, fresh air, healthy local food, and a thriving economy with good jobs.

In addition to this public hike, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, the Institute, and 19 regional partners have collaborated in posting self-guided descriptions for ten hikes spanning the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine, and across the nearly two million acres of Greenbelt, from St. Catharines in the south, arching above Hamilton, Oakville, and Toronto, and extending east to the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Further details regarding the locations can be found at http://ontarioheadwaters.ca/hikes.